Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-15
THE CANAL AND THE SENATE.

There is a feeling in Washington and
elsewhere that the house of representa-
tlves merely shifted the duty of deter
mining the question Of building the 18TH
milan canal to the senate, and that its
hasty effort was in response to popular
sentiment. There may be some truth in
1t: and it Is at least true to the extent
that the members of the house were
conscious that their act in passing 1t
would not be finality. The New York
Tribune expresses a view on this sub
ject worthy of attention. 1t says:
The United States senate is about to
justify in striking manner It's title to
be known as the deliberative branch"
of the national legislature. There has
been RENTED to 1t practically all the
deliberate consideration which is to be
bestowed upon one of the most impor-
tant measures which have come before
congress for many years. The house OF
representatives has passed the bill of
Mr.. Hepburn providing for the construc-
ton of canal at Nicaragua, and has
done so after q brief debate and by a
practically unanimous vote. there being
only two noes in total of $40. 1t is not
to be supposed thai any representative
would claim that the debate was as de-
tailed and deliberate as the subject de-
Elands, or that the vote represents the
well-informed and mature convictions
of the house. Rather is the vote to be
regarded as a reflection OF popular senti-
ment in favor of some canal, with ira
ditional prediction for the Nicaragua
route II that shall be found at least as
good as any other; while the summary
passage OF the bill is simply an indica-
ton Of the houses preference that the
real investigation. consideration and
choice of routes shall be effected else
where.
That preference is probably wise. The
senate is in many respects better fitted
than the house for the performance of
the work thus laid upon 1t. There is in
this case a peculiar fitness, because the
canal project involves the foreign rela-
tions of the country, and the senate is
Part of the treaty making power 1t is
the senate. not the house. that has rati-
fled the Hay-Pauncefote treaty. II is the
SENATE. not the house. which must pass
upon whatever arrangements are made
with Nicaragua and Costa RIGA, or with
Colombia, for the construction and con-
troll of the canal. Therefore 1t is well
that the senate should take the lead in
selecting the route over which the canal
is to be built. There can be no fear of
undue dilatoriness or of disregard of the
urgency of the matter, seeing that one
of the foremost members of the senate is
also the most conspicuous OF all the
champions of the canal scheme.
Deliberation, not delay. will be the
senate's proper rule of action. The first
aim is to ascertain beyond all eliminable
doubt which ia the best route for the
canal-or the better route, since only
two are now seriously considered. 1t
ought not 10 be difficult task to make
such choice, with the abundance of au-
thoritative data now at hand. AS good
a surveying commission as we can ever
hope to have has made an exhaustive
report, and the Panama company has at
last come TO the front with definite
offer of sale. 1t is for the senate to de-
liberate upon those bases and to make
the final and irrevocable choice of route.
In its choice the house will doubtless ac
uuiesce The overwhelming vote in the
house may be taken as an earnest of the
readiness with which, at the proper
time, congress and the nation will come
to the support and the vigorous prose-
cution Of the great work.