Evening star., 1902-02-26
THE |STHM|AN CANAL
Issue Between Congress and
the Commission.
A SIGNIFICANT FACT
INTERESTS WHICH FAVOR THE
PANAMA ROUTE.
Apparently the Same Which Have Sue
cessfully Held Up Our CONNER
cial Development.
A SIGNIFICANT FACT

An engineer of International reputation,
who has been identified with isthmian canal
methods, In speaking Of the present status
of the canal bill to representative of The
Star today, said:
'In the early part Of January the House of
Representatives passed the Hepburn bill, au-
thorizing the President to acquire the right
of way and inaugurate the work of build
ing the Nicaragua canal. This bill was
passed by vote of 3O6 to 2. Subsequently
the isthmian canal commission submitted
supplementary report in which it decided
that In view of the reduced price at which
the new French company offered to sell Its
concessions and works and the possibility
of securing title, that the Panama route
was to be preferred.
Thus an issue was made between Con-
gress and the commission. a body which
had previously decided twice in favor Of
the Nicaragua route, as had also all other
competent boards and engineers, who have
critically examined the merits of these
routes from a disnterested standpoint.
Even the last commission was divided as to
the better route but 1t appears from the
mittee on 1nteroceanic canals, that to
avoid creating an issue in Congress. which
might cause another pretext for inaction.
the report was made unanimous, but with
a statement Of the reason therefor.
What De Lesseps Admitted.
DE Lesseps himself admitted years ago
that if a canal, with locks were to be built
Nicaragua was the proper rout, but his in
terests, we'll as those of the French peo-
pie. were involved in the Panama specula-
ton. Already about $27O, ,OOO, 900 have been
expended and over twenty years have
passed in vain efforts to build a water way
connecting the oceans, and now that it has
again failed and the company is unable to
raise more money, it is proposed to turn it
over to the United States, with less than
one-third of the work done, and that the
least difficult and least expensive part.
The report of the commission while plac-
ing the two routes about on parity to
cost, throws such serious doubts around
some of the physical difficulties to be en-
countered at Panama, that 1t has necessi-
tated the further delay required to ascertain
the facts by calling in of expert and other
testimony to furnish definite and reliable
basis for action. The country Is sorely in
need of relief from the enormous ex-
travagance it's commerce Is now subjected
to by the additional 10000 miles it's vessels
removal of this obstruction would at once
double the capacity of the existing tonnage
and would be better than any subsidy bill
that can ever be passed in aid of our mer-
chant marine, which certainly needs favor
able legislation
Delays by Treaties.
'1n 1S4S while our little army was en-
gagged In the Mexican war. Great Britain
took advantage Of the situation to seize
the outlet OF the San Juan river and after
Honduras had ceded to the United States
a naval station on Tigre Island. in the
gulf Of Fonseca. at the Pacific terminus
Of the Nicaragua route, England also
seized and claimed that island. Also after
exceptionally favorable terms had been Sc
cured for American concessions Congress
set them aside and substituted treaty
which gave to Great Britain equal privi-
leges in the construction and use of any
transit route across the isthmus. This
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, alleged to have
been framed in the interest of the early
construction Of canal became in fact
the most serious obstacle and finally
reached a point where it threatened to be-
come menace to the amicable relations
between the two countries, hence it was
supplanted by another to remove the ami
mus.
This new treaty, however. has not abated
one iota the commercial rivalry between
nations nor the desire to retain, at all haz-
ards. the control Of the highways of the
world and so long as the 1sthmus remains
| barricaded this country is hopelessly hand
fcapped in competition for the oriental
trade. For example. New Orleans is to-
day nearly 400 miles farther from San
Francisco, by water than is LIVERPOOL
and it is manifestly to the interests of
British trade to keep it SO; whereas the
opening of a canal would give to our gulf
ports an advantage Of about $500 miles.
Moreover, the SueZ canal as well as the
Union Pacific railroad were both opened
in 1869 and foreign capital Is now largely
invested In these great trade routes which
1t is assumed will be injuriously affected
by the opening of an economic route for
our coastwise trade and hence these vest
ed interests have invariably been arrayed
against its construction and the most ef-
rective mode OF operation Is to block leg
islatiOn. which can be and has been done
so readily by making 1t a political issue.
A Significant Fact.
ut is a most significant fact that the same
interests which have so successfully held
up the commercial development Of our
country for personal or corporate aggran-
dizement are substantially those which now
apparently favor the Panama route as the
better.
ITO advocate Panama 1t Is necessary to do
violence to nature and ignore many we'll
known physical conditions, such as the fact
that the Nicaragua route is the shortest
and most direct by from one to two days
for by far the greater volume of the tom
mage "in sight" or of that which may be
created. and this in itself should be a suf-
hcfent answer as to the superiority of the
northernmost line, since 1t is the most eco
nomical as we'll as the shortest More
over recent testimony shows that the work
on Nicaragua is well distributed, that
there are no extraordinary engineering diff
ficulties In the way, that harbors having
equal facilities can be opened for more than
S6OOO.OOO less. that all things considered
the work can be completed in about two
years less time. that the sanitary condi-
tions are far better and hence there is less
danger Of delays from epidemics that
more than half Of the excavation is dredg-
ing. which is the cheapest kind of work,
which the rainfall does not seriously af-
feet. that this route would be far more ac-
cessible for sailing vessels and that the
concessions can doubtless be obtained at an
early date. All these are so many reasons
why the opponents of great waterway
prefer the Panama route, where these vital
features are absent. In view of these con-
ditions opponents Of the waterway are
making 1t a political question to cloud the
situation"
Young Woman's Home.