File:Panama and the canal in picture and prose (1913) (14596873599).jpg

Identifier: panamacanalinpic01abbo (find matches)
Title: Panama and the canal in picture and prose ..
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Abbot, Willis John, 1863-1934. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: New York (etc.) Pub. in English and Spanish by Syndicate publishing company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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f the problem which I do not recall having seen discussed arisesout of the literal acceptance of the language of thetreaty as bearing upon the use of the Canal in wartime. It declares that the Canal shall be free andopen to the vessels of commerce and of war of allnations ... on terms of entire equality, andwhile it goes on to prescribe the rules to be followedin war time it nowhere declares the right of theUnited States to debar to the warships of a hostilenation the privilege of passing through the Canal.Under the strictest construction of the languageof the treaty the refusal of the United States topermit a German or a Japanese fleet to pass through,even though that nation was at war with us, wouldbe a violation of the treaty which would justifyEnglish interference to enforce the opening of theCanal—which of course would be war. No suchcontingency could possibly arise, nor any such con-struction be put upon the language of the treatyby any reasonable and responsible party. Yet it
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GUIDE WALL AT MIRAFLORES This picture shows method ot lock construction. The space within these two walls will be filled with dirt and cement. The groundon either side will be inundated, forming a small lake through which the Canal passes. THE FIRST IMMEDIATE ADVANTAGE OF THE CANAL 381 is scarcely a more forced construction than the oneappHed in order to make it appear that we may notfree our own ships in purely domestic trade fromcanal tolls. The fundamental principle controlling the amountof the tolls is to fix them at such a figure as tominimize thecompetitionof Suez. Com-merce pro-ceeds by thecheapestroute. Someslight advan-tage may ac-crue to thePanama routeif the govem-m e n t can make such contracts with American mines as to beable to furnish coal at the Isthmus at a price mate-rially less than is charged at Suez. The estimates,supplied by Prof. Johnson, of probable commercehave been based on a price for coal at Cristobal orColon of $5 a ton and at Balboa of $5.50 a ton. Atthe

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