The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-10
AMENDMENT TO CANAL TREATY


H.
Remove All Doubt.
Ihe committee thinks it prudent"
the report continues. THAI ali doubt
De removed by an amendment eouiyal-
ent IN Its substance and effect 10 the
~ eCee'eht oI1ered by article 10. of the
IIedLy OF Constantinople. which il
an De supposed was intended to have
no place IN the pending convention
In principle the same reason which
justified article 10 in the treaty. of
Constantinople should not interfere
win the measures which the sultan and
knedlVe might find necessary to take
lOr securing by their own forces the
defense of Egypt and the maintenance
OF public order or if il were proper
tilat the provision of the enumerated
dItIcies OF the treaty should in no case
occasion any obstacle to the measure
which the imperial Ottoman goye~n
ileht may think it necessary to take
IN order to insure by its own forces the
ueIellse or its own possessions situated
on the eastern coast of the Red sea-
surely the situation of the United
! states on both oceans and as to the
territory to be occupied by the canal
user, requires the incorporation into
the pending convention or stipulationS
equivalent to those in article 10, of the
A Wise Provision.
II it was wise to reserve to the
ottoman empire the right to suspend
the operation of the treaty in certain
specified contingencies for the purpose
OK defending by its own forces Egypt
ana maintaining public order; and for
the purpose of securing by its own
forces the defense Of its other posses
elf
the ked sea, a coast of LOO miles in
length with Turkish possessions in
both coasts of nearly 100000 square
miles inhabited by 1900, 900 of its sub
yects IN Egypt and in the provinces of
HedJos and Yemen on the east coast
OF the Red sea, the same considerations
IN principle sustain the contention that
the pending treaty should contain
equivalent stipulations
The committee concludes its recon-
mendations by quoting its proposed
amendment. remarking al follows:
irrespective of the foregoing con-
SlderationS we are clearly Of the opinion
that If article 10 did not exist. the true
interests and necessity of the United
states require upon the highest con-
slderatlons of prudence and right
to the adoption of the amendment pro-
posed
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty.
The above extracts cover the portion
OF the report which was prepared after
the decision to amend the treaty was
reached There are about thirteen
printed pages Of the report prepared by
the subcommittee consisting of Sena-
tors Davis, Lodge and Morgan. This
report is largely review of the his
tory of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty. Re-
terring to the difficulties which have
arisen over the treaty, this part OF
the report saws:
THE only objections that have beer
urged by the United States have not
related to the treaty as a binding COM
pact, but to the conduct of Great Brit
ain in executing it's terms and in re-
fuSlng TO abandon certain islands and
coast possessions which she claimed
We're not held after the date of the
treaty in violation of its terms"
The committee calls attention to the
fact that under existing conditions the
control of the canal is not exclusive"
and ADDS:
This magic word has paralyzed the
eager desire of the two great powers
TO control this canal for fifty years. and
now its disappearance leaves us free to
construct and control the canal, ex-
Guiding any right of Great Britain to
interfere"
Abrogation of Convention.
The committee also conclude: "The
present abrogatiOn of the Clayton Bull
wer treaty would not in the least rein
state the rights of Honduras or Qua
temala, as we allege they were in 1850
Neither do these states ask our inter-
VentiOn in their affairs. But we have
more compulsory reason, one that in
wolves our due respect for the history
of our own country for ceasing to bring
into further discussion he questions of
good faith on the part of Great Brit
ain in the execution of the stipulatiOnS
and the purposes Of the ClaytOn-BUl-
Wer treaty"
This reason is found in the rati6ca-
ton Of the treaties Of 1860. referring to
which the committee says:
Congress expressed no dissent to
them. or to the Presidents declara-
ton that The dangerous questions ar
Using from the Clayton-BulWer treaty
have been amicably settled We can
not now assert to the contrary and,
for the purpose of abrogating that
treaty, we cannot insist that those
questions are not settled.
THE conclusion is unavoidable that
the government of the United States
acknowledged in 1860 that the Clayton
Bulwer treaty was an obligatory con-
vention and that it had been fully and
satisfactorily executed on the part Of
Great Britain as to all questions which
up to that time had been cont-overted
between the two govern ments,
Avoided Hostile Collision.
Referring to the Clayton -Bulwer
treaty the committee says it certain
" avoided hostile collision between
these two great powers, whatever may
have been its faults as an entangiing
alliance, or national humiliation TO Us,
or as the cause Of protracted and heat
ed diplomatic controversies.
Since 1860 the Clayton Bulwer treaty
has been in some way recognized by the
government in each Of the succeeding
administrations as a substituting COM
pact.
strong reasons for its abrogatiOn
have been frequently stated, and some
have always denied its obligatory force,
but no movement to accomplish that
result has been made either by congress
or the executive.
This treaty is, therefore, open and
existing as a binding and uneXecuted
compact with the express approval of !
the United States as to the question of |
our control over the canal and our
right TO build and fOrtiiy it. It is ex-
ecuted and therefore unrepealable as
to all other questions and matters COW |
cred by it's provisions. A question of
its abrOgation. raised at this time, |
would only relate to the parts of the |
treaty that remain to be executed.
Protection of the Canal.
1.-THE identical treaties of Great Brit
ain and the United States with Mica |
ragua provide for the protection of the !