, 1881-12-16

HItntbtlC commerce an WO11l1 GhT0fCG tQ0 Htlty
of II dofensivc and protective war on her part
for tho meTc purpose Of gaining that control
which in.adyanee sho insists Il duo to her posi-
ton and demanded by hnr necesstios. am not
arguing Or assuming that general war. or any |
Nar at all. Ii imminent In Europe, bit It must
mt !o torEntton that Within tho past twenty.
i've years all tho Great Powers of Europe haya
bcun engaged In war, most Of thom more than
oncc. In only sfnRln Instance IN tho past hun-
drcd yoars haA tho unltod etates exchanged n |
hostile shot with my European Power. It ID In |
tho Highest degree Improbable that for hun. |
drctl yeafa to como even that that experience |
will t}o repeated. It consequently hH'comes owl.
don't that the ono conclusive modo Of
PRESERVING ANY 1sr1iMus CANAL.
om poasi6to distraction and destruction Of |
war Is to place It Under tho control pf that 0ov-
crnm0nt lcaBt likely to 10 ongnEcd In wnr, and
ablo In any and In every event 10 cnforc1 q
BuardIAnshtp which sh0 will asaufno. For SELF.
protection to her own intoroats therefore. tho
United States, In tho first instance, asserts her
right to control lsthmus transit; and secondly,
sho o1era, by such control, thnt absouto nett
tsal'zauon Of tho canal as rnspccts European
Powers, whtch can In no other way bo certainly
ATTAINED and iaatlng!y assured.
ANOTHER CONSIDERATION
forcfbIy suggest, tho necessity Of modifying the
convention under discussion. At tho tluo It was
agrecd 10 Great britain and tho United Stntes
Wero tho only nations prominent fn tho COIN.
morco Of Contral and South Amortca. Since
that tlmo othor leading nations hnye greatly
enlarged their commercial connections With that
country, and aro today coutendtns fur su-
premnoy In the ttndo OF these shores. Within
thu paat four years, indeed, the number Of
Ffonch md German vessels landing on tho two
coasts Ut Central America far exceeds tho mum.
ber of nrltish ycssuts. While, thorofore, Groat
britain and the United States may agroo to DO
nothing, md, according to tho present cnnven-
uon, each remain bound to tho other In common
hepesness, a third Power, or n fourth,
or combination OF many, nny step
In and Rlvo direction ton project which
tho C1Hys0n-t}ulw treaty Rssimel VIVA
under tho soio control Of the two Eng.lsh-spcai.
!ng nations. 1ndeud, 10 far III tho canal schomo
now protccfcd at ranamn finds u natloral
sponsor or a patron 1t is In tho llepubllu Of
Fruncc, ami tho non- Intervention o,jofncd upon
this country by tho Clayton 1iulwcr trcnty, II
applied tu that canal, would pnralyzo tho urn ot
the United States In my attempt to asscrt tho
plain rights and privileges which this 1ovorn-
mcnt secured through solrmn trehty with tho
ltcpublio OF Co!onb'n anterior TO tho Clnyton-
Bulwer convention. 10 that tho modification Of
the trchty Of 1850 now sought ia not only to freq
the United States froa, unequal md tncauItable
obligation 10 Great Drltaln but also ~ empower
tha Government to trent with alt 0thor nations
sookIn1 foothold OF tho tsthtnt&s on tho SAINT
bnss OF impasta! justioe and independence.
ONE OF TIE MOTIVES
otscnt IN tno Clnvton. uu,wcr tr,,atv mn ,,ts.
tlnc,ly EXPRESSED In tito INSTRUMENT, but in
scpatnb!e from every tine OF 1t, WIS tho px-
pectod aid at IrItlsh oapttal In the construction
Of tho NIcarnsuan canal. That oxpeotation has
not been rcaIzcd. and the changed condition OF
thls country snce 1850 has diminished. IT 1t tas
not entirely removed from consideration. nuy
advantage to be derived from that source,
Whenever In tho Judgment Of tho Untod States
Government tho tlmo ahall be auspic,ous. and
the conditions favorable for tho construction Of
tho Nicaraguan Canal, 10 ail will be needed
outaidc Of tho resu,,rces Of our own Government
and people, aud, vttto foreign cRpital will al-
ways be Welcomed and never ropclod, 1t cannot
hcnceforth ontos as IN essential factortn
THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THIS PROBLEM,
1t IL earnestly hoped by tho President TINT tho
considerations now presented will hnyc due
weight aud dtatluenco with her Mai csty . Govern
mont, and that tho notifications OF tho trpaty
desired BY thu Unitod stases will be conceded In
tho snme friendly spirit In which they aro naked.
| Following Is tho summary Of tho oaaugcs nec-
| essary 10 meet tho views Of this Government;
First every part ut tho treaty whlct, forbtds tho
| United Statps foftltylug tho canal and having
nolItcal control or IL. in continuation with tim
III,
second, every pnrt Of tho treaty In which q Great
| Britain and tho United States aRree to mako no
acquisition Of territory IN Central Amcrlca to
remain In full force az tho original proposition
| rJ.1s GOVERNMENT wour,p Sor Anurr
that Grout Britain md tho United Ytatos should
| bo nut on tho ean,e basJs. eycn negatively. with
respect to territorial ncouis,tious on the Amer
| tcnn continent. md wnnid ba unwilling to A.
tnhlIab such nrecodenl without nm ornlnna-
on. nut tho trcuty contains TINT provision viii,
roapcct to Contral America and if thn 1Inftod
states should scols Its uuu,tn,put It might eiyo
rfsu 10 crrors and miachievous auurahenaion.
nmnnu the nconle with whum this Goycrntnent
drslrra to 1,n on must friendly terms. THO
IJnited states has tuken specinl ocoason to as.
a,tre the suanish. .Amorlcan Ropl,b,tcs to tbo
! south OF Us that we do not intend and
DO NOT DESIRE; TO CROSS THEIR I}oJ,pEHs
Or irfany WY disturb thoIr territorial integrity,
and VIC shall not willingly incur tho r1sk OF r,s.
understanding BY annullinv clauses in thu
! CInyton-nulwrr Treaty whloh forp[la such n
stcp With Central America. Tho aco,,tsEt,ou of
military and naval stations necessary for thu
nr,toct1on of tho cornl and vo1,,niar,,v ca1o1
H. fT,,taa utsto. nv ran1ro, x,r"rl"s,, stntns