National Republican., 1880-04-24

mako II iust now, as some newspapers think, than
by exciting the public mind over tho dangers TO
lie Incurred from the making OF canal between
the oceans by others than our own people or
otherwise than subject TO our control Some prom
nent men of real worth, and the President, have
allowed themselves to speak hastily upon this sub.
lcct, and have thus, unfortunately, furnished aid
TO the Committee on Foreign Relations in the
House In making report, the recommendation of
which viii never be adopted while there are men
III tho pulc councils, os there are now, capable OF
understanding the whole subject Of the treaty, aud
OF courage sufficient TO do right. SO far from the
Cayton-Bulwer treaty being blunder OH thc part
OF John NJ. Clayton. 1t was masterpiece OF diplo-
macy not In tho narrow selfish sense of advantage
to the country merely but in It's wide sense Of mn
agreement for the benefit of II common humanity,
interested In the transactions and the results Of
commercial and official intercourse. IL free trade
be, us its advocates claim, policy that should
commend itself to the enlightened culture OF the
age by reason OF its unselhshness, with what fncc
can any ofthem support the resolution Of the Com
mitee In condemnation ofa measure which, on n
noted occasion In the Senate Of the United States,
was thus spoken Of:
"A very distinguished savant, Mons. Ampere) be-
gins his journal rs a traveller with an account OF
his visit TO the Worlds Fair held, think, In 1852,
In London; and he pronounced that great exhibit
ton of the Industry OF so many nations rs the 1rSt
universal fnct In the history Of the human race.
lIo cgregiously erred. That great event was
neither the most important nor was ii the first of
the universal facts which have trarspired In our
own day The first universal fact-N fact indicating
mn ultimate union of the nations--was the Clayton
and Bulwer treaty; that treaty which provided for
the opening for passages of communication and
commerce across the Central American lsthmus to
the growing civilization of the Western and mod
ern and the declining civilization of the Eastern
and ancient world 1t was the felicitous goOd-for-
tuno of John NJ Clayton, not more than his geni-
Gus and ability that enabled him to link his own
fame with that great and stupendOus transaction
and so to win for himself the eternal gratitude Of
future generations not only In his own country
but throughout the great divisions of the earth.
Whatever difficulties have hitherto attended the
execution of that great treaty, whatever future DIFF
hcultes may attend IT, the treaty itself il tho bow
Of promise Of peace harmony and concord to AL
fame of him whose worth We celebrate and whose
loss we deplore."
These words were spoken on the Sd OF December,
1856 by no less distinguished Senator than william
II. Seward. What difference of opinion be, ween
him and the chairman of the Committee on For
eign Relationsl The latter considers tho treaty q
bunder, and SO charncterzes II; the former as the
first universal fict in the history of humanity.
Whose opinion II II depended upon that. would be
of most value-LhNt of Mr. Seward or thut of Mr..
Cox? 1t is not difficult to answer the question.
The Clayton .Bulwer treaty was signed by the
negotlators John N. Clayton and Sir Henry Lytton
Bulwer, on the 10Th of April 1880. and the rntcG.
ions OF 1t were exchanged on tho 4th of July fol-
lowing. II was submitted to the Senate for con-
frmntion and received tho votes of forty.two Soma
tors against ten and was made In pursuance of tho
principle which had for twenty years before gov
erned oil our negotiations on the great subject of
communication between tho oceans, across tho
lsthmus, and was suggested by the unanimous voto
Of the Senate on the Sd of March, 1885, upon this
resolution then introduced by Clayton himself
hc8Oltft, mat the PreSluent OF tno united states
be respectfully requested to consider the oxpc-
diency OF opening negotiations with tho govern
| ments of other nations, and particularly with tho
governments Of Central America and New Grenada,
for the purpose OF electually protecting by suita-
ble treaty stipulations with them, such individuals
or companies as may undertake to open com
municallon between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans by the construction ofa ship canal across
the isthmus which connects North and South
America, and of securing forever, by such stlpula-
lions, the free and equal right of navigating such
canal to all such nations on repayment of such rea-
| Bonable tolls as may be established'lO compensate
the capitalists who may engage IN such undertake
ing and complete the work"
The records oftho Senate viii show that the men
who composed that body then were os great in
wisdom, talent and power as any who ever sat
within its walls; men whose names, or many Of
them, will be in the mouths of our people as long
as admiration for intellectual superiority and states
mGnship shall last. Their act laid the foundation
for the treaty of tho ih of July, 1850 which was
conceived and concluded in exact accordance
with It's sentiment and If carried out or enforced
would have prevented any sort Of trouble after
ward
It would occupy too much OF your space to go
treaty by the, Taylor Administration and of the
necessity for the Language II is couched in. Any
one who will read the famous debate in the Senate
Of 1858 and in 1851 when its policy and effect were
named and sustained by John NJ Clayton, who
successfully vindcated both in the face Of the SEN
ate and the world, will be able to comprehend that
II two'fold object was aimed Nt-the securing tho
support of Great Britain TO aid the United States in
protecting those who might dig canal, and also
TO dislodge the former from her foothold In Central
America. Tho latter object was not avowed, but ii
was all the same accomplished The stlpulations
ofthe treaty cfectuGlly prevent Great Britain from
exercising any net of sovereignty IN Central Amer
lea directly or under prctcnse of II protectorate
She has therefore, no moro rights there than the
Japanese She has Il settlement at the Belize or
British Hondurus-no part Of Central America-and
q claim to few small islands nigh the COast al
legged to be its dependencies that is all. San Juan
de Nicaragua, or Greytown MS the British called 1t
mt tho lntp of tho trplty. has been given LONG
ago US being part of Central America. which. by
the terms Of the convention, Great Britain could
not continue to occupy.
Yet It is made to ngliro in tho report MS showing
colonization the British claimed the right to pro.
toct by an armed ship. While Mr. Clayton sought
TO eradicate any claim the British made to rights
in Central America, and succeeded in his purpose,
acquiring for himself the distinction of having
achieved the hitherto unRccomplshed feat Of re.
quiling the British to surrender n footing upon
foreign soil, he had none OF the spirit OF prOcu-
tim which seems 70 animate the statesmen of the
present day He had the mselilsh manineSs to
desire so vast benefit for the civilized world as
an iSthmoan canal would be to its commerce should
be shared by all who would agree to protect it, and
too much respect for sister coniederacy. weak
though she was to proclaim what the Cnied States
would not allow others 10 do In that region in tho
way of promoting trade and civilization. Besides,
he had sense enough to know that the commercial
nations of Europe would see 10 1t that no one peo-
pie, foreign 10 the soil, should control an inter
canal or control it, but the English fOilnl them
peaceably through the Hhedlve Of Egypt. Without
his aid, II would have been done otherwise.
This Government has never gone upon tho pol
Icy in considering the canal subject of acquiring
the power to exclude and keep oil olhers--What
have called prOcuiisHl. The paper-callGd treaty
of the 2ls Of June, 1910. which Is mentioned In
tho Hcdd8 letter as referred to In the report was
made by Elijah HE, without and against the
authority Of the Instructions given him by the
Administration of President Polk, and was never
recognized by 1t. Besides, that same Administration
hNd made a treaty previously with New Grenada,
now Of tho States ofCoomb'n and the site ofthe
Lesseps canal, by which the United States not only
guaranteed the neutrality of the sthmus for free
transit by any modes of communication then oX-
isling or afterward to be adopted but went further
and for the consideration Of the benefits to be
derived by us therofrom and from certain clauses
OF tho treaty, agreed to guarantee also the integrity
of her territory. And this trOaty was with refer
ence to a communication from sea TO sea-uo
matter by whom constructed And all this with
tho Monroe doctrine staring the Administration
and the Senate In tho face,
The Monroe doctrine never announced anything
more than that the United States would not view
with unconcern the effort of a European nation TO
establish Il monarchy in America, Its author,
John Quincy Adams, never thought Of declaring
that foreigners should not furnish their money for
whatever enterprise of civil nature ON these con-
tinonts; ho only intended to lot the outside world
know, II Congress would consent to do so (Which
It has never yet, to sthis day)'that no monarchal
government should be ,set up anywhere in this
hemisphere,
There Is great danger that wo shall make our.
selves ridiculous by boaslful phrases and conduct
with reference to the subject Of canal and from