Diplomats on the Isthmian Canal Question
(Copyright, 1902, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
a ASHINOTON. May 22. (Special
I Correspondence of Tho Bee.)
- I ll'L . t...ll.l ,.....
canal across the Isthmus? The
answer to this is given in the
following interviews with the mlniHters
from the countries of the principal routes.
Ki(h man thinks hla government has the
best proposition ami each has little good
to pay of the scheme of the other. But I
shall let the diplomats speak for them-
HolVOfV
My first Interview was with the minister
from Nicaragua. Mis excellency's name Is
Senor I. uis F. Corea. He Is a highly edu
cated Central American, who, during his
renldence In Washington, has nequlred the
Kngllsh tongue, m that it was in English
that our conversation was held. Said Senor
Coren :
"There Is no question hut that the best
route for the canal Is the Niearaguan route.
Your engineers have ho decided, and it
seems to me that all the arguments, both
sanitary ami financial, are In its favor. I)y
Nicaragua your Pacific and Atlantic wtates
are nearer each other by two days than
they would he at Panama. A canal there
could be more easily maintained, and In the
end it would be far cheaper than the Pan
ama route."
"The 1'aiiama advocates make different
claims," Bald I.
"Yen," replied Senor Corea. "It is easy
to make any sort of a claim, but more dif
tlcult to support It by facts. Let us look
at the facts. The Panama Canal company
lnu-1 already spent $2.r0,000,000 and It has
completed about one-fourth of tho undor-
J Milium '"J"'-""" ' " "" """"""""js '"" ummmmaBwmam
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Si ii i r msvHS. kjuwAt.-Wi.JMMIteMMM-- ..:lllir.r-rt-- .-
SENOR LUIS F. COREA, MINISTER FROM NICARA
GUA Photo Taken for The Dee.
SENOR CARLOS MARTINEZ SILVA, MINISTER FROM
COLOMBIA Photo Take n for The Bee.
taking. It Is willing to sell that fourth to an,i grazing lands. We could easily feed there in raising bananas, pineapples, eo- through the Isthmus of Panama and that
tho United States for $40,000,000, but after an tn9 workmen needed, and we have water coanuta and rubber." If your country does not make it some
tho United States ha3 bought It It has cn,j rniiroad communications which would "What are tho opportunities for such other parties will. What we want is to see
three-fourths of the canal to make. At tho t,ut your supplies Just where you want men?" the United States buy out Hi3 French, and
samo rate as the first fourth the expense them. We have now one of the most pro- "They are very great if they can only -' believe that you will find it to your in-
would bo $720,000,000. It might be done for grestslvo rulers of this hemisphere. Gen- wait a while for their crops to come Into frest to do so."
ipsa, dui me cost win no enormous. era j08e Santos Zclaya. Ho was educated bearing. In rubber It takes about seven
in Europe and has traveled widely. He la yfar to raise the trees, but after that
very broad In his views and he realizes tme tney pay very wej j am interested
"There Is one thing," continued Senor Co- that tho canal will greatly neip our coun i a plantation which has 25,000 trees,
rea. "that I have not seen mentioned In the try and people. He will do all that he can Thoy are now fivo yeara o(1 and wiu
consideration of this Panama proposition. ' aia your government ami win gram an pro(luce rubber about 1904. The trees cost toraething and nothing All the advantages
ti, iTnit,.,i R.t.. u i fcnnw. thfl richest necessary concessions. At first it was pro-
tint a trifio tn nlnnt nnd rnrfl tv.r. Wfl erow .iv . u r. -n..t t i hA Dimri.
country of tho world, but can it afford to Poaea to create a nu"al zone 01 nree tho sprouts in nurseries and have the In- t,st route, the most economical route, the
take $10,000,000 right out of lt circulation miles on each slue of the canal. I us or aiang get them Qut at 2- centg ppr UBk ute fewe8t iocka ana the rou:e
Our (aold (ioen to I'tiincf.
I'aiiuiiiii Vermin N en i auiia.
"Suppose the United States does that,
Senor Silva," said I, "what will it get that
it would not have on the Nicaragua route'.'"
It would have the difference between
and give It to France
your government will have to pay $40,000,
000 to the French and you will have noth
ing In return for It but the chance to spend
hundred of millions more. If you take up
the Nicaragua canal you will have to spend
less money eventually and the greater part
of tho money will remain right here. It will
all go toward the purchase of American
.I.,- ,ii i .i.. anything else that Is necessary will be
u lino UCHl in mnuu .
glveu, tLiiuouKU uy uui cuubiiiuliuii v o
cannot sell the land to a foreign power. We
can, however, lease It In perpetuity, and
this means the same thing."
"Hew about the health conditions along
the line of the canal, Senor Corea?" said
I. "Can our people live and work there?"
"Certainly they can," replied the minis
ter. "I have gone over the reports of your
macninery aim supplies wun tne exception engineers and surveying parties. They
of the comparatively small amount paid out tate that NicalagUa U the healthiest of all
for wages. tropical countries and not to be coneldered
"Hut the same will bo true or tne fan
nma canal, will It not?"
In tho same class as Panama. Surgeon mis canai we expect to see many auibw
Bradford. who went over the route with can planters come in. We raise a very fine
A task means tho setting out of a certain that could be maintained at the lowest cost.
Dumber of trees. The Indian may do It In H is a route that ha3 bc'tn tested by ex
three hours, four hours or eight hours, but p.'rlments and actual work,
he Is paid by the task without regard to "The Nicaragua line U absolutely unde
time. After the trees are once set out veloped. Surveys have been made, but no
they receive but little attention until they practical experiments have shown the pos
are ready for cropping. sible expense of conetruction. You know
"There are a good many opportunities for of the railroad tunnel which they are now
making money in cocoanuts and bananas, making in New York. Before that tunnel
and also in coffee. About one-third of our was dug all sorts of borings and experl
coffee estates are now in the hands of the ments were made, and upon the basis of
Germans, but if the United States builds n aa an estimate was rormea or us proc
aine cost.
"When the work was done It was found
coffee, as good as can be raised In any part
"To somo extent, but nothing like tho Kixtv surveyors nnd 140 Jamaicans and
amount which will go Into American pock- natlvts In 1887, says that he did not have of the world, and it brings high prices,
els in the construction of the Nicaragua one case of serious lllnets In his whole
canal. The labor cost at Panama will pirty. He was there In the rainy season
bo far greater than at Nicaragua. The ex- nnd was doing actual work along the lino
iravaganee of tho French has ruined labor now proposed. Admiral Walker reports
Now Itallrciuils niul Mine.
"The mineral resources of Nicaragua are
great," continued Senor Corea. "We have
conditions there. You will not be able to that he had men with him while he some very rich gold mines and we are now
get workmen for less than $2 per day, while was making his surveys through the building railroads to open up the mineral
that the estimate was $10,000,000 below the
figures of the engineers. The railroad tun
nel was very short. The Nicaragua canal
survey extends over many miles. It has
been made In an unknown country, and you
can't tell how far the figures of the en
gineers will be from the actual cost. They
can figure as to what they can see, but they
cannot calculate all the difficulties that
may come up.
"On the Panama canal work has been
at Nicaragua they will not cost more than swamps and that he had less sickness and parts of the country. We have also large
r.O cents ner lnv This means that we can malaria than ho would have had had ba areas fitted for cattle raising. There are
save you three-fourths of the labor ex- een running a survey In Virginia at ths now hundreds of thousands of cattle upon done along the whole line. A great part of
penso of the work. Our labor Is better than " sen huh m hut i ju these lands, but there might be millions. lt has been dredged, and the mountains
that of Panama. Wo have the Indians, who 'milar quotations from frry traveler and We export many hides and of late have have been actually cut down. Already two
are easily managed; they live upon little ens'neer who has been over the route. We b(en eJtporting meat to Cuba and others of fifths of the canal has been completed, and
and consequently can work at low wages. nro entirely free from the yellow feve and the West Indla Biand8. you tan figure out the cost of the remainder
They will not be walking delegates to Incite from alarla ln dangerous form. .0(r pPople realize that tho canal would almost to a cent. A large force has been
--rnKiiM. benefit them. They believe It will double at work for the last five years and hun-
"Is Nicaragua such a country that Amerl- tno valuo of their lands and greatly In- dredd of men are there working today. The
cans could prosper ln It?" crease tho prosperity of the country. We property is In a good working condition.
"I think so, without doubt," was the re- have no doubt but that It will eventually One set of managers can easily step out
ply. "A fit answer to that question Is that be built through our territory." and another begin their labor on a few
"Hut would lt not take some time to pre- many Americans are now doing so. We j had an interview on the same subject weeks' notice."
pare for work upon tho Nlcaraguan canal? have been having quite an Immigration witn Senor Carlos Martinez Silva, the mln-
You would have to build railroads and put from your country. Three hundred and fif- inter from Colombia, who left Washington l,Bt rencl e "naiuo.
up towns, would you not?" . teen young Americans came In last month some weeks ago. He told me that Colom- "But does the work of the French amount
"Not at all," replied St nor Corea. "There and I get at least fifty letters a week ln- bla was very anxious that the canal should to much, your excellency?" I asked,
are towns and cities now along the route quiring about the canal and the chances be built and that It was willing to give any "I think lt does," replied Senor Silva.
of the canal. Lake Nicaragua has many for securing land near It. Already a concessions which would lead to the choice "Those who have not been over the line of
thriving settlements upon its banks, and number of plantations have been set out by of the Panama route. Said he: the canal do not appreciate its value. Wheu
the country about lt Is rich In plant at ons Americans who expect to make fortunes "We feel that a canal will eventually go the canal was started an enormous amount
trouble among the Jamaicans and other
West Indians, whom you Import to help
along the work."
.Men riiHiia HmiI fur I'nltril States,
of preliminary work had to be done before
the real operations could commence.
Houses had to be built for tha officials and
workmen. Vaere was no timber to speak
jf and the most of the lumber was brought
flora the United States. Some of the houses
were finished in the United States and sent
in pieces to Panama and thire, put together.
Hospitals had to be erected, and you find
hiee now at both ends of the line. A city
grew up at Colon and that nt Panama in
creased in size, so that today you hav
hiusts, hospitals, offices and cities with
which to do your work.
"You have also the Panama railroad
, 'ady to transport materials and to lay
:hem down along the line of the canal.
This road is will cquippcJ and running.
It was constructed in the early f.O's, when
the presint sanitary arrangements had not
been made, and it consequently cost an
enormous loss of life. A similar road will
have to be built along the line of the Nica
tagua canal if you choose that route and lt
will cost many lives to construct it. The
Panama road and canal have Kd to settle
netits along tin line and the excavations
aave aided In draining tho lowlands so that
hj country there is healthful today. We
have had no yellow fever to speak of for
tome years and t feel safe in saying that
there is now no danger to the health oi
Americans at Panama."
I.iilior (titration.
"But, suppose we buy tho canal, senor,
can you supply the labor needed to com
plete it?"
"Yes. There will be no trouble In get
ting good workmen. You can bring them
over from Jamaica and others of thj West
Indies islands and we can supply much
from Colombia list If. We have a large
number of idle people who would seek work
of you, and the employment ot these would
take away a part of our revolutionary
forces. It would render the government
secure and would gradually make Colombia
the richest and most important of the
South American states."
"But the Isthmus of Panama is thinly
populated, is it not?" said I.
"No. It has more inhabitants than mc3.
people ihink," replied Senor Silva. "The
Isthmus of Panama belongs to a province
which has an area four times as big as
Massai husctts. There are parts of it
which have great natural resources, and,
together with the rest of Colombia, It will
furnish an enormous fitdd for American
capital."
"Suppose the Panama canal is chosen, will
Americans have any special advantages in
Colombia?"
"I should think so," replied the Colum
bian minister. "The canal would bring our
countries closer together. It would cement
the friendly relations which now obtain be
tween Us) and we should naturally favor
American capital and American Immlsia
tion." "I suppose you know," continued Senor
Silva, "that Colombia Is an empire in its
natural resources. It is of great size. Y'ou
could put ten states the sze of New York
into lt and have space to spare. The most
of the land is high and healthful, and we
have vast areas which will raise coffee,
sugar, cacao and other crops. We have
sonre of the best grazing lands of the world
and the Cauva valley might easily be made
the garden of the universe. This valley lies
between the mountains not far below Pan
ama, extending, roughly speaking, north
and south, lt has an area us great as
Texas and ita climate is well suited to your
people. The canal will develop it.
"You know something of our minerals.
My country has already produced more
than $700,000,000 worth of the precious
metals, and we now stand fourth anions
tUC gIVUl UIli-flUUUI.IUf, I W I, till II o. ttuciiu
led only by the United States, Australia
and South Africa. Large amounts of Amer
ican capital are already invested in Colom
bia, and if you complete this canal we
shall probably be partners in the develop
ment of the richest parts of all South
America. FRANK G. CARPENTER.
How Music Soothes Angry Nerves
I
T WAS the Incomparable Plato who
fiist suggested the treatment or
the sick with music, yet a year or
two ago a Paris physician offered
tho Idea as his very own.
Perhaps the latter was the first to make a
practical application of the theory in the
ruse of hnsnital natlciits. relates the Phila
delphia Record, but with what measure of
success has not been reported In tho uews
papc r press. Although when asked by what
means he rendered his patient Insensible
to pain a Texas dentist pointed to a club
in a convenient comer, there are western
medical men who ate more disposed to keep
step with modern progress. It was from
the Paris example, and not from the great
philosopher of antiquity, that an alert St.
I' uls h spltal physician got hs Inspiration
to try musical therapeutics.
The western physician realmd that for
the proper or best influence of music it Is
essential that the surroundings and all the
conditions should be helpful. It Is the mis
fortune cf the public that the divine musi
cians must be heard only in a great hall,
where glaring lights may flash on the pit e
less gems which adorn the crowd of fash
ionable women and where it is imp ssible
that the hearer should be able to shut out
all earthly eights , and sounds, save only
music, and be borne away on the wings of
melody to realms tf purest bliss. The man
In tho next seat fidgets or hums an Irritat
ing accompaniment to the Instruments, or
does something else which proves disturb
ing. The doctor resolved that in his test
of the Influence of niusle on the disirdered
human system the conditions should be as
favorable ns he could make them. He could
not command stained glass windows and
fluted columns and vaulted arches and a
cathedral atmosphere, but he subdued the
light of the room with effective window
drapery and he burned some josshouse In
cense and put a few mothballs about the
cot. In this chamber he installed his
grumbling patient a newspape nan who
suffered from neurasthenia (In common
speech nervous exhaustion) which Is of a'l
nervous maladies the most vague and ob
stinate and presumably the one ln which
the victim must be most responsive to
musical treatment. The patient, like all
sufferers of his kind, was afflicted by In
somnia. Wheu he did sleep from exhaus
tion it was to awaken in a most irritable
state ot mind.
Tha BinU man slept as the physHan
quietly led the violinist Into the room anl
placed him ln a remote corner, himself re
treating Into the corridor. Softly the tweet
stratus, as tender as the vibrations of an
aeolian harp, wandered through the cham
ber. Gradually the notes came stronger
and clearer, rising and falling and dis
persing in the perfumed air, more like
dream music than the product of human
skill. The patient stirred, and as th
sounds grew in volume he turned bis he;, d.
"Scat! you beast!" he exclaimed. The mu
sician was spurred to greater effort, anl
haimenious sweetness poured from the In
strument like nectar from the cup of
Ganymede. The patient, startled into
wakefulness, sat up. After one wild,
frightened look about the dim-lighted room
be leaped up.n the unprepared muslclau
and bcre him to the floor. The doctor ln
the corridor listened. "Help! help! leggo
my hair, you darned lunatic!" were words
which mingled with the shocking language
of the sick man as he bumped the fiddler's
hairy head against the floor. "Wane me
up with your cat concert, will you? You
blamed wood.awer!" cried the indignant
Invalid as be smashed the costly Instru
ment over the head of its owner.
"You never said the man was crazy,"
complained the musician when the doctor
dragged the infuriated patient from h's
prostrate foe. No explanations could sat
isfy either.
I PS
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P. J. KARBACH & SONS.,
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