The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-19
CANAL VOTE l WILL BE CLOSE Believed, However, Pan-
 ana Will Win. ARKANSAS JONES FL0PS Teller Also in Favor of the Sp00ner Amendment. High Compliments arc Paid to ssna- tor Morgan-Hanna Closes tho
 Argument Against the
 Nicaragua Route.
ARKANSAS JONES FL0PS

vote on the 1sthmian Canal bill n0Wl only a question of hours. 1t is stfIl i'm possible to say positively what the raqu1k
 will be. It seems to be generally bellev- ed. however. that the Panama route VIII
 win. and that the influence brought to bear by the rans-ContinentaI Railroad end Panama Company will thus triumph ever the claims of the Nicaragua route
 The whole matter was said today to rest on the vote of Senator Jones of Ar kansas. and. if this be true. the Panauaa route will be the one selected. or the Spooner substitute, which obviously Is m favor of the Panama rbute, will be pass cd for Jones announced this afternoon
 that he would vote for that route.
 He is being very generally criticised because of his position. It is pointed out that at the Kansas City Convention he was an ardent advocate of the plank committing the Democratic party to tho. support of the Nicaraguan route. and the inconstancy of his present attitude is. therefore, all the more pronounced.
 Senator Spooner. in his speech today. paid very high tribute to Senator Ifor- gan. and said, among other things. that no matter what route was selected the Alabamian would go down in history as ment.
 Interest in the canal question increases as the time for a final vote in the Senate approaches. Tomorrow at o'clock the voting on the amendment to the pending Nicaragua canal bill will begin. and q final disposition of the matter Is expected to be reached soon afterward.
 The Senate today devoted practically it's entire session to the consideration of the canal question Extended speeches
 were delivered by MT. Spooner (wis.) and
 MT Hanna (Ohio), in advocacy of the
 adoption of the Panama route, and Mir.
 Pettus (Aia.) advocated the selection of the Nicaragua route. Mir. Teller (Col.) briefly announced his support of the Panama project. while Mir. Jones (Arix.) indicated his leanings toward the same route.
 Mir. Teller maintained that practically there was no authority for the building of canal by either the Nicaragua or the Panama route. If the Nicaragua should be determined on the United States would have to negotiate with Nicaragua and Costa Rice, and if the Panama route should be adopted. our task with Coloui- bia would be easier. He was not par ticulariy in favor of any canal. but an- nounced he would vote for the Spooner amendment.
 MT. Hanna then began tiis closing argu- ment in support of the adoption of the Panama route. He maintained that both the Panama and Nicaragua routes were perfectly feasible and practicable. but said the preponderance of the evidence in hand was in favor of Panama. Mfr. Hanna expressed the belief that sailing vessels would not use any canal that might be constructed on account of the heavy price of towing. but said if sailing vessel did use a canal. it would prefer the Panama because it was so much shorter than the Nicaragua route.
 Mir. Hanna stated that Mir. Mckinley had favored canal. probably by the Nicaragua route because at that time no other route was thought practicable He quoted MT. Mckinley as saying to him we must not go so fast in this canal question now. We do not know and canot tell now what route will be selected"
 Mir. Hanna said Mir. Mckinley keenly apreciated the responsibilities of his selec- ton of a canal committee and had said to him. just before the Philadelphia con- vention, Tt will not he wise to declare in favor of the Nicaragua canal, as we have done before, as I am just now appointing a commission of ability and integrity to investigate all routes and it's report will be binding upon all of us.-
 While MT. Hanna was discussing the finding of the commission, he mentioned the Darien or San Bias route. If you want a sea level canal" interjected Mir. Scott, "a canal that can be built for one third of the money any other route will cost, you must take the Darion route."
 Mir. Hanna declared that if any con- sessions for the Darien route were obtain ed they would have to be gotten from the Panama Company, which controlled them. In conclusion. MT. Hanna said he never had intended that the name of Mir. Mc- Kinley should be brought into the debate to be conjured with to obtain votes. With some heat he resented the sugges- ton thot he and those Senators who were the Panama route were actuated by any other than proper and patriotic motives.
 MT. Hawley read a document to show that the climate at Panama was of a deadly nature and insisted on that ac- count the United States should not select that route.
 ragua route, Mir. Pettus declared that the American people wanted and would have an isthmian canal to be built, owned and controlled by the United States. He said there were many men in the United States 'who control vast sums of money. of which neither Croesus nor Solomon ever dreamed, who are opposed to any canal because it would decrease their incomes"
 At o'clock the Senate adjourned.