The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-23

1IhbL GOING UPWARD.
Shakespeare refers TO something
which grew cas- II increase OF appetite
had grown with what It fed upon." and
we are often reminded Of the express
sion when reading of the Panama Ca
nal business. II. when II Is completed
If II ever is---the income shall in
crease as the estimates and expenses
have Increased, II will be about the
most profitable investment ever made
In this or any other country.
when we read of the expenses al
ready incurred. and the estimates
given out as to the probable future
cost OF the canal, we are forced to
adopt one of two conclusions: either the
engineers and experts who made the
FIRST estimates were the most Ignorant
and incompetent set who ever COM
piled figures, or else the progress of the
work SO far has been marked by such
extravaganza and incompetency. II not
corruption, as to shame even the De
Lesseps record.
That one or the other of these con-
illusions must be accepted will be evil
dent when we consider some OF the
facts. When II was FIRST proposed to
substitute Panama for Nicaragua as a
site for the canal one Of the arguments
the government by adopting the Pan
anna scheme. The engineers who ex-
amined and reported on che two routes
estimated that the Nicaragua plan
would cost $780, 900, all told, and
that q canal at Panama would cost
from $4,000 900 to $175,ooo,ooo. in
GLIDING the s4oo0o.ooo to be paid to
the French for their claims. Just how
much the expioiters Of the Panama
plan got for their share is not mate
rial. We are dealing with figures as
given out.
These are the estimates as first
made, but how have they turned out?
Those who pretended TO be able to give
figures have been continually revising
their figures and always adding to
neer In charge. estimates that 1t will
cost In the near neighborhood of $780,
000. 900 before the entire work is COM
pleted. or at least two and one-fourth
times as much as was first given out.
This In a discouraging statement.
and the worst of 1t Is that 1t 10 little
more than mere guesswork. From the
very beginning OF the work they have
been continually encountering "unfore-
seen obstacles" as they express it, TO
explain the continuous advance In their
estimates Of the cost. Have we any
reason to believe, or even to hope. that
these obstacles have all been found and
provided against? 1t would be absurd
to even imagine anything Of the kind.
Much of the distance yet to be trav
ersed is through region as complete
ly unknown as lie any portion of dark
est Africa. 1t cannot Of course be said
that obstacles will be encountered
which are absolutely insurmountable,
but II Is perfectly safe to predict that
there will be found difficulties in the
way that will require still further ad-
vances In the expense account. 1t may
safely be doubted II s50o,o0o,ooo Will
cover the entire cost of the work.
1t would perhaps be both unwise and
unpatriotic TO say that satisfactory
canal can never be constructed. We
the Job is humanity possible of achieve
ment IL will be completed, Too much
money has been spent to back out now /;
besides. the credit Of the government Is
at stake, so we may conclude IL en-
ergy, money and skill can complete the
canal 1t will be done, though 1t may
take ten years OF time and a billion of
dollars to do II.
II may be freely admitted that no
one can say with any degree of cer-
tainty that the Nicaragua route would
have been any better. Nothing but
actual trial, could tell what difficulties
would have to be encountered there, or
what II would have cost II that site
had been selected Instead of the other.
Senator Morgan was, we believe. the
best informed man on the subject in
the country and he was SO decidedly in
favor of Nicaragua and opposed to
Panama that many regarded him as a
man with a hobby. but that he was
earnest and sincere in his belief Is not
to be doubted. He carried that belief
with him to the day of his death, and
though he submitted, when he found
further opposition was hopeless, to the
change of plans, he never changed in
his conviction that a mistake was
made. If SO, 1t bids fair to be a cost
" one, and one which cannot now be
recalled, we suppose.