Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-27
cLAyroN-BulwEB TREATY.
Some interesting Facts Relative to This
MuCh-TaIked-AhOut Document.

North to South America, so as to avoi
the long and perilous journey aroun,
Cape Horn. or through ehe straits o
Magellan have been before the United
States since the early days of tn,
century. The discovery of gold IN
California in 1S4S, however. and th,
rush to that region by every available
routc--across the plains. around tn,
southern extremity of South America
up through Mexico from the neares
gulf port and across Central America
on foot or on horseback at various
points-gave a direct and immediate
importance to the question of cutting
a canal across the neck of hand some
where between the southern line oi
Mexico and the northern extremity OF
| Colombia. This necessity led to the
| framing of convention regarding a
waterway across Nicaragua between
John NJ. Clayton, President Taylor
Secretary of State, and Sir Henry Lyt-
| ton Bulwer, the British Minister at
Washington, which was signed at
Washington on April 10, 1850, and rat
flied by the Senate and accepted by the
British government. This is the con-,
vention which IS known as the Clay
ton Bulwer treaty.
The provisions of the treaty which
are of most direct Importance are con-
tanned in the first and eighth of its
nine ARTICLES. The first article sets
forth that "the governments of the
United States and Great Britain here
by declare that neither The one nor the
other will ever obtain or maintain for
itself any exclusive control over the
said ship canal; agreeing that neither
will ever erect or maintain any forti-
ficaJions commanding the same or in
the vicinity thereof, or occupy, or for
tify, or colonize, or assume, or eXer-
else amy dominion over Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, the Mosquito coast. or any
part of Central America And it was
further declared in the same article
that neither county Shall claim for it
self, its own citizens or subjects ANY
rights or advantages in regard to com
merce or navigation through the said
canal which shall not be offered on
the same terms to the citizens or sub
jects of the other" In the eighth ar
ticle the two governments declare that
they want to establish a general
principle" and. accordingly, 'Fthey
hereby agree to extend their protection
by treaty stipulations to any other
practicable communications. whether
by canal or railway. actoss the 18TH
mus which connects North and South |
these communications to be |
"open to the citizens andNSubiects of |
the United States and Great Bpfsain on |
equal TERMS" and also to be open on
like terms to the citizens and subjects
Of every other state which is willing |
to grant thereto such protection as the
United States and Great Britaisi.ehgage
to afford"
At the time in which the treaty was
framed its-terms were apparently sat
to a majority of Americans.
England had to be consulted because
she had important interests in and
wound Nicaragua, the country to
which the treaty particularly referred,
ut which point there was a strong de-
sire at That time TO construct an in
eroeeanie waterway. Ii was be-
ieved, too, that the agreement would
.onsltrain England to abandon its |
schemes for protectorate over that
portion Of Central Amdrioa, which
many persons on this side of the At
antic Thought England had in mind
hose Gays. President Taylor. in Sub
hitting the treaty to the Senate. said
It was his object in negotiating the
reaty mot only to secure the passage
across the isthmus to the government
md the citizens of the United States
by the construction OF a great highway
dedicated to the use of all nations on
equal terms. but to maintain the in
dependence and sovereignty of all the
Central American republics" In later
years the Clayton-Bulwer treaty
aroused much opposition in the United
States, because it was assumed to
make concessions to England which
violated the spirit of the Monroe doc
trine, and during Arthur's adminispra-
tion our government took the ground
that the canal was imDracticable be-
cause of conditions for which Great
Britain was responsible, and that,
the United States considered
the treaty as no longer binding But
administrations, including
that of President Mckinley have held
with Great Britain. that the treat0is
still in force. 1t is certain. of course,
THAT the existence Of the treaty has
prevented the construction of the
canal, and an effort win undoubtedly
be made. if the Hay-Pauncefote CON
vention be rejected by England in Its
present shape, to induce England to
to an abadonment of the trea-
ty.