Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-08

/ April. 1ss7.-Attcmpt to overthrow gov
| eminent,
August, 1ss7.-Attempt at revolution.
| July 5. 1SSS.--Revolution; provisional gov
ernment inRugurated.
! Aug. 90, Sss--Revolution; provisional
! government oVerthrown
| April, i1sl1.-Revolution: followed appar-
/ entity by counter revolution.
| April, 1S13.-Revolution and civil war
/ which lasted to October. 1916.
! August, lSs.-CiSil war which lasted I'M
! til April, 1877.
| July, 1S1S-Rebellion.
| December. 1S78.--Revolt,
| April. 1879. Revolution.
| June. lSi9.-Revolution.
| March. iSSS.--Riot.
| May, 1Ss3-Riot.
June. 1sS4-Revolutionary attempt.
December ls&.-Reyoutonary attemH.
| January. 1Ss6.-Revolutionary distuIb-
| ances.
/ March, 1sS5.--Revolution
| April. 1sS7-Disturhance on Panama
railroad.
November. issi.-Disturbanc on line Of
canal
January. 1sSs-Riot
| January. 1Ss5.-Revolution which lasted
| until April.
| March. lS95-Incendiary attempt
! October, 1Sss.--Rcvoiution
| February, 1900 to July. 190O.-Revolution.
| January, l90l.-Revolution
| July. 1901. -Revolutlonary disturbances,
September. l9ol.-City of Colon taken by
| rebels
March, so2-Revolutionary disturbances,
| July. l90e.-Revolution.
The above is only partial list of the
| revolutions. rebelliops instructions.
riots and other outbreaks that have oc-
Cured during the period in question,
yet they Number fft.y-thre for the
fifty seven years. 1t will be noted that
one of them lasted for nearly three
years before it was quelled; another
for nearly year. In short, the ex-
perience of over half a century has
shown Colombia to be utterly incapa-
Bile OF keeping order on the isthmus.
Only the active interference of the
United States has enabled her to pre-.
serve SO much as semblance of sover-
| eighty. Had it not been for the exer-
else by the United States of the police
power in her interest her connection
with the isthmus would have been sun.
dered long ago. In 1856, in 1860, in
1873. in 1885. in 1901 and again in 1902
sailors and marines from United States
warships were forced to land in order
to patrol the isthmus. to protect life
and property and to see that the tran
sit across the isthmus was kept open.
In 1881, in 1852, in 1885 and in 1900
the Colombian government asked that
1 the United States government would
land troops to protect its interests and
maintain order on the isthmus.
/ Latest Proposition. Of Colombia.
Perhaps the most extraordinary re-
| quest is that which has just been re-
ceiyed and which runs as follows:
/ Knowing that revolution has al
ready commenced in Panama Ian emf,
nent Colombianl says that If the gov
ernmentgof the United, States will land
troops to preserve Colombian sover-
eighty and the transit, il requested by
/ Colombian charge d'affalres, this gov
eminent will declare martial law and
by virtue Of vested constitutional au-
thority, when public order is disturbed,
{ Will approve by decree the ratification
3of the canal treaty as signed, or il the
i government of, the United States pre-
Z fers will call extra session of the con-
i gress-wtth new and friendly members
next May to approve the treaty. Pan
y eminent Colombianl has the perfect
confidence Of vice president. he says,
and if it became necessary will 90 to
1.-The 1sthmus or send representative
there to adjust matters along above
lines to the satisfaction of the people
there rs
This dispatch is noteworthy from two
standpoints Its offer OF Immediately
guaranteeing the treaty to US is in
sharp contrast with the positive and
contemptuous refusal Of the congress
which has Just closed its sessions to
consider favorably such treaty. 1t
shows that the government which made
the treaty really had absolute control
over the situation. but did not choose
to exercise this control. The dispatch
further calls on us to restore order and
secure Colombian supremacy in the
isShmus from which the Colombia a
government has just by its action de-
cided to bar us by preventing the con-
structionf of the canal.
Importance Of undlsturbed Transit.
The control, in the Interest of the
commerce and traffic Of the whole civil
liked world, Of the means Of undisturb-
ed transit across the isthmus of Pan.
anna has become of transcendent i'm
portance to the United States. We
have repeatedly exercised this control
by intervening in the course Of domes-
tic dissenston and by protecting the
territory from foreign invasion. In
1858 Mr.. Everett assured the Peruvian
minister that we should not hesitate
to maintain the neutrality Of the 18TH
mus In the case of war between Peru
ana Colombia. In 1864 Colombia, which
has always been vigihntoto avail itself
OF its privileges conferred by the treaty,
expressed its expectation that in the
event of war between Peru and Spain
the United States would carry into eff
feet the guarantee 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