Show 1 CANAL CONTROVERSIES I is practically certain that congress con-gress at this session will take no action gess wl in reference to ah interocean canal says the Atlanta Journal Things do seem to be shaping themselves them-selves in this way There is a controversy contro-versy between senators a fight between rival companies a dispute between the Central American republics concerned i and a disagreement among engineers a to the bestroute for the waterway The Maritime company is said to be bankrupt and its offer to aid the government gov-ernment is viewed with more or less suspicion The Grace company is believed be-lieved to be seeking to obtain some hold upon the property Interest in the i Panama canal is being revived and anew a-new company connected in no way I with the one of illrepute is urging its claims with renewed vigor And altogether I alto-gether it looks as if too many things I are attempted to accomplish one at present This is deplorable Every American who senses the importance of shortening shorten-ing the distance from coast to coast who realizes the benefit it will be to commerce who has learned from the recent war the significance and strategic I strate-gic value of such an interocean connection I connec-tion will deplore any delay in the construction con-struction of an isthmian canal The gain in national prestige in national na-tional advantage in coast protection in commercial opportunity must be I apparent to every member of congress iAn i-An isthmian canal is a necessary adjunct I ad-junct to the trade expansion and shipbuilding ship-building already begun and still contemplated con-templated by this republic I is almost al-most imperative that some action betaken be-taken at this session I will be a blunder if the matter is postponed entirely en-tirely I Surely the proposition has been under un-der consideration long enough and sufficient I suf-ficient money has been spent on official investigation for congress to be able to arrive at some kind of an understanding under-standing in relation to the route and the cost 4 |