The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-10-30
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT

CHAPTER v.
The Roosevelt Impetus.
.OREIGN activities In Panama
were watched. ofiicially and
unofiicially. by the Americans
with profound interest and
with the desire that the construction
of canal should be the work Of the
United States. The thought OF conr
munication between the oceans being
III European hands was distasteful to
uur statesmen
In 1852 when the Panama railroad
was being built. captain Of u COM
pany IN the Fourth regiment Of in
fantry. Ulysses s. Grant. crossed the
isth.nus ut Panama ON his way to the
new California post. An epidemic OF
cholera broke out. costing the lives OF
eighty men. and the general hard
ships Of the transit deeply impressed
Captain Grant with the need OF bet
ter Ip:issage.
Several American exploring parties
had been on the isthmus. and in 1854
Lieutenant Arthur Strain. with twen-
ty-seven companions. attempted to
penetrate the Jungle. They got lost.
and after ninety days OF living death
Strain and two or three Of bis men
reached Panama
President LINCOLN in 1868, when he
was freeing the negro slaves. cast his
eyes upon the Chiriqui province Of Pan
anna as. a suitable place for colonizing
the negroes OF the south after the civil
war. but his untimely death prevented
the opportunity to work out the idea.
That Captain Grant who had cross
ed the isthmus In 1852 became presi
dent III 1860. and the very same year
he directed General Stephen A. Eurl
but to negotiate treaty with Colon
bia for Panama canal. He knew
from experience how advantageous It
would be to his country Such a
treaty was signed at BogOtu on Jan.
20. 1870. but the United States senate
did not ratify It, and the senate OF GO
lombia mutilated It.
President Grant then sent Adlniral
Ammen to Nicaragua to investigate
that route. more In q pique at ColOm-
bia than from belief In It's availabf
| ity. Colombia returned the feeling by
turning to the French and giving a
concession. At the instance OF Presi-
dent Grant the Panama route again
was surveyed by Commanders e T.
I.nll and r. o. Selfridge. In 1875. but
| from this time onward the French hnd
the center Of the stage
i Their spread eagle operations served
i to make the world and the Americans
4 think that a canal was a white ele-
4 phant proposition The Spanish Amer
! lean war. however. suddenly brought
the American people to realization of
the vital necessity. from military
viewpoint alone. Of an interoceanic
canal
H Day by day as the battleship Oregon
steamed around Cape Horn this lesson
was impressed upon the people. A
10000 mile journey could have been
) saved by Panama canal. The wal
over and peace allowing the country
and the government to consider othel
things. President Mckinley reorgan
lied the istlmian canal commission
. which he had appointed in 1897 witt
the following personnel:
AdmirnI John G. Walker. chairman
Samuel Pasco. George s Morrison
Lieutenant Colonel Oswald H Ernst
q. s. A.: Colonel r. G. IIains. q $. A.
Lewis nj. Haupt. Alfred Noble. vii
liam II. burr and Professor Emory Il
johnson.
This commission was appointed Il
March. 1aa9. with instructions to IN
vestigate all Central American routes
The Walker commission unofficial,
asked the French company what II
property might be bought for. an
when quoted a price Of $1f)1. LEO
p.omptly decided that Nicaragua looh
ea better. The report made On Nnz
81, 1901, by tie commission frank
ssated that the Panama route was pref
cable. bu. :ke price asked by tn
French company was prohibitive. T'r
: commission dropped tie re,nark tia
$40, ,OO0. 600 was nhaut wisH: the Frenc
holdings were worth to the Unite
Etatex.
when II had agreed to the con
mission's valuation the report to II
Il president promptly was revised In &
vor of the Panama route.
TshanAoro Roosevelt ur,On asSumiI