Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-14
READY TO TAKE IT
The Presidents Attitude
Toward the Isthmus.
WAS TIRED OF DELAY
OPPOSITION TO CANAL WAS OBJ
sTRUCTIoN OF TRAFFIC.
Vigorous Policy Enumerated in His
Coming Message to Congress Now
Rendered Necessary.

The extremely important announcement
has been made that the President, before
the outbreak of the revolution in Panama
had decided to treat in vigorous style the
canal question in his annual message 10
Congress. He had already prepared MS
views on the question of Colombia 1allure
to ratify the canal treaty, and had gone 10
the point of suggesting that COLOMBIA
would have to be dealt with differently by
this country. The progress of events mas
made it unnecessary for this part OF the
message to go to Congress, butt Is tull oi
suggestions as to the probable policy of the
administration in dealing with COLOMBIA
and the revolution from now on.
In the opening sentence of his discussion
Of the negotiations with Colombia the Presi-
dent said
II regret to report that. contrary to all
expectations the government of the repub-
ic of Colombia refused to ratify the treaty
for building a canal across the 1sthmus Of
Panama" Then, after stating that the
treaty had been negotiated at the earnest
request of the government of Colombia, and
subsequently was disapproved by the Co
lombian senate the President said that the
powers exercised by the United states
under the treaty of 1916 were so large in
the protection of transit across the isthmus
that 1t sometimes had been questioned
whether it was necessary now to obtain
treaty for the purpose of building canal
Continuing, he wrote:
Desire to Be Fair.
High authorities on international law
hold that the canal can be dug as an Incl
dent to exercising the power to prevent the
obstruction of traffic across the isthmus
Nevertheless, in accordance with our settled
policy of behaving with scrupulous fairness
and generosity toward our weaker sister re-
publics of the south, taking no position that
can even by implication be treated as I'M
friendly, unless literally forced thereto, we
have endeavored to provide for the building
of the canal by treaty In this treaty We
went far as 1t Is possible for us to go
in the direction of making concessions to
the United States of Colombia. No further
concessions can, or should, be made by this
government.
The President then stated that the cir
cumstances of the canal case were pecu-
liar. The canal, he said, must be dug. 1t
was demanded by the interests of this ma
ton and by those of the civilized world.
The United States d solemnly pledged
| It's word that 1t should be free to the COM
merce Of the world, 'reserving to ourselves
| merely the right to see that it shall never
be used to our military disadvantage. A
private company which in the past under
| took to build the canal has failed. The
events of the last few years warrant US In
| now saying not only that the canal shall
not be constructed by any foreign govern
ment, but that it is not to be constructed
| by any private company. 1t must, there
| fore, be dug by the government of the
United States"
| Referring further along to the territory
| bisected by the canal the President wrote:
"On the one hand the United States de-
| sires to safeguard 18th scrupulous care the
| interest and the honor Of such country or
countries. On the other hand. in my judg-
| ment, it Is time to declare that the begin
ming OF the canal cannot be much longer
| delayed. This nation does not desire to be
| unreasonable or impatient, but 1t cannot
| and will not permit any body OF men per-
| manently to obstruct one of the great world
highways of traffic, and refusal to permit
the building Of the canal amounts to such
obstruction. OF course, to insist upon I'M
| reasonable terms is equivalent to a re-
fuSal." =
| Reasonable Time.
| Advertng to that phrase Of the Spooner
| law which says that the President shall
| have reasonable time to determine as be-
tween the Panama and Nicaraguan routes,
| the President wrote: Il ~
Reasonable time in the case Of such an
| enterprise as this, an enterprise which has
been thought of for nearly four centuries,
which has been planned in detail and
worked at for half century, and which
| when completed, will endure for ages and
will change the geography OF hemisphere
and the trade routes of the world, must of
course, mean whatever time is necessary
to convince ourselves that the course we
are following Is wise and proper.
| 1T seems evident that In matter such
as this we should finally decide which is
the best route, and if the advantages of
| this route over any other possible route
are su,nciently marked we should then
| give notice that we can no longer submit
| to trif1ing or insincere dealing on the part
of those whom the accident of position has
placed In temporary control of the ground
If they will come to agreement with us In
| straightforward fashion we shall In return
| act not only with iustica but with gener-