The Washington times., 1901-09-14
Our Caribbean interests.

On Thursday Mr.. F. b. Loomis, lately
now our diplomatic representative at
Lisbon, delivered lecture at the War
College at Newport, Rhode Island, on
the subject of our South American re-
lations. Some of his remarks on the
topic are well worthy of attention.
Among other things, he said:
Tho considerations OF the effects present and
remote, of the building of an isthmus canal upon
the destiny OF some OF the latina American Re-
publics becomes, in fact, 4 discussion of the far
reaching results which successful completion OF
this great project will have upon the future
policy, power and growth of the United States
itself. Ii seems no doubt, to many students OF
these questions that the control Of the Carib-
bean Sea and its littorsl must inevitably fall 10
the United States and be essential to its proper
faeile dominion of the canal route to the as
surance of its power actively to defend or sup,
10 give necessary protection to its possessions -
1t will be observed that, apparently,
Mr.. Loomis takes the ultraAmerican
view of our interests in the Caribbean
Sea-a view which must be considered
as closely connected with the national
opinion that the future inter-oceanic
canal will form part of our national
coast line, scientifically and for prac
tical purposes, If it be true. as he
seems to argue, that the existence Of
the canal would compel the United
States to secure and maintain military
control of the Caribbean and it's littor-
al, it would follow that this country
should have the same or a more COM
plete domination over the isthmian
waterway itself.
There is little doubt, as Mr.. Loomis
hints, that the future of our relations
to Central and South America will in
volve problems of great Importance,
and some of them may be fraught with
danger to our international friendships.
But such possibilities will not deter the
American Republic from continuing in
the path of its destiny. Through the
unwise concession of existence to the
moribund and long-ago violated Clay
ton-Bulwer Treaty, we have a Central
American question to face and dispose
of that could have been settled by the
mere declaration that we should refuse
to be bound by a convention which
England had rendered null and void as
far back as 1862. 1t is possible that the
Senate, which has refused to ratify the
HayPauncefote Treaty. based by the
negotiators upon the survival of the
Clayton -Bulwer convention, might as
..ert the doctrine that in matters of
treaty in which the Senate is possessed
of coordinate power with the Execu-
tive, the acts of the latter cannot bind
the nation, without action to that end
by the former. Such a declaration
would be sound in American law, and
would clear the way for complete de-
nunciation of the exploded treaty of
1850 with Great Britain, and then we
should be free OF that apparently men
acfng, but really unnecessary and easi-
ly removable incubus.
Once the United States had a free
hand in Central America, our control
of the Caribbean and its shores would
not be a matter of much difficulty
With the possession of Porto Rico,
which we have, with our suzerainty es-
tablished over Cuba, and with the ac-
QUESTION of the Danish West India
islands, which promises attainment
shortly, our fleet would occupy posi-
ton of advantage even against the
greatest naval power. With the further
security of being able to close the Mica
ragua Canal against the vessels of an
enemy with which we might be at war,
there is little reason to doubt our abili-
ty to protect our inter-oeeanic COM
merce. and to prevent European inter-
ference in the affairs of this hemi-
sphere. Such objects will require
high order of craftsmanship for their
accomplishment, but that is not calcu-
lated to frighten our people. In our
diplomatic as in our other history the
emergency generally has developed the
man to meet it.