The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-19
NEW TREATY SIGNED
Hay AND PAUNCEFOTE ATTACH
THEIR SIGNATURES.
CAN NOW BUILD THE CANAL.
PROVIDED SENATE WILL ACCEPT
BRITAIN's LATEST DEAL.

Great Britain Withdraws From
United states as Sole Guarantor.
can FOrtify or Not as We Please,
hut Must Not Discriminate in Fav-
or of American Shipping-AH De-
pends on Ratification by Senate.
Washington, Nov. 1S.-The new Hay
Pauncefote treaty was signed to-day
at 1905 o'clock by Secretary Hay for
the United States and Lord Paunce-
fote the British ambassador, for Great
Britain.
This treaty is intended to replace the
first Hay-Pauncefote treaty. That con-
yention was amended so extensively
by the United States Senate at its last
session that the British government de-
clined to ratify it. Within a few weeks
negotiations began afresh between
Secretary Hay and Lord Pauncefote,
which have resulted in the signature
of the new treaty, drawn with special
reference to the objections found by
the Senate with the first treaty. From
a due sense of the courtesy which must
be observed towards the United States
Senate wherever a treaty is concerned,
the State Department is estopped from
making public the text of the new con-
vention, and that will remain secret
until the Senate itself shall break the
seal of confidence.
1t is said at the State Department
that the various publications, which
have been made of the alleged text of
the treaty, are all erroneous and con-
jectural, though, in view of the rather
free admissions that have been made
of the purposes of the negotiators, it
has been possible by the use of the
text of the first treaty to construct
one similar in general terms to the
new convention.
The Neutrality Clause.
The principal point of difference be-
tween the new and the failed treaty
Is the withdrawal of Great Britain
from the joint guarantee of the neu-
trality of the canal. thus leaving the
United States the sole guarantor. The
excision of the old provision respect
ing the right to fortify the canal
leaves that right by inference optional
with the United States. All commerce
of whatever nationality passing
through the canal, will fare alike;
there win be no discrimination in rates
In favor of United States shipping.
Otherwise the new treaty is in scope
similar to last years treaty. 1t re-
places technically the Clayton Bulwer
treaty, concluded on April 10, 1850. BY
the terms of that old convention the
United States and Great Britain agreed
that neither should seek any advan-
tage in. rights of transit across the
isthmus. By the new convention
Great Britain yields her right in favor
of the United States, which is thus at
liberty to construct a, canal.
Nothing more remains to be done as
far as this treaty is concerned before
the Senate meets, or, indeed. until the
treaty shall have been ratified, re-
jected, or amended. If it should be
ratified, the State Department will pro-
ceed Immediately to negotiate the trea-
ties with Costa Rica and Nicaragua
for which it already has arranged in
protocols pending before the Senate,
which will permit the canal to be con-
structed and prescribe the terms upon
which the consent of Nicaragua and
Costa. Rica was given. 1t was In an
ticipation of this action, it is pre-
sumed, that the Nicaraguan govern
ment only recently denounced the
treaty of trade and commerce with the
United States. This treaty contained
sections conveying rights as to canal
construction which are to be replaced
by more modern provisions.
PauncefOte Surprised Them.
There was no particular ceremony
connected with the signature to-day
of the important convention. Lord
Pauncefote had been indisposed for
several days past, and it was not ex-
pected that the treaty could be signed
before the end of the current week.
However to the surprise of the State
Department officials, the ambassador
appeared at the department about noon
and the work of signing the treaty was
soon dispatched. The scene was the
historic diplomatic chamber of the
State Department, and beside the prin-
cipals, Secretary Hay and Lord Paun-
cefote, there were present Sidney
Smith, chief of the diplomatic bureau
of the State Department; Percy Wynd-
ham, the second secretary of the Brit
ish embassy, and William Gwin and
Edward Savoy, the Secretary of States
private messengers, whose duty 1T was
to attend to the afflXing Of the seals.
The treaty was signed by Secretary
Hay with a gold pen in a silver pen
holder, whic hhad been used in the
signature of other conventions, and is
the personal property of the secre-
tary.
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