The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-09
VOTE TODAY
 ON THE BILL Debate on the Canal
 Measure. PANAMA COMPANY'S OFFER C0ngreSSmen Ask That It Be
 Considered. This Sentiment Taking the Form of Advocating the Norris Amend ment to the Bill Intro
 duced by Hepburn.

ouOou " &AOgSoA Washington, Jan. s.-The debate on the Nicaraguan canal bill in the House to- day developed sentiment in favor of giv- ing consideration to the recent offer Of the Panama Company to sell its fran chise and property for s40 900. this sem timent taking the form of advocating the Morris amendment to empower the Presi- dent to select the latter route If the Canal Commission upon considering the companys ofrer, recommends 1t and the required concessions can be obtained from Colombia. Of sixteen members who | spoke today, nine favored the Morris amendment. It was agreed that general debate should close tomorrow at o'clock after which the bill will be open to amendment under the five minute rule. The final vote probably will be taken to- morrow. The speakers today were Messrs Shackleford (Mo.), Parker (N. J) Lowering {Mass.). Morris (Minn.), Bur ton (Ohio), Hill (Conn.). Cromwell (ohio), Gillett CMass.) and Littlefield (Maine) in favor of the Morris amend ment and Messrs Burgess (Texas). Bell | (Colo.), Cooney CMo.), Cummings (N. Y.) Gibson (Tenn.) and Lacey Qowa) for the bill in its present form. The second day of the debate in the House on the Nicayaguan canal bill was opened by MT. Shackelford (Mo.), a member of the committee which reported the bill. lie spoke earnestely in ad- vocacy of its passage.
 If you favor this bill," interposed Mr. Bartholdt (Mo.) why is 1t that you and your Democratic colleagues from Missouri at the last session voted against | similar bill?"
 "Because," replied Mir. Shackelford, | ..the bill at the last session as passed l through this House was to the tune of God Save the Queen l want it passed through to the sweet strains of | Hail Columbia" Democratic ap- plause.'
 F But the Hay-Pauncefote treaty was not ratified at the last session." ob- served MT. Bartholdt.
 "True it was not" replied Mir. Shack elford. but our English Secretary of State wanted it ratified and because we believed the wishes of Her Majesty's representative in the Cabinet would pre- vail, we opposed the bill." He believed that the Eads Tehuante- pee route was preferable to any which had been proposed, but he did not think the present a time for cavil. He did not | like the Panama route, but if the new proposition of the Panama Company of- fered advantages over the Nicaragua route, he thought the President should have alternative authority to accept it. MT. Lowering (Mass) who followed MT. | Shackelford, said that in the past he had favored the Nicaraguan route because | the engineers had reported in its favor | and because until recently he had be- ieved that the trans-continental rail- roads were using the Panama route to obstruct action.. But he had recently satisfied himself that the railroads were not behind the Panama canal. The re- | cent offer of the French Panama Canal Company, he believes, was made in good | faith.
 He believed that in view of the Panama | Company's offer 1t was business to pause and give the commission which reported | in favor of the Nicaragua route an op- portunity to revise it's conclusions. He | said he would vote for the Morris amend ment and appealed to members not to | make the fatal error of committing the government to the Nicaragua route. | MT. Parker (N. J) argued that the
 question of routes should be determined | by the Executive. He made comparison | oi the two rout ss. co 1tending that the Panama route had many advantages over | the Nicaragua route. He appealed to the l House not to letter the President by tie- ing him to a single line oS action. Mir. Morris (Minn.), wno offered tho amendment yesterday to give the Presi- | dent the alternative authority to select the Panama route if it were recommend | ed by the committee after consideration of the Panama Company's new offer. said | his amendment was not to impede the construction of the canal, but to insure the selection of the best cahal-the best | as to location, cost of maintenance and l operation, durability and freedom from danger of destruction If the bill were passed in the form in which it was re- ported the President could not entertain the offer of the Panama Company, and
 under it the President. by treaty, might
 bind the United States to construct the Nacaraguan Canal even though we after
 ward became convinced that the other was the better route.
 MT. Burton (Ohio) favored the Panama
 Canal He thought the shortness of the
 Panama route would tell in it's favor.
 Mir. Hill (Conn.) read a letter from
 Professor Ward of Bridgeport. Conn,
 who was employed as an engineer on the
 Panama Canal Tor SIX ana nalI yesuS'
 contending that the Panama route was
 the better on the following grounds:
 First-It has two excellent ports with
 a weIl-equipped railroad.
 Second-An established line of steam CTS to New York.
 Third--Competent equipment of cars
 and machinery.
 Fourth-Accommodatl for 10000 la
 borers.
 Fifth-Actual definite plans for the completion of the canal with all the eX- perimental work done; and,
 Sixth-The serious danger of volcanic
 disturbances at Nicaragua. MT. Hill said he would vote for the al- ternative proposition.
 MT. Burgess CTex.), who represents the Galveston district, supported the bill in an earnest speech. The only amendment he favored was one declaring in unequivo- cal language that the canal should be fortified
 Messrs Bell (Colo) and Cooney tMo) spoke in advocacy of the pending bill. MT Cromwell (Ohio) said he would sup