New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-07-12
MODIFYING CANAL TREATY
CONVENTION WITH COLOMBIA MAY NOT
BE SIGNED BEFORE FALL.
CHANGES FOUND NECESSARY TO SATISFY
COLOMBIAN CLAIMS OF SOVEREIGNTY
OVER THE CANAL STRIP.

Washington. July 11.-senor Concha, the
Colombian Minister; Mr. Herran. first secretary
of legation. and William Nelson Cromwell rep
resentng the Panama Canal and Railroad COM
panies, are busily engaged in going over certain
points in the treaty by which Colombia will
grant to the United States all the rights neces-
sary to the construction of the Panama Canal,
which must be modified before the treaty can
be signed Neither the State Department nor
the Colombian officials here care to disclose the
nature of the notifications which 1t has now
become necessary to make in the treaty, but 1t
is understood that all of them, either directly
or indirectly. involve the question of sover-
eighty
The close study now in progress Of the 18TH
milan canal act and the treaty presented by the
Colombian Government develops apparently i'm
portant differences and obscurities in the letter
of the documents, which may not, however.
exist in their spirit. For instance, Section of
the canal act authorizes the President to acquire
from Colombia perpetual control of a strip OF
land. which control shall include . {.
Jurisdiction said strip and the ports at the
ends thereof TO make such police and sanitary
rules and regulations shall be necessary to
preserve order and preserve the public health
thereon. and TO establish such judicial tribunals
as may be agreed upon thereon may be neces-
SdTy 10 eNIOfCc SuCn anu cSuISllOiiS.
From this portion of the act it would appear
that the United States alone is TO make police
and sanitary regulations for the canal strip and
establish judicial tribunals for their enforce
ment. Yet Article III of the draft of the canal
treaty provides for the creation of "a joint COM
mission by the governments of Colombia and
the United States that shall establish and en-
force sanitary and police regulations"
Article " Of the treaty deals specifically with
the question of sovereignty as follows:
The rights and privileges granted to the
United States by the terms of this convention
shall not affect the sovereignty of the republic
OF Colombia the territory within whose
boundaries such rights and privileges are to be
exercised.
The United States freely acknowledges and
recognizes this sovereignty, and dsavows any
intention to impair IL in any way whatever,
to increase its territory at the expense of Colom-
bia, or of any of the sister republics in General
or South America but, on the contrary, IL de-
sires 10 strengthen the power Of the republics
on this continent and TO promote develop and
maintain their prosperity and independence
1t appears to be the task now before the par
ties to the proposed convention to define with
absolute clarity the extent and limits OF the
control or Joint control to be exercised over the
canal strip. For. while control is not sovereignty
in the common acceptance of the terms yet in
practice the two often merge. so closely as to
ueAy iuehIlhCdtoh' anu IL mas all along oeen
recognized that any provision Of the treaty
which threatens in any measure the sovereignty
of the South American republic over the canal
land will not be acceptable 10 the Colombian
Congress.
Mr.. Cromwell called at the State Department
to-day to confer further with Secretary Hay
regarding the proposed treaty 1t appears
that, contrary TO the first expectation the treaty
cannot be signed before fall. II was expected
that. with his full powers. Minister Concha
would be able quickly to adjust the points of
difference above indicated. but IL develops that
TO prevent any disa greement with his own gov
eminent and any consequent reputation by IL
OF what he has accomplished, the minister
deems IL essential that 1t shall be made ac-
quainted with the smallest details OF the nego-
tiatiOns. This compels recourse to the mails
and as IL takes about six weeks for each COM
munication to pass between Washington and
Bogota, IL is feared that the finishing touches
cannot be given to the treaty this summer.