The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-18
HEPBURN REPORT ON
NICARAGUA CANAL.



today instead OF the smaller one Of nifty
years ago. improvements In machinery.
In manufacture. all OF these are efforts To
disturb the equality Of conditions that
exist between merchants. They are ali
deemed iustinable, praiseworthy; and the
securement of this short route is only an
effort of greater magnitude In this same
direction. We save lo.0o miles In the
passage to China over the old route by
way of Cape Horn. Our government would
have precisely the same right to take Of
Tense at the use Of the Suex canal by Brit
ish merchants as would tho English gov
eminent at our using the Nicaragua
canal.
Treaty stipulations with England.
There are persons who say that we are
bound by treaty stipumtions with the gov
eminent OF Great Britain to refrain from
carrying out this great enterprise. This
statement we do not believe. We recog-
nizs the fact that fifty years ago tho
United States and Great Britain entered
into an alliance to secure tho building OF
the Nicaragua canal. Any person who
dispassionately studies carefully that
treaty must come to the conclusion that
the primary stipulaiionx In the Clayton
Bulwer convention looked to the immedi
ate building OF n canal under the influences
that might be exercised oy the two gov
ernments, rather than to . prohibition OF
either to build it,
Treaty Has Been . Dead Letter.
After quoting the treaty. the report
goes on;
Great Britain has allowed FIFTY years
TO elapse without any movement on her
part TO carry out the provisions OF that
article. II has been a dead letter from the
day the treaty was signed TO the present
moment And the provisions OF tho first
article were agreed to necessarily I'm con-
nection with the seventh. that neither
government shah have exclusive control
over said ship canal, being the ship canal
that was provided for In the seventh afti-
Gle, and which the two nations were TO
use their friendly offices In Immediately
securing.
we are blandly told that. notwithstand-
ing the failure OF England 10 observe the
letter Of the seventh article and the spirit
OF the FIRST article, that ws are bound hy
a treaty OF alliance entered into nifty
years ago.
Changes of Fifty Y~ars-
THE las; fifty years have wrought q re-
narkable change in cur relations 10
waterway crossing The isshmEs, 1850 was
only four years removed from our frst
occupation ~ California II was only
four years later than the passage OF the
first party of etnlgrsnts frnm the Mis-
sissippl river under the protection Of IA
military force 10 Oregon. IL was but two
years after the ces<lon Of large landed
interests on the Pacific coast from Mex
leo II was only three years after settle
mens Of the disputed boundary Of our
<nfthxrss Pacific possessions In tsN not
more than 100 900 Inhabitants we're on the
pArtae coast Our coastwlss trade with
that coast was insignificant, IN value or
amount Now we have millions OF eisiEens
living on that coast. We have hundreds
..ffst-r4a yaF s,xrfrsSrrFa M kaVa than.
SANDS Of millions Of wealth. We have ar
outfed Alaska Hawaii and ;he Philip
rssnsa There IL no comparison between
tho nieager Interests of fifty years ago
ara the colossal interests o. today. The
necessities 81 responding 10 ,heks changed
c,oaditors are 40 eysr9 Aelming that the
most osnsSr.ous 81 these sho lead in the
formation % the worlds Judgment would
say that cur present scti0n must be IN
harmony wi;h these new conditions rather
han TIE Old. There 10 a LAW OF seif-preS-
ervatfou that should control the action u
Treaty Has Hecn Disregardrd.
The report quotes Prot Lawrence in
Principles Of international Law" Ia
wAieh ne discusses the extent 20 which
treaties are binding. The report then pro
Ceets.
I'VE think Il safe TO say that neither
the United States nor Great Britain has
continuously regarded the Clayton T8aiwer
treaty as In force. In 1893 the United
States and Nicaragua exchanged ratinca-
tons ~ treaty % friendship commerce
ana navigation. IL gives 10 the United
states TIE right 70 send its forces into
Nicaragua 20 defend the citizens Of the
United States and their property. the
property IN contemplation being the Mica
raEaA canal The use Of a military force
always implies the right 10 establish tor
salcSaols foy defensive pgrposes,1