The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-06
IMPORTANT TREATY SIGNED.
MODIFICATION or THE CLAYTON
BULWER INSTRUMENT.

Right of United States to Construct
Nicaragua Canal Without British
Participation, Is YieIded-The Ca
nal, However, Is TO BE Absolutely
tween Secretary Hay and Lord
PHuncefOte-sent to the Senate.
Washington, Feb. 5.-The Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty omendatory of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, relative 10 the construc-
ton of the Nicaraguan canal, was signed
at the state department to-day by Secre-
tary Hay and Rt Hon. Lord Pauncefote
of Preston, for Great Britain.
Though the consummo ton of the treaty.
occupied some time owing to the neces-
sity of comparing the two drafts, there
was little formality about the ceremony,
and a convention that is expected to be.
for the United States at least, of the most
far-reaching importance and value, came
into being without any theatrical sur
soundings
There were present beside Secretary
Hay and Lord Pauncefote, only Mr..
Bromley, honorary attache of the Brit
ish embassy and prospective son-in-law of
Lord Pauncefote; Sidney Smith, chief of
! the diplomatic bureau, and William
| Gwinn, the faithful and discreet messen-
! ger TO the Secretary of state, who placed
the seals upon the convention, as ne has
| upon nearly every treaty of Importance
to which the United States has been
party for the past thirty years.
| The two drafts of the treaty were care
fully compared to insure their identity.
Ef iVoFg rasaIr
Hay attaching his signature first The
seals We're attached and then there were
! congratulations and the ceremony was
over.
The treaty was carried to the White
| House and thence dispatched at once to
the Senate for ratification. The letter of
| tfansmittal was purely formal, simply
commenting the treaty to the Senate
without entering upon any argument to
demonstrate its great value.
What the Treaty Provides.
Secretary Hay declined to make public
! the text of the treaty or even 10 make
any statements as to its details. holding
that courtesy to the Senate obliged him
| TO remain silent until the Senate itself re-
moved the seal of confidence from the
convention So that all that is now known
of the convention is that it amends the
| Clayton-Bulwer treaty of 1850 in such man
ner that Great Britain yields to the Unit
| ed States the right TO construct the Mica
| ragua canal, or a canal at any other point
| on the isthfnus without British participa-
tion. Most of the other features in the
| Clayton -Bulwer treaty are retained This
| is/notably true of Article ), which guaran-
| tees the absolute neutrality of any canal
aud the security of the capital invested
1t is understood that the United States
continue TO keep upon itself this obligation
| to maintain the naturalization of the ca
| nal which shall be forever open and free
| 1t is also believed that the treaty looks 10
| an international understanding on this
| point.
This treaty was arranged between Sec
| retary Hay and Lord Pauncefote. who are
the principals, and who manifested that
fact by signing the treaty.
! AS soon as the treaty is ratified and the
| ratifications have been exchanged, the
| ceed at once with the construction of the
| Isthmian canal, unfettered by any obliga :
ton toward Great Britain, save that of
| allowing to British citizens as to the citl-
| zens of other nations the use of the canal
| on the same terms with American citi-
| zens
| There is absolutely no quid pro quo Of
| fered to Great Britain in this treaty in re-
| turn for the valuable concession to the
| United States. Whatever return the Unit
ed States may choose to make for this
concession is a thing of the future.
The new treaty was read in executive
session In the Senate to-day. Sesator Da-
Wis, chairman of the Committee on For
| eign Relations, moved to make the treaty
public but after some discussion ii was
| decided to refer the matter to the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations before taking
that step.