The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-17
By r. NJ. Larner.


Washington, March 1--we had the
argument on our side, and the other
fellows had the votes"
The explanation was given by one of
the participants in the fight over the
canal treaty in the Senate to-day
All proposed amendments to the
treaty were voted down by solid Re-
publican majorities, and the treaty will
be ratified tomorrow.
1t was known that certain Republi-
can senators, who lacked the courage
to vote against the treaty or help
amend it, hoped to see the Democrats
loaded down with the responsibility of
rejecting the treaty. The situation
was thoroughly understood by the
Democratic leaders, and they refused
to be placed in such an attitude be-
fore the country, after both houses of
Congress had, by an almost unanimous
vote, declared in favor of an isthInian
canal panama or Nicaragua.
The Democratic policy was to try to
amend the treaty so that the United
States will have the right to control
and defend the canal. Failing in that
they decided to avoid the charge of
being obstructionists, holding that it
should be treated as a great national
question, and not as a partisan meas
ure.
The Republican party must take full
responsibility for failure. scandal or
foreign complications, no matter how
far reaching and disastrous they may
be.
Democrats Individually Free.
At the caucus this morning it was
datn Cd hot ff1A &c eI,N
act together in support of two amend
ments to the treaty, that of Senator
Bacon Freserving to this government
the right to defend and protect its
property whenever and however 1t
might determine. and that of Senator
Money extending the Monroe doctrine
declaration so as to include Mexico,
as We'll as the republics of Central and
South America. 1t was decided that
further than these two amendments,
there should not be party action, every
senator being free to support such
other amendments as he might desire,
and to vote for or against final ratifi-
cation as he thought best. This insur-
ed ratification.
Both Georgia senators took a prom
inent part in the debate in the eXecu-
tive session. Senator Bacon was the
first speaker i'll favor of the adoption
or the amendment he had prepared to
express the wish of the minority. He
said that he was strongly in favor of a
canal, and that the American people
were for 1t, but that he believed they
favored canal they could protect by
their own forces at any time that
their property might be endangered or
assaulted by any other country. He
said that the treaty, as it stood, pre-
vented our using our armed forces or
Keeping armed forces at the canal, ex-
cept in an emergency. Who was to de-
termine when this emergency arose
seemed to him most serious question.
we might declare in any given crisis
that there was such an emergency,
while Colombia might take the con-
trary view.
Feared International Troubles.
1t was among the possibilities, he
said, that in such a contingency the
other South American republics might
Join with Columbia and by reason of
such misunderstanding great trouble
might ensue. The possibility of all
trouble of this kind, could, he con-
tended, be prevented by a clear under
standing now. There was no reason why
the right of this government to de-
fend and protect it's own property
might not be set forth in this treaty,
Where it properly belonged. The canal
would be a vast enterprise to last
hundreds of years and to cost many
millions of dollars. The United States
VIII have bought and paid for the right
OF way for the construction, for the
maintenance, for hospitals and other
necessary accessories to the canal, and
the United States ought to have the
undoubted right, under all circum-
stances, to defend their own property
with their own force.
He severely criticized the Republican
party for the position it was taking in
this matter. He said that the treaty
mad been negotiated by the Secretary
OF State but for the Republican lead
ers to contend that ninety senators
should shut their eyes and not exercise
their rights to revise and perfect this
treaty negotiated by one man was evil
uence that the Republican party had
ceased to think. Eeach senator should
act for himself and not be bound by
what the Secretary of State had done.
he had sent to the Senate an imper-
rect instrument, and in the interest
OF the American people it ought to be
perfected.
Feared Colombia wouldn't Agree.
In replying to Senator Bacon, Sen
btor Spooner acknowledged the wis
dom of the proposed amendment which
was being supported by the Demo-
Gratis, and said If he had been draft
ing the treaty ne would have left out
Article %, that relating to policing of
the canal. and would have provided
Tor the absolute right of the United
states to defend their property under
all circumstances
He strongly endorsed the sentiment
or the Bacon amendment, but he said
mat he felt certain If the treaty was
amended we could not get II ratified by
Columbia, He acknowledged that II
was humiliating that the United States
eould not get a better treaty but ne
said under the circumstances we had
70 do the best we could
Senator Clay said that he had voted
Tor the Nicaragua route a. the last
session, but the Panama route had tri-
ninphed, and that question was set.
tea lie e0ntended that Article 10 Of