Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-14
Payment for Work on Pana-
ma Canal.
Mr.. MORGAN'S POINT
FORFEITURE WOULD HAVE Fol.
LOWED STOPPING OPERATIONS.
Criticism Of the Commissioners Now
Going to the Isthmus-Charge
Against the President.

81 observe that the so-called fsthmian
canal commission. which seems to survive
all efforts Of Congress to disband 1t, has
gone to Panama to ascertain how much
more we ought to pay the Panama Canal
Company in addition to the $40O00.OOo for
their expenditures since the date of their
offer to sell this property to the United
States more than year ago. said Sena-
tor Morgan to Star reporter today. Il
suppose these expenditures have been very
considerable though they were made be-
cause had they stopped work for day
and disbanded their forces Colombia would
have Immediately declared a forfeiture OF
their rights on the isthmus. They were
fighting for life against Colombia and now
it is proposed that the United States shall
pay all expenditures they have made In
that effort to save themselves from for
fixture and confiscation.
Deems the Climate Unhealthy.
"This will be an interesting subject for
the next Congress. probably. In the news
papers it is stated that the commissioners
are going there to spend four or five
months. shall be greatly surprised If they
consent to stay there four or five weeks.
If the isthmian canal commissioners had
been required to live six months continuous
ly on the line of the canal they never would
have consented to do so on account OF the
unhealthfulness Of the climate at Panama
If the Panama canal commission that Is
to be appointed, for new one is to be Sc
lected, should be required by law to spend
at least six months in every year at Pana-
ma, the canal never would be built. No
commission could be appointed that would
consent to devote half or two-thirds of
its time to the actual supervision OF the
work in Panama and to reside in that coun-
frvy Nho DIV nd ha l0 hnV vii
have to go there and take their chances.
but the commissioners have no such inten-
ton"
The Senate, February 10, adopted reso-
luton, upon motion Of Senator Morgan.
calling on the President to send to the Sem
ate information in relation to certain events
that occurred on the isthmus when Ad-
miral Casey was there to keep the transit
open. The resolution called for correspond
ence in the possession of the Navy Depart
ment. This information did not reach the
Senate until after the canal treaty was
ratified, much to the disappointment Of
Senator Morgan, who wished to have that
correspondence so that he might comment
on it before the vote was taken.
Accuses the President.
1.-THE President withheld that informa-
ton in order to keep the Senate in the
dark said Senator Morgan today. cit
could not have been done for anything else.
1t must have been to prevent the Senate
from getting information Of an important
character bearing on the ratification of the
treaty.
This information was called for on the
18th Of February, and the President got 1t
on the 18th of March. It took the Secre-
tary of the Navy thirty odd days to have it
written up. though 1t could have been done
in thirty hours The agreement to vote on
the treaty was made on the 9th and 10th
Of March, by which the vote was to be
taken on the 18th. But the information
called for was not sent in until the 10th of
March, and the Senate adjourned few
hours after that and there was no time TO
print it or comment on it.
What He Would Have Said.
MY comment on the information that
paper contains. which is known as Senate
document No. 10, would have been that we
went to the Isthmus of Panama for the real
purpose of sustaining the power Of Mar
roquin until he could assemble a congress
to ratify a treaty, the substance of which
had been agreed upon between his minister
and the Secretary of State in April, 1862,
before the passage Of the Spooner bill The
substance of that treaty Is repeated In all
of its Objectionable parts in the treaty sent
to the Senate, January %. 1903, and ratified
by Congress March IT.
These facts appear in the President
message for the reason that no ground is
stated there for the presence of our ships at
Panama that relates in any degree with ac-
tual Interference with commerce across the
railroad, and that in two letters of Admiral
Casey to the Secretary of the Navy he says
but for the presence of our troops there the
tnsurrectos would have entered and cap
flyr fho OF hmm