Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-12-11

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 Government which confronted
that route. but to the route itself: TO
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 au-
thurize the President to make a treaty
with the power in actual control OF
the lsthmus of Panama. This purpose
has been fulfilled
number OF paragraphs Of the mes
sage are devoted to a review Of our
efforts TO secure treaty rights for the
building of an lsthmian canal. and
many matters touching upon the sub
ject are cited
Reputation Of Treaty by Colombia.
Last spring, under the act above re.
ferred 10, a treaty concluded between
the representatives OF the Republic Of
Colombia ana Of our Government was
ratified 10y the Senate. This treaty was
entered into at the urgent solicitation
Of the people of Colombia and after
body OF experts appointed by our Gov
eminent especially to go into the mat
ter Of the routes across the Isthmus
had pronounced unanimously in favor
OF the Panama route In drawing up
this treaty c cry concession was made
to the people and to the Gov rnment
OF Colombia. We were more than lust
in dealing with them. Our generosity
was such as to make il a serious Ques.
tiun whetitc" We had not gone too far
Ia their INC rest at the expense of our
own; for u our scrupulous desire to
Lay all ,.Ossible heed. not merely to
the real but even 10 the fancied rights
Of our weaker neighbour who already
owed so much to our protection and
forbearanCe. we yielded in all possible
ways to her desires in drawing up the
treaty, Nevertheless the Government
OF Colombia not merely repudated the
treaty, but repudiated it in such man.
ner AS TO make it evident by the time
the Colombian Congress adjourned
that not the scantiest hope remained
OF ever getting satisfactory treaty
from them. The Government Of Colon
bia made the treaty, and yet when the
Colombian Congress was called to
ratify it the vote against ratification
was unanimous. Ii does not appear
| 1t the Government made any real
effort 10 secure ratification.
The control, in the interest of the
commerce and tramc of the whole
civilized world, of the means of un.
disturbed transit across the Isthmus
of Panama has become of transcen-
dent Importance to the United States.
We have repeatedly exercised this
control by intervening in the course
OF domestic dissension, and by pro.
tectlng the territory from foreign in
vasion. In 1853 Mr.. Everett assured
the Peruvian minister that we
should not hesitate to maintain the
neutrality of the Isthmus in the case
Of war between Peru and Colombia.
In 1864 Colombia, which has always
been vigilant to avail itself of its priv.
ileges conferred by the treaty, ex.
pressed its expectation that in the
event of war between Peru and Spain
the United States would carry into
effect 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 a basis of
more or less important demands. 1t
was said by Mr.. Fish in 1871 that the
Department of State had reason to
believe that an attack upon Colon
blan sovereignty on the lsthmus had,
on several occasions, been averted by
warning from this government. In
1866. 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 sister republic of this hem
isphere, as TO the sovereign and I'M
interrupted use of a part of whose
territory we are guarantors under
the solmen faith OF a treaty.
In conclusion it is argued that this
country would have been recreant to
its solemn duty to have delayed long.
er in awaiting itself of the offered op-
portunity to secure rights and fran.
chises sufficient to guarantee its i'm.
mediate entrance upon the important
work of canal construction
Provisions OF Treaty.
BY the provisions OF the treaty
the United States guarantees and will
faintain the independence of the Re-
public of Panama. There is granted
to the United States in perpetuity the
use, occupation ana control of a strip
ten miles wide and extending three
nautical miles into the sea at either
terminal, with all lands lying outside
OF the zone necessary for the con.
structlon of the canal or for its aux.
Hilary works, and with the islands in
the Bay of Panama. The cities of Pan.
anna and Colon are not embraced in
the canal zone, but the United States
assumes their sanitation and, in case
of need, the maintenance of order
within the granted limits all the
rights, power, and authority which
it would possess were it the sover.
eign of the territory to the exclusion
Of the exercise of sovereign rights by
the Republic. All railway and canal
property rights belonging to Panama
and needed for the canal pass to the
United States, including any proper.
ty of the respective companies in tho
cities of Panama and Colon, the
works, property, and personnel of the
canal and railways are exempted
from taxation as well in the cities Of
Panama and Colon as in the canal
zone and its dependencies. Free i'm.
migration of the personnel and impor-
tation of supplies for the construction
and operation of the canal are grant.
ed. Provision is made for the use Of
military force and the building of for.
tifications by the United States for
the protection of the transit. In other
details, particularly as to the acquisi-
ton of the interests of the New Pan.
ANA Canal Company and the Panama
Railway by the United States and the
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