The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-10
MR.. TELLER'S TREATY SPEECH
The Fenr of Trouble with Great
Britain Ridtculcd.


Senator Teller's speech in executive ses-
sion Friday has been more widely discuss
ed among the Senators who heard IL thar
any speech made since the debate on the
| Hay-Pauneefote Treaty commenced. IL
was a scathing accommodation OF the terms
| OF the treaty and an effective ridiculine
OF the fear that England would cause
trouble if the canal should be construct
ed by the United States in its own way
| The speech has greatly lessened the num-
! Der of adherents of the treaty and added
to the probability that radical amend
ment to the pending measure must be
adopted If the convention is to be ratified.
| Mr. Teller boldly charged the State De-
partment with seeking to thwart the
wishes of the American people and carry
| out its own compact with the British Gov
eminent. He said that if the time en-
! ployed In seeking modification of the
ClaytOn-B ulwer Treaty had been spent IN
abrogating 1t that treaty would have been
denounced long ago and the American
| policy sustained.
England. said Mr.. Teller. was not look
ing for The opportunity of showing her
friendship for this country, but the events
was absolutely dependent upon the United
| states and that, In time of war, she could
not subsist her army for six weeks with
out the supplies she gladly gets; from
| the United States. The war in South
! Africa had. Mr. Teller said, proven be-
yond question: the necessity of the friend
ship OF the United States. and Great
| Britain would no: be willing to Iermit
| the present cordial relations to be
| strained
| Mr.. Teller asserted that the history OF
| the past forty years proved that the Clay
! ton Bulwer Treaty was a dead letter and
had been so considered by Great Britain.
who had violated it repeatedly Every
I body also. he said, knew that the Hay
| Pauncefote Treaty was a sham. and that
1t was intended to pledge this Government
| to do certain things in time of war that
Secretary Hay very well knew the people
of this country would not do. The idea
| Of pledging the faith Of this Government
that no act of hostility should be COM
mitted within the canal as against our
own enemy was, said Mr.. Teller. the
heighth of absurdty. II Americans were
guarding the canal or policing it and
British ship or ship of war of any
nation at war with this country should
enter the canal, Mr.. Teller asked the
Senate il any Senator believed that ship
would ever get out
In discussing the principle of the Ameri-
can right to fortify which Mr. Teller said
he would at the proper time present To
the Senate in the shape of an amendment,
he declared that the treaty. if ratified at
all. must not only emphasize the fact that
this Government could fortify il it pleased
through the Elimination of that clause Of
the seventh article of the pending treaty,
which says that mo Notifications shall
be erected to command the approaches to
the canal or the waters adjacent there
to- but that there should be inserted in
the treaty plain provision making it
clear that the United States reserved the
power to control and operate the canal in
whatsoever way was deemed best in the
interests of this Government. Mr.. Teller
said he was not sure that an amendment
should not be made declaring that this
Government reserved the right to close
the canal at any time to the ships of war
of any nation SO that from the outset the
world might know that the Nicaraguan
Canal was a distinctly American water
way. and not subject to any of the limita-
lions surrounding the operations of the
Suez Canal.
Mr.. Teller ridiculed that portion OF the
agreement or "proctocof between the
United States and Nicaragua recently
Calyo. The text of that agreement was
transmitted secretly to the Committee on
Intcroceanic Canals of the Senate. and it
is understood that it contains a statement
that Nicaragua would be willing to have
the canal dug under thep rovisions of the
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. The State De-
partment, Mr.. Teller said was able to get
almost any kind of a statement or agree
ment from the little Government of
Nicaragua and this statement had been
sent to the Senate in order to bolster
up The case of Mr.. Hay in his fight for the
ratification Of his treaty without amend
ment. Mr.. Teller declared that Nicaragua
would do anything this Government want
ed done, and when the Senate had pass
ed upon the treaty there would. he be-
lieved. be no discomfort on the part of
that Government with respect to any
changes that might be made
Mr. Teller thinks that the best plan
would be TO strike at the root of the evil
by agreeing to the resolution reported
June l. last by Mr.. Morgan from the
Committee on Interoceanic Canals de-
claring that the Clayton Bulwer Treaty
lis abroga.ed." The treaty had 80 fire.
quently been ignored that the further pre-
tence that it was still operative and in
full force was childish. Great Britain
casons practically notified by this Gov |
eminent that considered the treaty |
abrogated By the House passing canal |
bill once and by the Senate passing a |
like bill twice. and under such conditions |
as to violate The spirit Of that treaty il |
ii were binding. Great Britain had been |
notified of the position assumed by this |
Government. On neither of these occa-
sions had Great Britain entered word |
of protest.
much stronger denunciation OF that |
treaty had been made Mr.. Teller said |
when Secretary Blaine sent his instruc
tions to Minister Lowell and in suisse
quent diplomatic correspondence, all of
which was brought to the immediate at
tention of the British Government in such
a forceful way that it could not be over
looked Even then, no notice was taken
of the strong Language used. England ac-
cepted the situation as a patent fact and
not Mr. Teller said. until our own State
undertook to revive and re-
juvenate that ancient treaty did Great
Britain again assume that ii was binding
upon the United States.
He asserted that. Secretary Hay to the
was ready to abrogate the obnoxious
treaty whenever the United States urged
it,
|
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