Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-29
BOTH SIDES WAITING
Colombia Notified of Minister
Concha's Course.
RESPONSE HELD UP
INFLUENCED BY ATTITUDE oE
NAVAL OFFICERS.
This Country Maintains That Is a
Separate Question-Two Meth
DDS of Procedure Open.

The status today of the Colombian canaY
negotiations is that both sides here are
awaiting a decision of the Colombian gov
ernment as to whether Minister Concha
shall proceed under his original Instructions
to present to the State Department the
COLOMBIAN response to the departments
proposal for treaty. When the response
arrived in Washington two days ago the
minister promptly notified the State De-
partment of the fact, but he added to his
notice the statement that in view of recent
developments (meaning events that had
happened on the isthmus since the note
started from Bogota September 16) he had
regarded 1t as his duty to withhold it until
ne heard further from his government
NOW, as the State Department had In some
way come to know that the Colombian re-
sponse would, If submitted, go far toward
meeting the desires of this government in
the matter of a canal treaty this DELAY was
very annoying But as the minister had his
own notion OF duty In the matter 1t was de-
cioed that an appeal should be taken over
MS head to the authorities in Bogota Ac-
cordingly a cablegram was sent to United
states Minister Hart at the Colombian cam
ltal notifying him of the Withholding of the
communication. No specific complaint was
made, but 1t was desired to make sure that
lne colombian government knew that the
note mad been held back, and that 1t ap-
proved of the minister's action. The matter
OF objection by our own officials is the at
tempt to link the negotiations for a canal
treaty, pure and simple, with the discussion
oI the questions of the correctness of the
attitude of our naval officers on the isthmus
Inc state Department is perfectly willing to
olscuss the latter, but believes that they
should not be permitted to interfere with
'he treaty negotiations.
Colonbia's Contention.
hoi
hold that as the projected treaty renews
or continues the' provisions of the exist
ing treaty relating to naturalization Of
isthmian traffic, which are now the sub
Ject of contention between the two gov
ernments, it is proper that the canal treaty.
be held back until either by an amend
ment of the old treaty or a change in the
language OF the new treaty, Colombian m
tegrity is Safeguarded
1t Is said that the delay will not be long,
Tor even If the Colombian answer is not
satisfactory the United States government
viii still be bound by the terms of the
Spooner act to proceed toward the con-
struction of an isthmian canal and the
only question to be decided is as to the
method.
Two Ways of Proceeding.
There are two ways open even in case OF
an adverse attitude on the part Of CO.
lombia, and these are said to be as fol-
lows: Either the United States govern
ment shall proceed without delay to COM
plete the treaties with Nicaragua and
Costa Rica necessary for the construction
OF a canal in those countries or-and this
latter course would be adopted with re-
luctance-the government will purchase
outright the franchise of the French Pan
anna Canal Company and so on resoutely
With the construction of the Panama canal
taking the ground that it has a right to
improve its own property without reference
to any other government. and taking no
further notice of Colombia.
Title to the Panama Canal.
great many men interested in the
project for building canal at Panama are
anxiously awaiting the full text Of the
report Of the Attorney General on the SUBJ
ject of the title that can be acquired to
that property. The Attorney General has
already made public a portion of this re-
port, which is to the effect that "clear
title can be secured. The complete re-
port has gone into the hands of the Presi-
dent.
There are numerous conditions that
might surround clear title which men
who will consider this question before any
further steps are taken by Congress are
anxious to learn.
1t will all be a subject for discussion In
Congress next winter, and the exact lines
of that discussion will depend very largely
upon the details of the report of the Attor-
Nty 1eHeFdl, WnlCn nave not yet been made
public. There are men. well-informed men,
who think it Is very doubtful whether the
clear title" that is to be secured will ef-
fectually bar out claimants against the
Panama Canal Company In the future, and
who think that in all probability the United
States. by taking over the property. will be
obliged to settle with these claimants.
The President was given by Congress a
reasonable" time in which to ascertain
whether a clear title to the Panama prop
erty may be secured, and the word ''rea-
sonable' will be subject to various inter-
pretations. 1t may be urged that as CO.
lombia is in a condition of internal a
reasonable" time would be very much
longer than if the Colombian congress were
in session and the governm ent were so con-
stituted that prompt action could be secur-
ed on a treaty between the two countries.
Colombia's Irritation.
The interference on the part of the Ameri-
can naval forces with the transit across
Panama is known to have created consider
able feeling on the part of Colombians, al
though it is declared by men thoroughly
informed as to the conditions that existed
on the isthmus at that time that such inter-
ference saved the governments forces on
the isthmus from a crushing defeat The
army of the liberals was in their vicinity
and contemplated an attack. AS their forces
are said to have been superior at that time,
the defeat of the government troops would.
1t is said, have been inevitable.
Our navy, taking possession of the 18TH
mus just al tnat time, saved the govern
ment, but for all that the government has
evinced only feelings Of resentment because
OF the interference. 1t is declared that the
resentment of the defeated party on the
one hand, and of the benefited but humil-
lated government on the other, will create
long delay in the ratification of any
treaty with Colombia, even if peace should
be restored at once.
Feeling in Congress.
There are many questions relating to the
details of the report of the Attorney Gen
eral that Congress VIII want to be made
familiar with. 1t is not likely that there
will be any development in this connection
that will create delay so far as congression-
al action is concerned, but 1t is quite likely
that itmay evoke criticism. unless it's shown
that the title can be perfected in every re-
spect within a short time and that 1t will
be OF a nature that will make it unreason-
able that any considerable claims will be
filed against the United States on account
of the company whose property it II to take