The prospect for an isthmian canal across the little neck of land which connects North and South America is coming nearer. Great Britain and the United States have just concluded a treaty abrogating the Clayton-Bulwer treaty of 1850, and only ratification by the Senate is needed to put it into practical effect. Great Britain renounces any claim to the share in the construction or control of such a canal, providing only that the canal shall be neutral at all times in peace and war, that it shall not be fortified, nor subject to blockade and that all nations shall have equal rights of passage through it.
The achievement of the treaty, on its first nouncement, was looked upon as a diplomatic triumph on the pact of Secretary of State Hay, particularly as nothing is ven or promised to Great Britain in return for her concession.
Few there were who! did not believe in advance of the actual ug of the treaty that some equivalent would be demanded with regard to the Alas kan boundary, now in dispute, or in some other quarter.
How Canada will fancy the outcome is yet to be seen, for Canada has been holding out the Clayton-Bulver treaty as a kind of make-weight in the Al-askari controversy.
Discussion of the treaty has brought out the criticism that if the United States build the canal they surely ought to have the privilege of defending it against their possible enemies and, for that purpose, of fortifying it. It is pointed out that the present strong public desire grew out of the experience in the Spanish war, who the battleship Oreyun on the Pacific coast, summoned hurriedly to reinforce the At. antic fleet, was forced to go around Cape Hor While the ca 1 under the proposed treaty would afford tion between the Atlantic Pacitie coasts of the United it would afford just as quick communication to the ships of the enemy and the p vision for the absolute neutrality of the canal would. insure freedom from attack en route, An attempt may be made to amend the trouty may pass without attempted amendment; and it may fail entirely. What its fate will be it is impossible now to tell, But a step, at least, has been made toward an actual canal.
This country sees in this action of England evidence of a sincere friendship for the United States and a desire that the reciprocal feeling so markedly developed within the past two years shall be strengthened yet more.
It therefore looks as though the construetion of a canal lit, within a reason: time, become at compl sentiment in this country is ready for it and a requisite bill is no before Congress for imme construction. The route, however, is y et be settled. A commission appointed two yel
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.