The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-21
The Check in Negotiations With
Colombia Are Encouraging
SECRETARY HAY TO ACT
Says spooner Act Did Not Commit the
United States to Panama Canal
Route--WilI Make No Fur
ther Concessions.

Washington. November 2O.-The check
in the negotiations with Colombia rela-
tive to the Panama canal, has given great
encouragement to the friends of the Mica
ragua project, and the first evidence or
renewed activity on their part was the
appearance at the state department today
of Senior Corea, Nicaraguan minister to
Washington.
Secretary Hay never has taken the
ground that the negotiations with Mica
ragua and Costa Rica were terminated
by the passage of the Spooner act. On
the contrary, he has felt called upon to
direct the attention of the Colombian gov-
ernment at moments when the negotia-
tions have Jagged or unseemly delay in
tervened, owing to the fact that under
section four of the Spooner act If he is
unable to obtain a satisfactory title from
the Panama company and the control Of
the necessary territory in Colombia by
treaty, then he is required to obtain such
territory from Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
The present hitch in tie Colombian ne
gotiations has therefore, encouraged the
Nicaraguan contingent and it is now said
peated declaration that the action of con-
gress in the passage of the Spooner
amendment did not finally commit the
United States to the acceptance of the
Panama route. Secretary Hay may pro-
ceed to draw up treaty with Nicarauga
and Costa Rica on the lines of the pro-
tocols land before the last senate and
submit to the senate at its next session
along with such a treaty with Colombia
as he may be able to conclude. In this
way the senate itself might decide wheth-
er or not the Colombian treaty is satis-
factory and If it should decide In the
negative, then it will have at hand the
Nicaragua-Costa Rican treaties, so that
there will be no excuse for delay in the
canal projected.
AS for the Colombian negotiations it
can be stated that the United States has
now gone to the practical end of memo
randum, noting a number Of objections
to its proposed treaty. Some OF these
have been admitted to be well taken, but
the great majority have peen regarded
as either in contradiction of the terms Of
the Spooner act or inadmissible for other
reasons.
The Colombian minister mere mas been
notified of the decision reached, and is
expected to make further reply either ac-
cepting or rejecting our last proposition.
The state department does not regard tho
objections lodged by Colombia as ma
terial; the Colombians on their part
think they are vital. Such, for instance,
is the difference over the tenure of the
United States in the canal strip. This
has been alluded to before as one easy
of adjustment, but 1t now appears that
the Colombians do not see their way to
accepting any of the compromising
propositions on this point offered bysthe
United States.
Prominent senators who nave been
consulted by the state department have
indicated their strong opposition to the
acceptance of a 100-year lease, with pro-
cison for the renewal as sufficient to
meet the provisions of the Spooner act
Nothing less than perpetual CONTROL" as
set down in the act will satisfy them.
The Colombians say that would be a vio-
lation of their constitution. But a careful
reading of the Colombian constitution by
the officials here does not satisfy them
that there is any prohibition against
alienation of territory, as is represented.