The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1902-06-27
PROVISIONS OF
ISTHMIAN CANAL.

The isthmian canal bill passed
by the Senate provides substan-
TALLY as follows:
Section l authorizes the President
to acquire for the United States, at a
cost not exceeding $40, 600 900, all the
rights, privileges, franchises. conces-
sions, grants of land, right of way,
unfinished work, plants and other
property owned by the new Panama
Canal Company of France, on the
IsthmuS of Panama, and all it's maps,
plans, drawings, records on the 18th
mus of Panama and in Paris, includ-
ing all the capital stock, not less,
however, than 6S,863 shares of the
Panama Railroad Company. owned by
or held for the use CT said canal com
pany, provided satisfactory title to
all of said property can be obtained.
Section authorizes the President
to acquire from the republic of Colon
bia exclusive and perpetual control of
a strip of land not less than six miles
wide from the Caribbean Sea to the
Pacific ocean and the right to use and
dispose of the waters thereon, and to
eXcGEate, construct and perpetually
to maintain, operate and protect
thereon, a canal of such depth and Ca
pacty as will afford convenient pas
sage of ships of the greatest tonnage
and draft now in use from the sea to
the ocean, this control to include the
right perpetually to maintain and OPP
crate the Panama Railroad, if the
ownership thereof or controlling in
terest therein shall have been acquired
by the United States; also jurisdic-
ton over the strip and the ports at
the ends thereof to make the neces-
sary police and sanitary rules and reg
ulatiOns and to establish judiciary
tribunals to enforce the same. The
President may also acquire such add.
: tional territory and rights from Co.
lombia as in his Judgment will facil-
itate the general purpose of the act.
| IN PAYMENT.
BY Section 3, SAC, 900, 900 is appropri
= ated to pay for the property of the
new Panama Canal Company, and {
: sufficient amount to pay Colombia
4 for the territory acquired from thai
= territory for building the canal. The
q President is then through the Isthmi
an Canal Commission, authorized by
the act to proceed with the construc
: tion of the canal, utilizing, as far a
! practicable, the work already done
q The canal is to be supplied with al
- necessary locks and dams and othe
appliances. Provision is made for TIL
construction of harbors at the termin
S of the canal, and for such works O
c defe nse as may be necessary.
q By section the President is givel
II the alternative authority of proceed
- ing with the construction of an 18th
milan canal by what is known as TIN
Nicaragua route in the event that 1t
t is unable to secure a satisfactory it'll
& to the property of the new Panam;
Canal Company and the control of th
necessary territory from Colombia anC
after first having obtained from tn,
= United States exclusive and perpetual
A control by treaty of the necessary ter
6 ritory from Costa Ric .. ,..,', )
qua, the provisions as to tonnage anC
draft of vessels as to harbors and as tt
work of defense being the same as il
the section relating to the Panama
route. An appropriation is made O
such sums as may be agreed upon u
? treaty as compensation to Nicaragua
i and Costa Rica for concessions ant
r rights granted to the United States
: SETTING A LIMIT.
r Section appropriates S1O,OOO,OOO tn
I ward the project contemplated, ant
provides that appropriations are not
r to exceed in the aggregate the addi
tional sum of $135 900, 900 if the Pana
ma route be adopted of $3.50, 10000
should the Nicaragua route be Sc
lected.
By section provision is made that
in any agreement with Colombia OIL
l with Nicaragua or Costa RIGA the
= President is authorized to guarantee
: chem the use of the canal and harbors
: upon such terms as may be arranged
= for all vessels owned by those coun
tries or by their citizens.
Section creates an Isthmian Cana,
: Commission of seven members, to be
nominated by the President and con
frmed ty the Senate. They are tC
. have charge of construction of the CT.