The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-27
by enacting extraordinary. drastic exclu-
sion legislation, in violation of solemn
treaty engagements. as
MORGAN OBJECTS

Senator Morgan, who has exhausted his
resources of objection to the Panama
route for the interoceanic canal, has now
signifed that he will withdraw his OBJ
jections to that, route II the French gov
eminent will put up guarantee that no
old claims of original stockholders will
be presented. Mr.. Morgan claims that II
the United States purchases the Panama
Canal company's property at the stipu-
lated sum. s4O,oOO.Ooo. it will become liable
for 1,4OO, 00O, 900 francs ($2S0, 1000, 000) worth
of stock and bonds Of the company; that
Is. our government will have to pay the
bills for the old De Lesseps financial de-
bauch, and Mr.. Morgan asks, with some
excitement, If congress Is ready to accept
such a burden.
That is a very important question, OF
course, but the Walker commission mas
satisfied itself that the new Panama canal
company can give clean bill OF health,
as it did not go into the renewed con-
struction of the De Lesseps prism with
out shaking off every possibility Of an on
slaught by the gentlemen or, their heirs
who bought De Lesseps' 435,OOO,OO0 OF
canal bonds for $256, 100000 and found
themselves whistling for their money.
Our government will not relieve the treas
ury of $40 900, 900 unless it is absolutely
certain that the goods are delivered free
from any attachments. Mr.. Morgan has
named his last objection and it amounts
to nothing. Mr.. Hepburn may as well
abandon his position that the commits
sions report will not lead to any aban-
donment Of the efforts in behalf of the
Nicaragua route by the friends OF that
measure" Both Hepburn and Morgan
have professed to be ardently in favor OF
an interoceanic canal and a canal to be
built Immediately. They have the ripe
opportunity to get the work started now,
but they have unfortunately argued them
selves into the conviction that there can
be but one route and that via Nicaragua.
They have arrived at the belief that there
is something sacrosanct about the Nicar-
aqua route and that it will be sacrilegious
favor Of Nicaragua is possibly due to the
fact that all the legislation as. to- canals
submitted to congress, since the failure Of
the Frelinghuysen-Za treaty, referred
to that route. This fact, however, does
not make the building of canal by that
route a fixed national policy. The idea
! is ridiculous. 1t is business proposition
and all the arguments aginst the Panama
route have been fully disposed OF by the
Walker commission, which has followed
! the dictates of common sense in deciding
to recommend route which is 1874 miles
shorter than the Nicaragua route, has
fewer locks hnd less curvature and en-
! ables deep-draught vessel to pass from
! ocean to ocean in about 0ne-third tn
! time by the Nicaragua route, and viii
| cost Sc, 900, 900 less than a canal by tina
! route, and cost $1,000, 900 less year tt
operate it than the Nicaragua canal would
cost.
The chief photographer Of the Isthmia1
| canal commission, who is good authority
! says that 70 per cent, Of the total traffic
! would prefer the Panama route and tn
| traffic to and from the west coast of Sout]
| America, about a third of the whole, nat
| urally prefers the Panama route as som
400 miles Of sream1ng are saved. TIL
question of routes appears to have bee,
I decided by the commission from purel
business standpoint, which ought to b
accepted by all who mean business. T
block the construction of that canal no.
after quarter Of a century of logomach
over routes would be supreme and un
mitigated folly.