The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1903-12-18

;Ssa ~ ~ anu. lne pro-
general stan for the army n ana nSS. sor trs
bee 8 hs national
Great Improvement has been made ii,
the efficiency Of our army In recent years.
Snen nsg schools az those greeted az Fort
stitution Of fail maneuver work & accom-
plish satisfactory, results. The good ef-
feet s, Ct t. these n,aIeuyers upon tho national
ton should be made to enable fhe guards
4 men OF the several states to share in the
benefit ,,at.,h The goyernment should as soon
sections ii the country me y serSies
b,t fa not only to the regular
several states will be SO great us to
repay many times over the relatively
small expense. We should not rest satis-
The only people who are contented with
a system Of promotion by mere seniority
are those tl,, who are contented with the
1 On the other hand system which en-
Gq,nraged the exercise ct social or po-
to devise a method Of promotion from
grade to grade in which the opinion of
the higher officers Of the service upon the
promotion and standing Of the latter,
inc president congratulates. congress-
t upon the steady nsv progress IN Dudns up
| not afford q let-up in this great work.
TO stand still means to go back. There
should be no cessation in adding to the
the fleet. Meanwhile The navy depart-
nlent and the officers of the navy are do
| ing Well their part by providing constant
those of actual warfare. The establish
| ment OF a naval base in the Philippines
| ought not to be longer postponed. Such
time of wal. it would be Indispensable.
! and its lack would be ruinous 1t is
eminently desirable, however, that there
should be provided n naval general staff
staff created for the army. We need the
establishment by law Of a body of trained
W who shall Exercise
navy. and be authorized advisers Of the
secretary concerning it,
The president goes into the isthmian
ing he says: by the act of June %.
1902, the congress authorized the presi-
dent to enter into treaty with Colombia
for the building of the canal across the
that in the event OF failure to secure
such treaty after the lapse of reason
building a canal through Nicaragua.
1T has not been necessary to consider this
alternative, as am enabled to lay before
the ,5 senate t. a. treaty providing for the
-
OF Panama. This was the route which
commended itself to the deliberate ,judg-
ment o. the congress, and We can now
the canal over this route. The question
now therefore, is not by which route the
isthmian canal shall be built, for that
revocably. decided. The question is
simply whether or not we shall have an
isthmian canal.
When the congress directed that we
should take the Panama route under
treaty with Colombia. the essence of the
condition. OF course, referred not to- the
but to the route itself; 10 the territory
across which the route. lay, not to the
name which for the moment the territory
bore on the map. The purpose of the, law
was to authorize the president to make Q
treaty with the power in actual control
Of the isthmus Of Panama. This purpose
has been fulfilled.
tered into a treaty with New Granada,
the predecessor upon the isthmus Of the
RRap phli ct Colombia and st the present
was provided that the government and
citizens of the United States should al
ways have free and open right Of way or
any modes of communication that might
be constructed, while in return our gov
.rnment guaranteed the perfect neutral
the view that the free transit from the
one to the other sea might not be in
terrupted or embarrassed. The treaty
vested in the United States substantial
property right carved out Of the rights
! Of sovereignty ana property which New
Granada then had and possessed over
1 me SAG e re-, territory tory The name Of New
| tory has been divided. Its successor, the
| government by Colombia. has ceased to
own any property.in the isthmus. new
| republic, that of Panama, which was at
| one time "a sovereign state, and at an
| other time a mere department Of the sue
cessiEe. confederations known as New
| ceeded to the rights which first one and
then the other formerly exercised over
the isthmus But as long as the isthmus
| existence, and the peculiar interest there
il which is. required by our position,
perpetnate the solemn contract which
spect our right to freedom '' Of transit "a sit
across it. and binds us in return to safe
guard forFthe isthmus and the world the
upon Which the United States entered in
this treaty Of 1s46 has been given re-
and secretaries Of state. 5t-.
For four hundred years. ever since
shortly after the. discovery Of this hemi-
sphere; the canal across the jsthmus has
last for the ages. 1t is to. alter the
~ Gi w sentiment We ana Az a
by every treaty we. have negotiated or at
tempted to negotiate with the peoples in
4 control of the ithmns and with foreign
l nations in reference thereto our con-
slstent good faith in observing our obliga-
tons; on the one hand to the peoples OF
the isthlEus, and on the other hand 10
the civilized world whose commercial
rights we are safeguarding and guar
4! anteeingtiby our action. We have done
\ our duty to others in letterand. in spirit.
and we have shown the utmost forbear-
ance in exacting our own rights.
! Last spring. under the act above re-
! ferred to, a treaty concluded between the
representatives Of the Republic of CO.
lombia and of our government was rati-
fed by the senate This treaty was en-
ltcred into at the urgent solicitation Of the
4 people of Colombian and after a body Of
A experts appointed by our government ,es-
4 pecially to go into the matter Of the
4 routes across the, isthmus had pro-
"A nounced unanimously in favor of the pan
( anna route. In drawing up this treaty
jEevery concession was made to the neonla
and to the government of Colombia "a We
Z were more than just in dealing witt,
Il them. Our generosity was such as tn
make It a serious question whether Ne
had not gone TOO far in their interest 1t
a the expense Of our own; Tor in oif
scrupulous desire to pay ali possible
isheed, not merely TO the real but even IA
II the fancied rights of. our. veg Jsar noi~ ~