The Washington times., 1903-08-20
The Panama Canal.
What Were the Reasons Why the
Treaty Was Rejected?


Now that the first shock of disap-
pointment over the rejection of the
Panama Canal Treaty by a unani-
nous vote of the Colombian senate
has given way to conviction that the
last word has not by any means been
spoken yet, We may be permitted, per-
haps, TO review certain features of the
situation in the light of an article
which recently was written for mag
azine by Raul Perez, the son of dis
tinguished Colombian liberal, and the
grandson of former President of
Colombia.
The article is interesting chiefly in
that 1t shows pretty conclusively that
alienation of territory not so much as
the offer of a beggarly sum. of only
s10,000,000 for the needed strip of
land on the isthmus constituted the
real basis for the "scruples" of CO.
lombian senator's. It shows this con-
ciusively, we say, because of the in
consistencies with which the article
fairly swarms.
Thus, when NJ Perez is contending
that $10,00O,O0O is too small a sum to
pay for the privilege of completing
the canal, he says grandiloquently
that Panama is bone of the bone and
blood of the blood of Colombia, and
has always been her cherished hope"
Yet, when he attempts to refute the
assertion that Colombia would be
foolish TO reject the Hay-Herran
treaty, because the completion of the
waterway would be for her a great
commercial boon, he insists that every
other country in the world would be a
gamer rather than Colombia. at
must be borne in mind" he says, "that
the isthmus is a strip of land utterly
detached from the remainder of CO.
lombia, and separated by an immense
tract of low, marshy land, which is
covered with virgin forests, where not
q single road exists, and into which
but few explorers have penetrated.
The only section of Colombian terri
tory that could possibly derive advan-
tage from the canal would be a strip
of land some three hundred miles long
and fifty miles wide on the Pacific
coast Of the Republic"
If this be true, then, as a writer in
"Harper's Weekly" points out, it is
obvious that the Bogota government
viii be overpaid by a bonus of $1O,-
100000.
We are inclined to think that even
Senor Perez would be quite willing to
accept "the small sum of $4,000, 900" /"
provided he could control its distribu-
ton. As matters now stand, however,
that sum, if paid today, would find
Its way into the pockets of Dictator
MarToquin and those of his followers
Sener Perez is Liberal, the descend
ant Of family of Liberals who have
been despoiled, imprisoned, and sent
into exile by their political enemies
Naturally, he objects to those enemies
realizing on the only salable asset Co
lombia possesses at the present time
Yet, unconseiously, perhaps, he also
plays into their hands.
Marroquin, with his eyes turned
ncrthward, sees a government, rich be-
yond the dreams of avarice, with a
bulging surplus Of $2OO,O0O,OOO and
more, with a liberality born of indif-
ference TO the necessity of adjusting
outlay to income, and he not unnat-
urally concludes that this is the op.
portunity Of lifetime for him, for
his friends, and for his country. He
may be expected TO Strike" and
"strike hard" The question that con-
fronts US is: Shall we yield to this
hold-up, or, as has been suggested
deal with the state Of Panama direct
ly, which would practically involve
setting up a new republic; or shall we