The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-12-10

event of war between Peru and Spain
the United States would carry into ef-
feet the guaranty of neutrality. There
have been few administrations OF the
state department in which this treaty
has not, either by the one side or the
other been used as basis Of more or
less important demands 1t was said I'
Mr.. Fish in 1871 that the department OK
state had reason to believe that an at
tack upon Colombian sovereignty on the
isthmus had. on several occasions, been
averted by warning from this govern
ment. In 1886, when Colombia was under
the menace of hostilities from Italy in
the Cerruti case, Mr. Bayard expressed
the serious concern that the United
States could not but feel, that a Euro
pean power should resort to force against
a sister republic of this hemisphere, as
to the sovereign and uninterrupted use of
a part Of whose territory We are guar
antors under the solemn faith of a treaty.
The above recital OF facts establishes
beyond question: First, that the United
States has for over half a century pa
tienty and in good faith carried out its
obligations under the treaty of 1886. sec
ono that when for the first time ii be-
came possible for Colombia To do any
thing in reluital Of the services thus re-
peatedly rendered to it for 81 years by
the United States, the Colombian gov
eminent peremptorily and extensively re-
fused thus to do its part. even though
to do so would have been to its advan-
tage and UNNECESSARILY to the advantage
of the state of Panama, at that time I'M
der its jurisdiction: third, that through
out this period revolutions, riots, and
factional disturbances of every kind have
occurred one after the other in almost
uninterrupted succession, some OF them
lasting for months and even for years,
while the central government was unable
to put them down or to make peace with
the rebels. fourth, that these disturb
anceS instead of showing any sign of
abating have tended 10 grow more
numerous and more serious in the imme-
date past; fifth, that the control OF
Colombia over the lsthmus OF Panama
could not be maintained without the
armed intervention and assistance of the
United States. In other words. the gov
eminent of Colombia though wholly I'M
able to maintain order on the isthmuS
has nevertheless declined to ratify a
treaty the conclusion Of which opened
the only chance to secure its own stabil-
ity and to guarantee permanent peace
on, and the construction of canal
across, the isthmuS.
Under such circumstances the govern
ment of the United States would have been
guilty of folly and weakness, amounting
IN their sum to crime against the nation.
had it acted otherwise than II did when
the revolution of November last rock
place in Panama. This great enterprise of
building the lnteroCeaniC canal cannot be
ned up to crafty the whimS or out of
respect TO the governmental impotence,
or to the even more sinister anu evil polit-
zeal peculiarities, Of people who, though
they dwell atar off, yet, against the wish
OF the actual jewellers on the ist-mus, as
sert an unreal supremacy over the terri
tory. The possession OF a territory trauGht
with such peculiar capacities as the 18TH
mus in question carries with ii obligations
to mankind. The course OF events has
shown that this canal cannot be built by
private enterprise, or 10y any other nation
than our own; therefore il must br butt
by the 'nite1 States