THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL PROBLEM 83 



for governmental control of the work. Thirdly, it would gain 

 time. Time was the most necessary factor in the problem. 

 The administration fully realized the futility of agitating the 

 question of governmental control of the work, so long as the 

 Olavton-Bulwer treaty remained unrevoked or unmodified ; 

 and to accomplish either of these ends, negotiations of a some- 

 what delicate nature must first be had with Great Britain. 

 The occasion, however, for such negotiations was rendered in- 

 auspicious by the approaching conflict with Spain. England's 

 'gGocTwill was too valuable to challenge at such a time, con- 

 sequently no actual efforts were made toward clearing away 

 the diplomatic difficulties that surrounded the canal problem 

 until the autumn of 1899. 



In the meantime, however, the Maritime Canal Company 

 began to realize that misfortunes never come singly. The 

 promoters not only deplored their numerous failures to secure 

 governmental aid and their consequent inability to raise the 

 funds necessary to continue the work, long since abandoned 

 in Nicaragua, but they also feared a revocation of their con- 

 cession by the Central American state. 



Nicaragua had already (1898) shown signs of uneasiness 

 at the company's helplessness. By a communication of Mr. 

 Rodrigues, Minister of the Greater Republic in Washington, 

 to Mr. Olney (January 15, 1897), Nicaragua's objection, 

 under the terms of the concession, to the Maritime 

 Canal Company's connections with the United States Gov- 

 ernment, .was set forth, and various acts of the company 

 were cited to show a forfeiture upon its part of all its 

 rights and privileges in Nicaragua. This Avas but the be- 

 ginning. It was obvious that Nicaragua had lost faith in 

 the company, though some allege that the government at 

 Managua was sorely in need of money, and wished to sell a 

 new concession their stock commodity ; others maintain 

 that it came about through the mutual jealousies of Nicara- 

 gua and Costa Rica. These two neighboring states had always 

 cherished the bitterest feelings toward each other. They 

 quarrelled over their boundaries ; they quarrelled over their 

 respective rights on the San Juan River ; and they quarrelled 



