The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-16
Assistant Secretary of State Describes Conditions That
 Leadto Panama Treaty
THREATENING DANGERS
 WERE NARROWLY INVERTED
If the President Had Not Acted Quick Iy Panama Might Have Shared
 the Fate of the Balkans A In the Far East.

New York, December 15-The conditions which resulted in the recent establish ment of the republic of Panama, were discussed tonight at the banquet of the Quill club, held at the Hotel Manhattan, by Francis B. Loomis assistant secretary of state of the United States, and M. Philippe Bunau-Varilla, minister for Pan anna The Rev E. S. ripple, D. D., presi- dent of the club, presided, and among those present were Albert Shaw, editor of the Review of Reviews. and President B'rissel of the Hampton institute.
 Assistant Secretary Loomis, in present ing his views on Panama and our rela- tions with otller Latin-American coun- tries said:
 "We have not desired to annex Panama and we have not done so. The President simply executed the will of the American \ people with due regard to international flaw and rights. He was instructed by Acongress to secure a canal route on the fsthmus of Panama if possible. He wait )ed until the adjournment of the Colom- bian congress and gave the government of that country every opportunity to rati- fy the treaty or propose some other method looking to the ratification of a new treaty and the Colombian congress in utter bad faith rejected the treaty and adjourned.
 Revolution Comes.
 Tn less than weeks time and before the President could be reasonably expect ed to turn to grave consideration of the Nicaraguan route the long expected and inevitable revolution in Panama came to pass. The people arose as one man and in thorough accord, without the firing of single shot and unressted. they quietly established a government of their own
 "Fhe President directed our meagre na- val force ashore consisting of forty ma- rines to do what they could to preserve peace, order and unimpeded transit across the isthmus. He promptly recognized the de facto government as soon as he learned that it was in peaceful possession of the country. This is the ultimate and neces- sary proceeding. We have on many occa- sions recognized new governments with an equal degree of celerity and prompt ness. The administration, I am sure, has H apologies to offer for its course. lew are deeply interested and more directly in the guarantee in the treaty of 1S46 han Colombia was or any other l country. That treaty was negotiated for f the purpose of securing to us certain ca nal privileges. We in turn guaranteed the neutrality of the isthmus to keep transit open and to keep foreign aggres- sors at a distance. We have performed generously and faithfully all the duties laid us and at times greatly to our disadvantage and at great cost. Colombia on the other hand seems to have shirked most of her obligations
 Rejection of Treaty Unfriendly.
 ''The rejection of the treay at Bogota was an unfriendly act from the view point of international law. Colombia appealed to us to enter into treaty to build a canal. The treaty was negotiated with her in most liberal spirit on our part and was not ratified by the Colombian government It became evident shortly after the opening of the Colombian con gross in June that there was not the least intention of ratification of the Hay Herran treaty
 The belief seems to be widely current in Bogota that the United States could not build a canal by other than the Pan anna route. They thought that the United States could be made to pay $20.0000O0 or $25. GOO instead of S10. 100000. Or better still. as has been disclosed by recently published official correspondence, if the treaty were rejected or no action taken upon 1 and the whole matter postponed for another year. the concession of the present French canal company would be declared invalid, and all the rights, priv
 
 pany be practically confiscated and dis posed to the United States for s4oOOO,O0o, in addition to the $1O.000,000 as proposed and the annuity of $2500oo. This was a radiant and during prospect, and the l temptation proved too strong.
 What Might Have Been. Reflect for a moment on the grave possibilities which confronted the govern ment as it peered into the future and tna many serious complications and contin- gences which the President foresaw. If the revolution in Panama had not oc- cured; if the American people, guided by the opinions of it's most learned, efficient and highly trusted engineers, contended that the Nicaragua route was an imprac- tieable one; if the people and congress of this country had insisted that we wait for year or until such time the poli- ticians at Bogota were ready to negotiate new canal treaty and in the meantime their congress had declared invalid the renewal of the French concession. which might have happened the isthmus; may safely assert without fear of con- tradiction by any well informed person that the government of France would not have stood serenely by and witnessed the pillage of thousands of her people through the act which Bogota politicians devised for the footing of the French company of S40,000,000.
 ssThe moment that the cables flashed from Bogota to Paris the astounding news that the extension of the French concession was cancelled a French squad ron from Martinique would have borne down upon the isthmus and perhaps landed marines at Colon and sent them across the isthmus to Panama and along | the line of the canal to protect the Inter ests and property of French citizens There would in all probability have been an armed conflict between France and Colombia or France at least would have felt herself compelled to hold the isth- mus for a long period. This would have wrought immediately and poiEnantly upon the sensibilitiee of the American people in respect to the Monroe doctrine. and