THE PROPOSED AMERICAN INTEROCEANIC CANAL 309 



defense of its eastern entrance and the troops which would have 

 been required for the defense of the entire line were then needed 

 for other service. The whole question as to the military value 

 of the Nicaragua Canal to the United States in time of war is, 

 however, fatally compromised by the blundering Clayton-Bulwer 

 treaty of 1850. That treaty secures to Great Britain and other 

 foreign nations equal rights for the passage of ships both of com- 

 merce and war. Such neutralization of the Nicaragua Canal was 

 clear to Mr Blaine and was stated by him, as Secretary of State, 

 to Mr Lowell, our Minister to England, in a letter dated Novem- 

 ber 19, 1831. There is no feature of the American interoceanic 

 canal scheme which demands more patient and thorough gov- 

 ernmental investigation than does that as to its military aspects., 



As the shipping of Great Britain and other nations engaged in 

 international commerce greatly exceeds that of American vessels 

 thus emplo}''ed, either the Nicaragua Canal or the Panama Canal, 

 if completed, would be much more subservient of foreign than, 

 of American shipping interests. This is indicated by the fol- 

 lowing facts : During the six months ended June 30, 1898, the 

 total tonnage which passed through the Suez Canal amounted 

 to 4,842,078 tons, of which 3,252,634 tons, or 67 per cent, was, 

 British ; 47.1,571 tons, or nearly 10 per cent, was German; 439,001 

 tons, or 9 per cent, was French, and only 1,531 tons, or three one- 

 hundredths of one per cent, was American. Again, during the 

 year ended June 30, 1898, the tonnage entered at ports of the: 

 United States from foreign countries amounted to 21,700.311 

 tons, of which 18,337,836 tons, or 84 per cent, was foreign and 

 only 3,362,475 tons, or 16 per cent, was American. Surely it 

 would be better for the country to adopt an efficient policy for 

 the restoration of the American merchant marine before enter-, 

 ing upon the construction of a canal, at least 90 per cent of the 

 benefits of which, if any, would inure to the. ships of other 

 nations, under the provisions of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty. 



The fact that the proponents of the canal companies who now 

 seek governmental aid have been unable to float their securities 

 in the money markets of the globe constitutes overwhelming 

 presumptive evidence of the unworthiness of their project from 

 the commercial point of view. It is idle to assume that the 

 scheme is too large for private enterprise, when hundreds and 



