Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-29
THE CORRESPONDENCE
That With Colombia as to
Canal Treaty.
DOCUMENT Is PRINTED
UNITED STATES ACTION rs THOR
OUGHLY INDICATED.
Well Understood Last July That Panas
ma Would Revolt if Treaty
Was Defeated.
DOCUMENT Is PRINTED

| The public printer today sent to the Cap
| itol document looms the printed copies OF
| the Colombian correspondence which was
submitted to the House the day Congress
| adjourned for the holiday recess and which
| received only scant notice at the time The
| correspondence forms a document of one
| hundred printed pages and comprises COM
| municat tions from Minister Beaupre from
| March Is, 1903, down to recent events, and
| covers the period of consideration and
| lection by the Colombian congress of the
| HayHerran treaty.
| The correspondence will make interesting
| reading for the statesmen and politicians
who are insinuating that this government
| acted in bad faith in recent affairs in CO.
| lomba and Panama. 1t discloses the whole
| story of the attempt of the Colombians to
| hold up the United States. the New Pan
| anna Canal Company, and even 10 use the
| treaty to play politics in their own narrow,
! little community.
| The correspondence further shows that
| as long ago as August 1t was well under
| stood in Bogota and Panama that a revo-
| luton would occur in Panama IL the treaty
| was defeated, and that this news was COM
municated to Washington. The informa-
! ton thus afforded through official channels
| gave the United States government fntima-
| ton enabling it to be prepared to protect
| American interests and fulfill treaty stipu-
| lationS when the crisis arrived Indeed, as
| early as july Minister Beaupre- AT boSDtd
| cabled that newly arrived members of con-
| gress from Panama threatened revolt OF
| Panama if the treaty was not ratified.
| First "Hold-Up" Demand.
The first "hod-up'' demand was made
July .. Beaupre cabled as follows:
| Confidential. o has requested me 10
/ say to you he does not think the treaty can
| be ratified without two amendments: To
article 1, stipulating payment ten millions
| by the canal company for the right 20 trans
| fer; to article %, increasing payment TO
/ fifteen millions, and says that the treaty
can be ratified at once with these amend
ments He asks your views confidentially.
To this Secretary Hay replied:
Neither of the proposed amendments
! mentioned in your telegram (a) received to-
| day would stand any chance of acceptance
| by the Senate of the United States, while
| any amendment whatever or unnecessary
| delay in the ratification of the treaty would
greatly imperil its consummation.'
+ By August the Bogotans had conceived
| nine amendments to the treaty. comprising
manifestly impossible conditions for the
United States to accept.
Rejection by Colombian Senate.
| August IL the following cablegram was
| sent by Beaupre to Hay:
August II, pm. The treaty was re-
| jected by the senate today in it's entirety.
Confidential. Do not accept this final.
There is still some hope. Wait for further
| advces."
Later the same day he sent the following:
august H. o pm Referring to my tele
| gram Of August II, pm, do not believe
| that rejection of treaty is final, for the fol-
| lowing reasons: Yesterdays debate and vote
| was undoubtedly previously arranged. This
l believe both from the tone of the debate
and from information which had already
received through persons of high influence.
| Debate lasted five hours. All communica-
| tions between myself and The Colombian
nant Tha actf haf he
! ernment of the United States cannot accept
notifications delay made clear to
| the senate. The most important speech
| made was that of General Ospina. 1t was
| to the effect that while desiring canal he
| could not give his vote for the ratification
| of the treaty because the terms We're con-
| trary to the provisions of the constitution.
He implied that to bring negotiations to
conclusion the constitution should be modi-
| fed, to allow negotiations 10 be
brought to successful conclusion without
| prejudice to the honor of the country. He
stated also that to effect this no delay
necessary, as two debates will be sufficient
for the purpose; he intimated that the con-
greSs should be Immediately dismissed by a
decree for the purpose of modifying the con-
stitution. Upon that new law will be
passed authorizing the executive. without
further recourse to congress, to conclude a
canal treaty with the United States. Should
this prove true the text of the present
| treaty could be accepted without hesitation.
BY this means congress will be able TO con-
clude negotiations without individual sena-
tors publicly speaking in favor of 1t"
Panama Representatives Position.
August 10 Beaupre notified Washington as
fellows:
Even the Panama representatives have
lately become so thoroughly imbued with
the idea of an Independent republic that
they have been more or less Indifferent 10
the fate of the treaty.
In the dispatch Beaupre said:
As.n Of fapt sn,a4 CTrl1,
has had no active friends or supporters,
and If 1t is ratified at all it will be because
of the strong attitude taken by the United
States and the earnest repetition OF the
statement that the friendly understanding
between the two countries depended upon
it,
Another Warning Of Revolution.
Another warning of the coming revolu-
ton was conveyed In Beaupre's dispatch
of August 81, as follows:
August 81, 1903. p.m.-I had an inter-
view with Senator Ospina today. He IN
formed me that he is willing to remain 50
long as there is hope for the treaty, but
he is convinced that there is none, and VIII
leave. therefore, on the 9Th pr9s,lmo. Con-
firms Gen. Reyes statement concerning
presidential candidate, and says that ths
next senate was made certain for the
treaty; that he bears instructions to Cows.
Signares and Barrios concerning the elec-
tions which will be held next December:
that in accepting governorship of Panama
he told the president that in case that the
department found it necessary to revolt
to secure canal. he would stand by Pam
anna; but he added. if the government OF
the United States will wait Tor the next
session of Congress canal can be secured
without a revolution. Senator Campo from
the Cauca, is about to leave thinking the
treaty gone.
CONFIDENTIAL. My opinion is that nothing
satisfactory can be expected from this con-
gress. Caro's party has been Joined by
Velez and Soto and their followers. con-
stituting a decisive majority against tho
treaty. Gen. Reyes seems to still entertain
hopes
More 'sHold-Up" News.
Here is more 'hold-up' news in Beau
prizes communication to Hay, dated Septem-
ber 8:
"The impressions which 1 set forth in my
No. of April 15. 1908, that there would be
an attempt to secure greater concessions
from the United States before canal