The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-07-26
fSTHMIANs CANAL vs.
TEttAUNTEPEC ROUTE.
Mobile Recorder
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The Panama canal is OF more than
loagsing interest, especially to the
South, and anything on that subject Is
CT more than passing interest to TINS
section. 1t is therefore encouraging
to gather from the st. Louis Globe
Democrat that on a recent visit TO
Oyster Bay T. P. Shonts, the chair
man of the Panama Canal Commits
SION, and ]. S. Stevens the new chief
engineer. have been saying things to
make President Roosevelt exceeding
hopeful of the enterprise. 1t is the
presidents orders that work on the
canal be pushed with all possible
rapidity. In order to do this he has
united the posts of governor Of the
Canal zone, and minister to the re-
public of Panama by putting them in
the same hands.
Judge Magoon holds both offices,
and therefore there can be no conflict
between the man who looks after the
United States interest in the little re
public at the IsthmuS and the man
who supervises our civil affairs along
the ten-mile zone which we lease from
that government. 1t is Understood
that Shonts has a little more power
than he recently possessed, or thought
he possessed, and though ne has been
doing a good deal OF talking in the
past week or two-which is something
that is ordinarily calculated to arouse
popular distrust-the country has con-
fidence in him. 1t is reported on the
presidents authority, that Stevens is
to have a practically free hand. His
predecessor complained of being ham
pered by the commission and from
Washington.
The country is glad to be assured,
Oh the presidents authority, that there
will be no further delay in matters at
the Isthmus. The need for quick work
or the canal is becoming more and
more evident every year. Special
Commissioner Bristow recently re-
ported that the road across the 18TH
mus of Tehuantepec is destined to be
formidable competitor of the United
States railway at Panama. We get
intimations of the same sort from a
United States consul. The Tehunte-
pee route of course, is much further
north than the Panama, and the dis
lance by that course between the AT
lantic and Pacific coasts of the United
states would be shorter than by our
United States consul. The Tehaunte-
tepec railway is a British enterprise
mainly, most of the money for it be-
ing furnished Dy English investors,
but the Mexican government is part
ner in it. This road, which will not
be ready for operation in several years,
is attracting good deal of attention
in England, but it received no notice
here until Bristow mentioned it few
days ago.
1t may as well be realized by us frst
as last that the Tehuantepec route
will be a very big competitor not only
with our transcontinental lines, but
with the Panama Railway It's pro-
iectors, indeed, appear to think that
IL will be a strong competitor with the
Panama canal This is hardly likely
Notwithstanding its 1000 miles of dis
lance north from Panama, and it's con-
sequent greater proximity to the
United States. The road will be 100
miles long, or nearly four times the
length Of the Panama railway line.
The advantage by the isthmian canal
will be that freight can be carried By
short cut between the two oceans by
water all the way. while by the Tehaun.
tepec route, as by the Panama rail-
way, there will have to be transship-
ments TO or from the railroad at the
Atlantic and Pacific coast. Something
over S10,000,000 has already been ex:
pended on the Tehuantepec railway
and $S0,0O0,000 is being laid out on
the ports at each end, so as to provide
them with all the most improved IA
cilities for the handling of freight
cheaply and quickly. All this makes
1t incumbent on us not only to finish
the canal as early as possible. but to
have the best sort of a job done that
can be accomplished. This means
that the sea-level plan will have to be
adopted by the United States in self
protection in order to hold our own
against all competition which can Of
fer itself by way of the Mexican 18TH
mus, that at Nicaragua, or elsewhere.