80 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



this measure, governmental guarantee of $70,000,000 of the 

 company's bonds was called for and national ownership 

 of 170,000,000 of stock, and the Secretary of the Treasury 

 was authorized to control the construction of the work. 

 Thus the idea of absolute governmental ownership of the 

 canal, together with a governmental responsibility for its con- 

 struction, was contemplated by Congress. The measure bid 

 defiance to treaty stipulations of the United States, which 

 should have acted as an estoppel to any such legislation. 

 The bill was lost in the House, notwithstanding the fact 

 that a great majority in both branches of Congress strongly 

 favored government ownership and control of the Nicaraguan 

 Canal. 



In 1895 Congress again took action in the same direction; 

 but, as before, the Ijciuse refused to accept the measure which 

 the Senate had been wimiig^toitttopt. However, on March 2, 

 1895, Congress atithork^cLthe appointment of a commission 

 of three engineers for the purpose~gf~repurtiug~on' the feasi- 

 bility, permanence, and final cost of the company's project; 

 $20,000 were appropriated for the purpose, and the company 

 added generously to the amount of the appropriation to help 

 defray the costs of the commission. The creation of this 

 commission was generally accepted as evidencing an inten- 

 tion of Congress, sooner or later, to extend its protection over 

 the Maritime Canal Company, by the absorption of its capital, 

 and ultimately to secure full control of the work. The same 

 field had been surveyed and resurveyed many times by com- 

 petent engineers, and further scientific investigation along 

 the well-known route was hardly necessary; however, the 

 commission (under General Ludlow) entered upon the task 

 with the seeming approval of the country. 



The commission reported in November, 1895, to the effect 

 that the company's project for a ship canal in Nicaragua was 

 perfectly feasible, save for some detail in the company's plans 

 to which the commission duly excepted. The report recom- 

 mended still further investigation in order to obtain certain 

 additional data which the engineers deemed essential for a 

 final conclusion and a correct estimate of cost. 



