Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-08
FAVOR PANAMA ROUTE
Senators Beginning to Consider
the spooner Bill for Isth-
milan Canal.
II Gives the President the Right
to Select Panama
Route.
Clear Title. However. Must Be
Obtained Before a Decision
is Made.

| Washington March S.-The effect OF
the announc ement that Nicaragua and
Costa Rica have notified the United
States that the protocol negotiated
some months ago covering concessions
desired by this country in connection
with a proposed sthmian canal is no
longer effective has been to enlist SEN
timent in the senate in favor of modi-
fication of the Spooner bill. That bill
provides in brief that the Panama
route shall be selected If the president
finds valid title can be secured of the
holdings of the French company. 1t
contains an alternative proposition,
that in the event of the title not being
secure, the Nicaraguan route shall be
taken When the bill was first intro
duced it was opposed on the ground
that it placed the responsibility for the
selection of route on the president.
Senator Spooner says that this is far
from the truth. He says his bill Sc
lects the Panama route, and leaves to
the president only the duty of discover
ing whether a valid title can be Sc
cuerd. In this the president can rely on
the department of justice. If the title
is good, it then orders him to commence
work on that route. and the RESPONSE
bility for that order is with congress.
The action of the two isthmian coun-
tries is believed to be prompted solely
by the desire to hold up the United
States for goodly sum in connection
with the canal. in addition to what has
been proposed in the protocols.
The officials of the isthmian coun-
tries in interest have observed the
course of Colombia In it's operations in
trying to get liberal share of the
s4O,000,000 price asked by the French
government thru it's recent notification
to the company. The present move of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica is believed
1T is directed against the United States.
All tha advantages which our state
department has been able to secure in
the protocols framed at different times
with the isthmian countries have been
the result of playing one country
against the other When Colombia
feared thatthe Nicaraguan route was
to he selectediit offered easier terms.
When Nicaragua and Costa RIGA had
reason to believe this country would
adopt the Panama route, they came
forward with concessions. The action
of the house of representatives was all
most unanimously in favor of the Nj
caraguan route. Then Panama offered
an obstacle to the selection of the Pan
anna route. This combination of devel-
opments favcring the Nicaraguan route
caused the Nicaraguan and Costa Ri
can governments to conclude that the
Nicoraguan route is the only one pos
sible for the United States. The docis-
ion to ask more than had been asked
of the United States followed.
In consequence of these conditions
the sentiment in the senate, Judging
from expressions of it's leaders. was
that something in the line of Spooner
bill may have to be adopted, with a
provision that the state department.
shall oren and close negotiations, with
the advice of the president, with the
country or countries offering the most
reasonable terms. 1t is feared that UNI
less some such proposition is included
In the legislation all attempts at canal
legislation at the present session will
have to be abandoned.
The ministers of Nicaragua and Cos
ia Rica, who yesterday notified Secre-
tary Hay that their countries regarded
the protocols as not now In force, ex-
plain that their governments were in
duced to assume this surprising attitude
on account of the changes made In the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty after 1t was
by the senate The protocols
We're arranged when the first treaty
was negotiated. That treaty, as I'M
derstood by Nicaragua and Costa RIGA,
insured joint British and American con-
troll over the proposed Nicagarguan
canal. Nicaragua and Costa Rica have
now informed this government that, in
view of the fact that the new treaty
gives the United States government
exclusive control over any interoceanic
waterway extending across the General
America istllmus they are unable to re-
gard the terms of the original protocols
as applying to any canal which may be
under the second Hay
Pauncefote treaty.
The situation is much complicated,
and, while there have been insinuations
of bad faith on theNart of the two Cen
trail American republics, 1t is believed
that Secretary Hay will resume nego-
tiations with them in order to deter
mine whether new protocols satisfac-
tory to the United States can be ar