Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-01-19

Albuquerque, N. NJ, Jan. ID
Especial correspondence for TIE
C1aphic.) The Hepburn canal bill for
the lIiodraguan route passed The
house last week by large majority
The decisive vote of $40 yeas to .
nays indicates the overwhelming sen
tinient of the people of this country
fer the Nicaragua canal. But there
are 1pmors that the canal bill will
have rocky road to travel in the
senate The arch-enemies of the CO
nal and the Nicaragua route are again
st work, and matters have become
more complicated by the offer Of tie
Panama Canal company to accept
$40 100000 for what they formerly
asked $1O9, 900 900. There is, however,
no longer a question of an American
isthmian canal; it is simply a ques-
tion of routes-Panama against Mica
ragua.
Soon after his completion of the
Suez canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps or
ganiZed a company in France to con
struct similar water way connecting
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the
Isthmus of Panama. The men put in
charge of the canal squandered money
right and left, and the French people,
after putting in more than enough to
have completed the work, were unable
to pay more, and the company failed,
with about two-fifths of the work
completed after fashion. The man.
ayers were all arrested. many of
them were punished, and De Lesseps
died of his disappointment and cha
grin. Some time later new com
pany was organized in France, which
bought the wreck, and has since been
spending considerable sums of money
upon the enterprise. mainly. however
for the purpose of protecting and pre-
serving the work already done, and
holding the charter
By an act of congress passed March
3, 1899 an isthmian canal commission
was erected Ito make a fun inye9ti
cation Of ali practical locations for 4
canal across the American. .isthmHs
and to <Gs.tefnjfHe fhe most feasible
and Gacticahle route across saia
.'isthm for canal. together With tae
cost constructing aud placing the
same $nder the control management
and ownership of the United States. :"
In due time the president appointed 4
commission Of nine experts to find
the route" The commission entered
npon it's labors in the middle of that
year The commissioners Grst visited
Paris to investigate the records and
titles of the Panama Canal company
and to receive from the French com
pany such bids and offers as they
might have to make for the sale and
transfer of the unfinished Panama
canal to the United States. At first
the French company refused to name
a price, but after "having been press.
ed strongly and repeatedly by the
commission and at the close of their
work the Panama company placed an
estimate on the value of it's property
and franchises at S109. 900. 900, enough
to cover all that had been suuandered
and stolen on the enterprise from th J
beginning, and slice on the side.
The American commission estimated
that the work done ON the isthmus
by the Panama company and the rail-
road its own would be worth about
S34 00G 900 to the United States.
The price asked by the Frenehmen
was so eXtravagant that the Ameri-
can commissioners concluded that the
Panama route was out of the question
and returned to the United States. In
January, 1900. the isthmian commits
sioners sailed for Greytown. Nieara=
qua. where they spent several months
investigating the Nicaraguan route
and inspecting the work done by the
surveyors and engineers who had
been previously sent into the field.
The commissions report was thorough
and exhaustive, and its conclusion
after an entire investigation. was that
After considering all tho facts de
veloped by the Investigations made
by the commission. and having in
view the terms offered by the Panama
Canal company. this commission is Q;
the opinion that the most practicable
and feasible route for an isthman ca
nal, to be under the control. manage
ment and ownership of the United
States is that known as the Nicara
qua rCut..'
But since the report of the isthmia
commission, and the evident purpose
of congress to pass the Nicaragua e2-
nal route bill, the naughty Frenchnen
have come down from their high and
lofty perch and are anxious to get
$40 900 coo for what they had the au
dacity to first ask Sl09 00o .o40 for
because the construction cf the Nice
raguan canal means the death and to
tai disaster of the Panama canal
scheme.