The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-12-10

been definitely and irrevocably de-
cided. The question Is simply whether
or not We shall have an IsthmiaH
canal.
When the Congress directed that We
should take the Panama route under
treaty with Colombia, the essence or
the condition, of course, referred not
to the Government which controlled
that route. but to the route itself; to
the territory across which the routa
lay, not to the name which for the
moment the territory bore on the map.
The purpose of the law was to au-
thorize the President to make q treaty
with the power in actual control OF
the Isthmus Of Panama. This purpose
has been fulfilled.
A number of paragraphs Of the meg
sage are devoted to a review OF oat
efforts to secure treaty rights for the
building of an Isthmian canal, and
many matters touching upon the sub.
ject are cited.
Reputation Of Treaty by Colombia.
Last spring, under the act above 70.
ferred to, treaty concluded between
the representatives of the Republic OF
Colombia and of our Government was
ratified by tine Senate. This treaty was
entered into at the urgent solicitation
of the people Of Colombia and after q
body Of experts appointed by our Gov.
ernment especially to go into the mat
ter Of the routes across the Isthmus
had PRONOUNCED unanimously In favor
Of the Panama route. In drawing up
this treaty G. cry concession was made
to the people and to the Government
Of Colombia. We were more than jHst
In dealing with them. Our generosity
was such as to make 1t serious quesr'
tion whether We had not gone too far
III their interest at the expense Of our
own; for il our scrupulous desire to
pay all POSSIBLE heed, not merely to
the real but even to the fancied. rights
Of our weaker neighbor, who already
owed so much to our protection and
forbearance, we yielded In all possible
ways to her desires In drawing up the
treaty. Nevertheless the Governments
Of Colombia not merely repudiated the
treaty, but repudiated 1t in such man
ner as to make it evident by the time
the Colombian Congress adjourned
that not the scantiest hope remained
Of ever getting satisfactory treaty
from them. The Government Of Colom-
bia made the treaty, and yet when the
Colombian Congress was called to
was unanimous. It does not appear
that the Government made any real
effort to secure ratification.
The control, in the interest Of the
commerce and tramc of the whole
civilized world, Of the means Of un-
disturbed transit across the Isthmus
of Panama has become of transcen-
dent importance to the United States,
We have repeatedly exercised thia
control by intervening in the course
Of domestic dissension, and by pro-
vasion. In 1853 Mr.. Everett assured
the Peruvian minister that we
should not hesitate to maintain the,
neutrality Of the Isthmus In the case.
Of war between Peru and Colombia.
In 1864 Colombia, which has alwayA
been vigilant to avail itself Of its privs
ileges conferred by the treaty, ex.
pressed its expectation that In the
event Of war between Peru and Spain
the United States would carry into
effect the guaranty 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 less important demands. It
was said by Mr.. Fish in 1871 that the
Department Of State had reason to
believe that an attack upon Colon
bian sovereignty on the Isthmus had.
on several occasions, been averted BY
warning from this government. In
1866, when Colombia was under the
menace Of hostilities from Italy in the.
Cerruti case, Mr.. Bayard expressed
the serious concern that the United
States could not but feel, that Euro
pean power should resort to forc6
against a sister republic Of this hem
isphere, as to the sovereign and UNI
interrupted use Of part of whose
territory we are guarantors under
the. solmen faith of treaty.
In conclusion It Is argued that this
country would have been recreant To
its solemn duty to have delayed long.
er in availing itself of the offered op-
portunity to secure rights and fran
chises sufficient to guarantee its i'm
mediate entrance upon the important
work Of canal construction.
Provisions OF Treaty.
BY the provisions Of the treaty
the United States guarantees and will
faintain the independence Of the Re-
public of Panama. There is granted
to the United States in perpetuity tho
use, occupation and control Of a strip
ten miles wide and extending three
nautical miles into the sea at either
terminal, with all lands lying outside
Of the zone necessary for the con.
struction Of the canal or for its aux.
iliary works, and with the islands In
the Bay Of Panama. The cities Of Pan
anna and Colon are not embraced In
the canal zone, but the United States
assumes their sanitation and, in case
Of need, the maintenance of order
within the granted limits all the
rights, power, and authority which
it would possess were 1t the sover.
eign of the territory to the exclusions
Of the exercise Of sovereign rights by