The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-01
Isthmian Canal Prospects.

IA going to give up. without a
struggle, to the inevitable 18TH
mian canal. No one now openly op-
| posed the canal but an equal purpose
| will be served if a dispute can be stirred
| up over the selection Of a route.
When the latest canal commission
| compared the Nicaragua and Panama
routes it declared its preference for the
former One of it's reasons was that
the Panama Canal company wanted
$1O9 900, 600 for property that the COM
| mission appraised at $S6,O0O,OOO Since
then it has been stated that the Pan
ANA company will sell for $40,OO0,0OO.
This new price would make the cost of
completing the Panama canal actually
$5, ,63O, ,704 less than that Of constructing
the Nicaragua canal. Since the esti-
mated annual cost of maintaining and
operating the Nicaragua canal is
81, 300, 900 greater than the correspond
ing charges for the Panama canal, by
playing one route against the other
the transcontinental railroads have a
beautiful chance to secure more delay.
spragging actual progress is thus eX-
planned by Representative Hepburn, of
Iowa:
My committee has investigated the subject at
an istlman canal for ten years past. At time
when it seemed probable that the committee
would recommend action, having become satisfied
regarding course to be pursued another COM
mittee, not charged with any duty respecting
the subject, brings in river and harbor bill,
with a paragraph attached providing for the
appointment OF commission to invest gate and
report. This scheme was successfully carried out
and has been twice repeated with variations. Ev.
cry commission has reported in favor OF the Nica-
ragla route and we have paid out a million and
a half dollars for Investigations that have not
added one important or substantial fact to our
knowledge regarding the canal question not
known when this system OF delay inaug-
urated.
Mr.. Hepburn gives frankly some of
the details of the jockeying in this
matter:
Last time there some funny proceedings
in connection with the matter The canal bill,
you may remember, was attached to the river
and harbor hill in the senate and sent back TO
the house. There was confusion among the OPP
pOHtlNS OF lHe canal anu u nasty conference MS
held between Speaker Reed and Chairman Bur
ton in which the speaker notified Mr.. Burton
that he must other kill the canal amendment
or bring in new bill. Mr.. Burton asked me
if | would consent to disagreement upon all
the senate amendments and let them go to CON
ference. told him | would consider the prop
ostion and proceeded to consult the senators.
Two of them, who said they would be on he
conference committee, assured me OF their in
tn,,-n intprn In, tln mol n,1 that
should never consent to the canal amendment
going off, One OF them actually rcproached me
for my reluctance to accept their assurances, and
! finally did so, | agreed to sending the bill to
conference and the canal amendment went off in
iify, being replaced by the item providing
for the appointment OF the isthmian canal com
mission which has just made its report. Ad-
miral Walker was chairman of the commission
well as OF the Nicaragua commission, its pre-
decessor in the investigating business. When
the report was presented, | was on my feet de-
mandng recognition in order that ! might make
point of order against the substitute, to which
it was susceptible. But the speaker recognized
several other gentlemen before he reached me
and then, when made my point OF order, bland
ly informed me that was too late that the re-
port, although covering multitude of subjects.
must be treated as an entirety, and that by ''per-
mitting" debate to be had upon other topics
had precluded myself from making the point
against the commission item; and later Reed had
the impotence to come around and with his sar-
donic smile twit me upon waiting until il was
too late to intervene with the point OF order
Nor does Mr.. Hepburn take much
stock in the reported ability of the
Panama promoters to make good their
proffered transfer of interest in con-
sideration of $4O,OOOOOO, He says:
saw dispatch saying the secretary of the
company was route to the United States TO
make that offer, but | don't know who sent it,
Ii genuine | don't know the extent oi the au-
thority OF $50 gentlemen at the recent meeting
Of the company to represent the 10000 stock
holders, and then, what should we buy? The
concession OF the French company contains an
unlimited prohibition against It's transfer. pro-
siding for its cancellation and the forfeiture
Of all property Of the company in case an at
Tempt should be made to sell il 10 any other
party not a sale effected, but an attempt to
sell. To he sure, IL is aid that the government
Of Colombia would ratiiy transfer TO the United
States. That Is probably true, in the present
conditions, but II is only probability. Who
can be sure that the minister authorized 10 sign
a protocol 10 that effect in Washington will be
in position to put his name TO a treaty TO carry