Evening star., 1902-01-07
HEPBURN EXPLAINS
Canal Bill Taken Up in the House
of Representatives.
ADVANTAGES OF NICARAGUA ROUTE
The Speaker Piled With Ques-
tons.
MR.. DAVIS FOLLOWS HIM

Ihere was fairly large attendance in
the galleries of the House OF Representa-
tNes today In anticipation of the opening
OF the debate upon the Nicaraguan canal
Dill. which had been made a special order
ton in the mind of any well-informed man
bill will continue before the House until
disposed of.
Mr.. Hepburn Opens.
Without preliminary business the House
went into committee of the whole tMr.
Grosvenor Of Ohio in the chairl for the con-
sideration OF the canal bill. and Mr. sIep-
burn uowa), the chairman of the commit
tee on interstate and foreign commerce.
which reported the BILL took the floor 10
open the debate. He said the subject of a
waterway across the isthmis connecting
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans had been i'm
the minds OF the people of the world for
more than 400 years
In the United States thirty-seVen states
had instructed their congressional delega-
tons TO support bill for an inter-oceanic
waterway; all political parties had aligned
themselves In favor of il; the subject had
been discussed i'm Congress- scientific socI-
cues, the newspapers and on the hustings
until there was now volume of litera ature
on the subject never before devoted to a
single project
-hi. IltpDurn Salu the report of the
walker commission gave careful considera-
ton to every feature of the work The bill
submitted by his committee proposed TO
concentrate all authority in the hands OF
the PRESIDENT 1t opened no opportunity
Tor defunct statesmen or the pensioninE OF
persons who had been passed I'm the race of
lie. 1t gave the United States the author
ity to protect, defend and operate the canal.
IN view OF all the reports submitted Mr..
Hepburn said there could now be no uues-
ton in the mind of any well Informed man
or the feasibility and practcability Of an
inter-oceanic canal.
The Panama's Co.'s Undertaking..
Referring to the efforts Of the Panama
Canal Company to build canal by private
enterprise he summed up their efforts as
follows: THE company raised S256 oba.ooo
by sale of S435,0o0,o00 of bonds. and after
eight years the managers of the company
found themselves with the work less than
one-fourth completed, penniless and bank
rupt in money and character" The disas-
ter to this company. he said proved con-
clusively that the work should be under
taken by governmental agency.
There was not an atom of work in gen.
eral engineering, said he, yet to be done.
in favor of the feasibility and PRACTICABLE
.ty no enterprise that had ever received the
attention of man had been so conclusiVely
proved. If the pending bill became a law
the work could begin at once and should
Mr.. Hepburn said that as a commercial
venture the commissions figures OF 1000 =
900 tons could be safely taken AT the lat
ter figure the total revenue at the Suez rate
would be S14O0,o00, enough to meet the
cost of maintenance (S3, ,l00.60D. and leave
over $10,000,O00 to meet interest charges IL
there We're such.
Mr.. Hepburn pointed out the advantages
of the Nicaragua route for sailing vessels
on account of the better winds prevailing
there. contending in this connection that il
was mistake to suppose that the sailing
ship was destined to disappear from the
ocean. Where the Panama route was To-
Gated sailing ships sometimes lay for FIVE
months in the doldrums. When Mr.. Hep
burn said he had hoped that the proposed
waterway would be free of charge to
American ships there was an outburst OF
applause on the republican side. III that
might be done, he said, ii would give n
great impetus to American shipping.
In concluding. Mr.. Hepburn said there
might be some interests in the United
States which believed they would be HARM
ed by the rivalry of this canal, and there
were gentlemen of honest purpose who
thought the time was not ripe for the build
ing of the canal or that an enterprise OF
such magnitude should not be undertaken.
They were, perhaps. terrified by the spectre
of scandal But" he concluded II insist
that the American people have made their
decree that the canal shall be built and
that now is the time to build it, (Ap-
plause.)
The Panama Company Oner.
After Mr.. Hepburn had concluded his set
speech he was besieged with questions
Mr.. McDermott IN. j. called attention to
the statement in the report of the Walker
commission giving the cost Of the Panama
canal property as s1O9. .0o0.O00 and the news
paper reports that the company now offered
to sell the property for 10000. 900. If the
latter report were true, the Panama canal
would cost less than the Nicaragua. and he
asked If Mr.. Hepburn did not believe with
equal cost that the commission would have
reported in favor of Panama.
Mr.. Hepburn replied that the commission
had stated the respective advantages of
both routes under conditions then existing.
He could not tell what the commission
would have reported under other circum-
stances.
ANY gentleman who absorbs the COM
missions report" said he "and weighs IT
must believe that other things being equal
the canal that is 400 miles nearer our ter
ritory, that makes New Orleans 4S0 miles
nearer San Francisco and New York 375
miles nearer than the other, is the better
canal for u.s." (Applause.)
MT. McDermott IN. J1 said inasmuch as
the commission had practically rejected the
consideration Of the Panama route owing
to the expense, even If the cost was now
reduced to $40.OO0000. the commission
should not be asked for its views
Mr.. Hepburn replied that the question in
volved so much of speculative philosophy
he would leave the answer to the gentle
manfrom New Jersey. The whole Panama
scheme, he declared, had utterly failed
The French stockholders had been robbed
The company was discredited to France: in
fact. 1t seemed to have no credit except in
the United States.
If We build the Nicaragua canal" asked
Mr.. Sims (TennD, lis il not likely that the
French government Will complete the Pam
anna canal?'
There is the same probability of two
canals, answered Mr.. Hepburn that
there is of the Suez canal being paralleled
by another"
THE SENATE.