THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL PROBLEM 189 



fifteenth article declares that " The United States hereby agree 

 to extend their protection to all such routes of communication 

 as aforesaid, and to guarantee the neutrality and innocent use 

 of same. They also agree to employ their influence with 

 other nations to induce them to guarantee such neutrality and 

 protection." 



The Clayton-Bulwer treaty of 1850 recites that neither 

 government will ever "obtain or maintain for itself any 

 exclusive control over the said ship canal." The purport and 

 aim of this instrument is to place a safeguard of guaranteed 

 neutrality over any isthmian canal. After going to the 

 length of asserting that neither power shall annex Central 

 American territory, the two parties agree to ask all other 

 nations to unite in similar engagements. 



The change of sentiment in regard to neutralization, first 

 officially championed by Messrs. Elaine and Frelinghuysen, 

 was not intended as a complete reversal of the former doc- 

 trine on the subject. This new American policy contemplated 

 a guarantee of neutrality to be given by the United States 

 alone. As both these statesmen believed that an American 

 guarantee was sufficient to that end, their views become rather 

 a modification of the generally accepted theories of neutrali- 

 zation, as secured by concerted action of the powers. Both 

 were entirely willing to pledge the United States " positively 

 and efficaciously to guarantee," etc. They cannot therefore 

 be said to have fully repudiated the ideals of a neutral 

 passageway through the isthmus, although the method they 

 advocated to effect that end would have been inadequate. 



It is only within the past few years that advocates of an 

 unqualifiedly American canal have come forward. This 

 ultra- American theory is exemplified by a House document 

 presented in March 1900, by Mr. Hepburn of Iowa, who 

 argues in favor of a Nicaraguan canal so controlled by the 

 United States that discriminations against foreign vessels 

 may be made even in times of peace. 



An adherence to the principles of neutralization is also 

 evidenced in the numerous charters and -concessions which 

 have been granted during the past twenty years to various 



