The Chamber Wants 500 Letters to Congress for a Nicaragua Canal

Communications were presented at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce trustees yesterday which show that the movement for the construction of the Nicaragua canal has been taken up vigorously by the commercial bodies of the principal coast cities, and that a systematic movement has begun to induce senators and congressmen to vote for the pending bill.

President Graves presented the following letter from Secretary Samuel Collyer, of the Tacoma Chamber, dated January 1:

"We have been making an attempt in this city to ascertain how many there are of our professional and business men that could write personal letters to members of congress and United States senators, urging the early passage of the Nicaragua canal bill.

"We have used a sheet, a sample of which we enclose, as a basis for the communication. We have requested all to write the letters upon their own stationery, in their own manner and over their own signatures. As the subject is one of national importance, there is no impropriety in every man speaking his mind. There will be sent out of this city upwards of 150 letters. There will be a large number of letters written also to financial institutions in the East who have their agencies here, urging them to write their representatives at Washington City, urging the importance of passing this bill at this session.

"Your city is as cosmopolitan as ours, and we have no doubt you can have a committee appointed that will be instrumental in having 500 more letters sent forward than we have done here.

"We trust you will pardon our making this suggestion, but we are satisfied the importance of the measure will justify, in your estimation, the liberty we have taken.

"It is our understanding that Senator Morgan is to reply to Senator Turpie immediately upon the reconvening of the senate, which will be upon January 5, and it is very likely that Mr. Morgan will ask for a final vote not later than the 15th of January. These letters will reach Washington just about the right time to do the most good."

How to Work for the Canal.

The enclosed sample letter to which Mr. Collyer referred is as follows:

"Living on the Pacific coast as I do, and being alive to the enormous possibilities and resources, and I may say its necessities, it may be that I am more deeply interested in the early completion of the Nicaragua canal than those who live in the more populous Eastern, Middle or Southern states. I doubt if the Pacific coast can expect much more development than the natural increase of population will bring it. The transcontinental railroads have accomplished all that can reasonably be expected of them. The completion of the last one brought no increase in population, and the prospect of one or two more in the near future carries with it no enthusiasm. The frontier has been broken up and the great Northwest as a whole has been preempted. If there was no further benefit to this great country than what the Pacific coast would derive, I believe our government should build the canal. But the benefits would be mutual between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The result would be similar to the discovery of gold in California, only on a much grander scale. The resources of agriculture and minerals and the possibilities of manufacturing and commerce in the great area lying between the Rocky mountains and the Pacific coast are susceptible of greater development during the next half century than came to the Western states during the last half. The building of the canal would stimulate commercial affairs in a thousand different ways, and the transcontinental railroads would immediately feel the influence, which would grow each year in increased ratio as the canal neared completion. Estimating the value of the canal from a financial basis, judging from the earnings of the Suez canal, it would pay the government dividends on several times its cost."

The suggestion of the Tacoma Chamber was approved and the secretary instructed to give it due publicity through the press and by personal effort.

San Diego's Plan of Operations.

The following letter from the San Diego chamber, enclosing a circular setting out the advantages of government construction of the canal and asking support of it by personal influence on congressmen, has also been received by the Seattle chamber:

"The enclosed circular sets forth some of the many reasons why the Nicaragua canal should be constructed and gives the names of the senators and representatives. We are having thousands of copies struck off and are sending them to commercial organizations throughout the country, asking prominent people in San Diego to send copies to their friends. At the earliest date write letters urging the representatives and senators to vote for the measure, and kindly let us know what your chamber is doing in this matter, and advise us in return."

"Times are auspicious for launching this great project, if the friends of the measure will only act."