Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-06-20
PANAMA ROUTE WINS.
Senator cones ef Arkan>a g.
Votes for fhe Panama
Route.
He EXPLAINS His POSITION SAY.
IsFACTORlLY IN AN INTER.
VIEW
President to Select Panama Route 4
lie can Obtain Clear Title; Othet4=
wise to Accept Nicaragua.
GOLD BONDS TO RAISE MONEY

Washington, June 20-Thc senate
yesterday, by a majority of ci&ht
tute for the Hepburn Nicaragua cana
bill, the vote on the stlstitutc hcln&
AZ to 81
After two amendments to the meas.
ure had to be adopted, one providmE
for commission to supervise tie.
construction of the canal and the otll.
er providing for the issuance Of $3.50.
100000 of . per cont gold bonds to-
raise money With which to construGs
the waterway, it was passed by vote
of G7 to 6.
1t has been evident for several days
that the Spooner substitute, which ia
brief provides tIlat the president shall
select the Pal.ama route il he can Gtt
tain clear tide TO the Panama Camel
cnmpuny'S property, bat otherwise IT.
shall adopt the Nicafaguan route,
would command ;ho votes Of majer.
ity of th" senate
Nh. Jones. ei Arkansas, voted fer
the Spooncr substitute against tho
majority Of Tie Democratic senators,
bGt=yatad against the amendment a.
issue $4,000 ,000 sold bonds to pay
ior building the canal
Senator Jones has been severely
criticised for his position On The eanas
question.
Senator Jones makes the following
explanation OF his position in thc
matter:
aUnder the circumstances / do NOT
see how it can be claimed that t,sc,
expression of the Democratic p,tst.
form makes it incumbent s7oon.4 any
body to vote for the Nicaragua route
against his better Judgment said
Senator Jones when that platform
was made the only route under cou-
sideration was that through Nicaragua
and Costa Rica. Since then, however,
the conditions have materially chang
ed. The Panama route has bccrI
placed upon the same plane-so far IS
availability is concerned-as the Mica.
ragua route If the conditions at the
present time were as they were when
the platform was written, If it were a.
question between Nicaragua on the
one hand and no canal on the other
should certainly vote for the Nicara-
qua bill as it came from the house,
AS see it, the Panama route has dis
mat thefe VIII be canal bill al this;
session of congress and that the luty
OF individual members of the sera1k,
is to choose between the two routes o,7,
then merits. To my mind the advant.
ages OF the Panama route are unoucs
toned.
Ihe commission, headed by Admir-.
al Walker, and composed of the best
experts whose services President No.
N1hley could secure, has in two rc.
poFts pointed out tie superiority of
the Panama route over the Nicarap11.
route The first report as clearly
points out the superiority of the Pan
anna route from an engineering stand.
point, as does the second; but thai
Irst report held that In view of the
hlgh valuation placed upon the hold
lnss oy the Panama Canal company
the Nicaragua enterprise was the.
more measlble. After the Panarn::
company had come down to the yal;,.
dtlon which our own commission
placed upon that property the com
mission decided unanimously that the,
ranama proposition is in all respects
the better one for the government.
Inere is no politics in the matter
AT all. When the Democratic plat
form was made the Panama -possibils-
ty had in no sense presented itself.
Since then there has been an absu-
Iute cnange in the conditions and wes'
AS