Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-01-13
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence of the courlra.


rcgarulng the nullding OF an 18th
mian canal is universal i'm favor of
the canal among all sorts of public
men, but they differ radically when
1T comes to the route and the
methods adopted by the repubh-
can administration in making the
Panama ronte the only one over
which the canal can be built. The
democrats in Congress are a unit
in favor of the canal, but they do
not intend TO let the skullbuggery
of the present administration pre-
vail if they can help it, and think
they can. They are not satisfied
with the message of the President
which he sent to the Senate on the
subject of Panama, and they think
he has evaded the main question
asked hIm, and they will not stand
for 1T. He has not cleared up the
mlstery surrounding the move
ments of this government just pre-
viOus to the announcement that
the Panama republic was born,
and they either will have the facts
or the Panama treaty will not be
ratified, all the talk of the republi-
can leaders to the contrary not
withstanding. The democrats
want canal, but they want it
with honor.
They know that the Panama
route Is not the only one that there
Is in that section of the world. and
that the Nicaragua route is better
than the Panama; that not so many
people will die of fever while the
canal is being built, and that there
is law unrepealed on the statue
book of the nation authorizing the
President of the United States To
negotiate with the republics of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica for the
right of way for such canal.
Furthermore, they know that the
money has been appropriated for
the Nicaragua route. They do
not like the antics of the admins
tration in this matter, and, not
withstaading the instructions given
To some southern Senators by their
legislatures, they will refuse to
obey them so far as the Panama
route is concerned, because they
know that is not the only chance
for a canal, and they will defeat
the ratification of the Panama
treaty and demanded that the law
concerning the Nicaragua canal be
carried out.
We will then have a canal much
nearer the United States, and es-
pecially the southern states, than
would be the Panama canal, and
they will have rebuked the repub-
lican administration for its disre-
gard of law and the outrageous
conduct in robbing the United
States of Columbia of one of its
states. Unless the President of
the United States can make a bet
ter defense of his position in this
Panama deal that he has done, the
Panama treaty will not be ratified
provided the democrats stand to-
gether as they now say they will
do. We will have canal and we
will swat the republican admins
tration in the neck.
The democrats in the House of
Representatives tried mighty hard
this week to get the republicans to
agree to an investigation of the
post-office scandals, but they failed.
The republicans refused to be in
vestigated. They killed resolu-
tion for the purpose of calling an
investigation of the Bristow char
ges by referring it to committee
by slim vote ofl07 to Ill. After
1t Is referred to the committee it
will continue to sleep in the pigeon
hole of the desk of the chairman
of the committee.
That should show the people of
the country where the sincerity of
the republican party lies in this
matter. They know full well that
if the investigation is ever pulled
off it will put more kinds of big
republicans in hole and soap the
sides and pull up the ladder, than
any man now dreams of. That is
why they will smother the thing
in its inception. The people may
draw their own conclusions.
Some Of the republican leaders
on the floor of the House are re-
peatedly saying on their feet that
that there never were more pros
perious times in this country than
Il 4 IL