The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-06-27
FINALLY DECIDE
ON LOCK CANAL
President Roosevelt Wins His Fight
ID The Senate.
A BITTER CONTEST IS NOW ENDED.
The House Having Alrsndy Declared with the
American, and Against the Foreign, Engl'
ueers for the Lock Canal, Steps Are to
Be at Once Taken for the Vigorous Pfoseeu.
ton Of the Great Work.

Washington, d. G., (SpcciaD Cut
loose, now, and build the canal The
American people want results on the
isthmus as soon as they can be obtain
cd and l want them Dig Dig Con
gress and the people are behind us in
our efforts"
Within 48 hours after the completion
of the Panama Canal legislation Presi-
dent Roosevelt will issue, in effect, the
above order to Chairman Shonts and
Chief Engineer Stevens, Of the Panama
! Canal Commission.
The Senate took a position III accord
with the President and the House OF
Representatives be declaring for a lock
canal across the lsthmus OF Panama
The result was reached few minutes
after 3 o'clock, and after a days dis
cussion that was almost devoid of inter
esting incident-quite ont OF keeping
with the universally acknowledged inn
portance of the subject. There was on
ly one recorded vote in connection with
the disposition of the question, and that
was negative in character, coming on
motion to lay on the table the lock-
type substitute for the sea-level bill re-
ported by the Committee on lnteroceanic
Canals.
This motion was made by Senator
Kittredge, the committee champion OF
the sea-level plan, and was voted down
81 TO SO. This vote was accepted as
decisive and no one aslsed for a division
on the vote OH the acceptance OF the
substitute
The vote terminates what at one time
threatened to become sharp difference
between the Senate, on the one hand,
and the President and the House on
the other, for there is no denying that
when the bill was reported from COM
mittee the indications in the Senate were
all favorable to the sea-level type There
has recently, however, been a steady
gain by the lock advocates, notwith-
standing the report of the Canal Com
mittee, as we'll as the report of the
Board OF Consulting Engineers, were
against them. The engineers report
has figured prominently in the discus
sion, and frequent attention has been
called to the fact that while eight out
of the I3 engineers reported favorably
to sea-leve canal, all of the five dis
senters were American engineers, while
of the other eight, five were Europeans.
Some senators avowed their preference
for the all-American report
The President expressed his great
qualification at the action of the United
States Senate in supporting his plan for
the construction of lock canal. He
has been convinced for several days that
the lock type of canal would be adopted
by the Senate on its final vote, notwith
standing the report OF the majority of
the Interoceanic Canal Committee in
favor OF a sea-level waterway. A care
full canvas of the Senate was made and
he was assured that there would be a
safe majority in favor OF the lock type.
which he has advocated ever since the
report of the engineers commission was
received
Two days ago the President figured
a majority OF five in favor of the lock
type of canal, and that is precisely the
mai jority is received on the test vote.
II was pointed out at the White House
that practically the same senators who
voted against the lock-canal project also
were opposed to the Panama treaty and
so recorded their votes.
The President regards the vote OF the
House and the Senate on the lock type
of canal as a vote of confidence. Orders
will be issued in few days TO press the
work as rapidly as possible, and it is
announced that before the summer is
far advanced as many men and as much
machinery as prohtably can be employed
will be engaged in making the dirt fly
on the canal route.