The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-11-13

Ing marines on the IsInnuS Nltn Ihe object, while keeping the Panama Railroad open, of holding the situation for the benefit of the Colombian Gov ernment.
 The Government at Washington has never cared very much about the de- tails of the history of the relations be- tween the Panama Canal Company and the Colombian Government. Those re- lations would not bear close inspection on either side. Our Government, on the advice of it's own trusted experts, has simply decided that the unfinished ca nal and the works connected herewith, together with the Panama Railroad, are fairly worth $40,000,0O0, and that the present French Panama Company is
 the legal possessor of those assets, and entitled to sell them and receive the money. This fact of the French com- pany's status, as ascertained after full inquiry by Attorney General Knox,
 would not be altered by the creation of new republic of Panama. If such
 new republic were to come into exist ence, it would be vapable of signing at
 once a canal treaty with the United
 States; and if such treaty were of the
 
 new republic would naturally have not | only our recognition, but also our pro- lection and our guarantee of a peace | full career. The French company would still be entitled to its S4O,0O0,O0o. It is
 not very likely that Secretary Hay, | having in his draft of treaty with Colombia offered to pay s10,000000 for
 the grant of canal strip would reduce
 the amount in making treaty with. a new Panama republic. Our secretary | would not, however, permit such new republic to assert over our canal strip | any absurd pretensions of sovereignty. | On the canal itself, and within the l needful limits of strip of territory on either side, the United States Govern | ment would be at liberty in it's own way | to administer justice, protect the pub | lie health, and do whatever it might | find necessary in it's capacity as a government.
 The merchants and property owners
 at Colon, at the town of Panama, and l elsewhere in the Isthmus, see plainly
 that their property is dead and their 1 business is ruined if President Rcose- welt acts upon the alternative laid down in the Spooner act, drops the idea l of the Panama Canal, and proceeds to
 develop the Nicaragua route. In like manner, the French Panama Company | is perfectly aware that the adoption of the Nicaragua route-which is made
 mandatory upon the President in case l of failure to secure governmental con- | cession at Panama ma-will render it for ever impossible to find a purchaser for
 its expiring franchises and for the rust ing and eroding evidence of its unfin-
 ished canal work. Obviously then the Panama business men and the agents
 of the French canal company have every possible motive for acting in har- mony, and for acting without a mos ment's unnecessary delay. How, then, about the attitude of the United States? The answer depends upon on one thing namely. the extent of which the au- thorities at Washington really believe in the superiority of the Panama route over the Nicaragua route. The American public may be quite sure, therefore, that the agents of this com pany will leave nothing undone in or Ger so to clear away existing obstacles at the earliest possible moment as to make it still feasible for the President to take the Panama route, whereas he must otherwise fall back upon Nicara- que as the law now stands. Such are the factors in an extremely interesting situation. The American public may well await the progress of events with no small degree of curiosity and inter- est. afr >
 So far as the great European Powers are concerned, the setting up of a Pan- anna republic by processes and agencies in which the United States Govern ment could not be accused of having had any direct part could not we'll ex- cite criticism. And as for Washing tons prompt recognition of such re- public, that would be matter for our own decision. Obviously, the French citizens. The English Government has wholly acqulesced in the idea that the United States shall build and control an isthmian canal; and it desires to have the waterway open at the earliest possible date, knowing that British ships will be its largest users. South America, furthermore will derive so much more benefit from the choice of Panama than from the Nicaragua route, that any transient expression of displeasIlre, on account of the increased authority of the United States over the Isthmus, would promptly disappear in the very genuine interest that would be aroused by the spectacle of Uncle San's | big dredges, steam shovels, and power drills making their way through earth and rock