Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-14
STORY OF CANAL
NEGOTIATIONS.
Recent Events Cause President to
Rewritc a Portion of His
Message to Congress.
NICARAGUA NOT CONSIDERED.
Says High Authorities on International
Law Say it Could Have Been Dug to
Protect the lsthmus.

Washington, Nov 13,-For several
weeks President Roosevelt has had in
preparation his annual message to Con-
gress, to be presented at the opening
of the regular session on the first Mon
day In December That part Of the
message in which the president dis
oussed the negotiations between the
United States and the government OF
Colombia for an isthmlan canal treaty,
1t is said, was completed about two
weeks ago, Events which have oc-
CURED on the isthmus and In this coun-
try since that time have made 1t neces-
sary for the president to completely
rewrite that part of the message touch
Ing the canal negotiations,
In the opening sentence of his dis
cusslon Of the negotiations with Co.
lombia the president said.
II regret to report that, contrary to
all expectations, the government of the
republic OF Colombia refused to ratify
the treaty for building n canal across
the isthmus Of Panama" Then, after
stating that the treaty had been me-
gotiated at the earnest request of the
government of Colombia and subse-
quently was disaprroved by the Colom-
bian senate, the president said that the
powers exercised by the United States
under the treaty OF 1916 We're so large
In the protection Of transit across the
isthmus that II sometimes had been
questioned whether II was necessary
now TO obtain treaty for the purpose
of building canal.
Continuing, he wrote High authori-
ties on international law hold that the
canal can be dug as an incident to ex-
ercising the power to prevent the OBJ
struction of traffic across the isthmus,
Nevertheless, In accordance with our
settled policy of behaving with scrup-
ulous fairness and generosity toward
our weaker sister republics of the
south, taking no position that can even
by implication be treated as unfrlendly,
unless literally forced thereto, we have
endeavored to provide for the building
of the canal by treaty. In this treaty
we went as far as 1t is possible for us
to go In the direction of making con-
cessions to the United States Of Colom-
bia. No further concessions can or
should be made by this government"
president then stated that the
circumstances OF the canal case were
peculiar. The canal, said he. must be
dug II was demanded by the inter-
ests of this nation and by those Of the
civilized world. The United States had
solemnly pledged its word that 1t should
be free to the commerce Of the world,
reseryng to ourselves merely the right
To see that II shall never be used TO
our military disadvantage.
"A private company which in the
past undertook 10 build the canal had
failed. The events of the last few years
warrant vs. IN now saying not only
that the canal shall not be constructed
by any foreign government, but that II
Is not to be constructed by any prl-
vate company 1t must, therefore, be
dug by the government of the United
Statesr
Referring further along to the terri
tory bisected by the canal the president
wrote
ION the one hand the United States
desires to safeguard with scrupulous
care the interest and the honor Of such
country or countries. On the other
hand, In my Judgment, II Is time TO de-
clare that the beginning of the canal
cannot be much longer delayed. This
nation does not desire to be unreason-
able or impatient but 1t cannot and
win not permit any body of men per-
manently to obstruct one OF the great
world highways of traffic, and refusal
to permit the building OF the canal
amounts to such obstruction. OF course,
20 insist upon unreasonable terms is
equivalent TO a refusal
Advertng to that phrase of the
Spooner law which says that the presi-
dent shall have reasonable time To
determine as between the Panama and
Nicaragua routes, the president wrote:
Reasonable time in the case OF such
an enterprise as this, an enterprise
which has been thought Of for nearly
four centuries, which has been planned
in detail and worked Mt for half a GEN.
fury, and which, when completed, viii
endure for ages and will change the
geography Of a hemisphere and the
trade routes Of the world. must, Of
course, mean whatever time IL neces-
sary to convince ourselves that the
course we are following Is wise and
proper
1T seems evident that in matter
such as this we should finally decide
which Is the best route, and II the
advantages OF this route over any other
possible route are sufficiently marked,
we should then give notice that we can
no longer submit to trfiing or inslncere
dealing on the part Of those whom the
accident Of position has placed In tenn
porary control Of the ground through
which the route must pass that II they
win come to an agreement with us in
straightforward fashion we shall In re-
turn act not only with justice. but
with generosity; and that II they fail
10 come to such agreement with us we
must forthwith take the matter into
~, ,,yp hands -