Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-03-23
THE PANAMA CANAL.
Continued from page ~

Continued from page ~
appointed in accordance with the
above act was called upon to in
Vestieate particularly the Nicaragua
and the Panama routes and to re-
port which was the more practicable
and feasible, and the cost. In No
vember, 1901, it reported in favor
of the Nicaragua route, considering
the demands of the new Panama
Canal Company fer its franchise and
property more than balanced the
other advantages of the Panama
route. The price fixed by the Pana-
ma Canal Company was $109 ,000,-
900. By subsequent negotiations
the French company was induced to
reduce its price to $40,00O,0O0, and
the commission in January. 1902,
submitted a supplemental report In
favor of the Panama route. The
plan recommended by the commits
sion was for a lock canal, with
sea-level channel from Colon to Be-
hio. A dam at Bohio, across the
Chagres Valley, was to create a
summit level 80 to 80 feet above
the sea to be reached by two locks.
The lake extended to Pedro Miguel,
where two locks lowered the level
to rs feet above sea level. At
Miraflores sea level was reached
width was 20 be $50 feet, except in
Panama Bay, where it was 200 feet,
and in Limon Bay. 800 feet, with
burning basins 500 feet wide. The
minimum depth was 50 feet. The
locks were to be TAO feet long and
"a feet wide.
In accordance with this report,
act of Congress of June %, 1902,
known since as the "Spooner Act"
authorized the President of the
United States to proceed with the
construction of a canal by the Pana-
ma route, provided arrangements
could be made with TIE New Pana-
ma Canal Company for the purchase
of its property and franchise for not
exceeding $40,000,00O, and provid-
ed arrangements could be made
with the Republic of Colombia for
the control of the necessary right of
way. In the event of failure
of these negotiations the Mica
ragua route was to be adopted
The law provided that the canal
should be "of sufficient capacity
and depth as shall afford convent
ent passage for vessels of the larg-
est tonnage and greatest draft now
in use and such as may be reason
ably anticipated" Appropriations
were made to carry out the provi-
sions of the act, and a pond issue
of S13O,000,O was authorized.
The bond issue was based on the
estimates accompanying the report
of the commission of 1901 recon-
mending a lock canal.
Satisfactory arrangements were
completed for the purchase of the
French Company's. rights, etc, for
S4O,00O,00O and negotiations with
the r apublic of Colombia were car
ried on to secure other necessary
rights and privileges not held by the
French company. After long de-
lay, salts factory treaty was FORM
ulated, which was rejected by
Colombia in 1903.
The province of Panama, an in
tegral part of Colombia, thereupon
seeded and organized an indepen-
dent republic. This resulted in the
negotiation of satisfactory treaty
with the new Republic of Panama,
including the payment, under GER
tain terms, of $10,000,000 by the
United States to the Republic OF
Panama. Under this treaty the
United States guaranteed the indie
pendence of the Republic of Pana-
ma and secured absolute control
over what is now called the Canal
Zone, a strip of land about 10 miles
in length from sea to sea, with an
area of about 44S square miles. The
United States also has jurisdiction
over the adjacent water for miles
from shore. To all intents and pur-
poses it is a perpetual lease from
the Republic of Panama to the
United States Of all governmental
rights and privileges in this terri
tory, and yet, strictly speaking, it
is not United States soil, for resi-
dents therein acquire no rights OF
United States citizenship and have
no voice in United States elections,
while citizens of the Republic of
Panama residing in the Canal Zone
are protected in their electoral
rights and are accustomed to go to
Panama and Colon to vote in the
Panamanian elections.
The cities of Panama and Colon
and a certain water frontage adj
jacent thereto, while within the s.
mile limit from the center line of