Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-12-09

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| he says, and If 1t became necessary will go
| to the 1sthmus or send representative there
to adjust matters along above lines to the
| satisfaction Of the people there"
| This dispatch is noteworthy from two
standpoints. Its offer Of Immediately guar
! anteeing the treaty to US Is in sharp CON
refusal OF the Congress which has just
closed its sessions to consider favorably
such treaty; it shows that the government
which made the treaty really had absolute
| control over the situation, but did not
choose to exercise this control The dis
| patch further calls on us to restore order
| and secure Colombian supremacy in the
| lsthmus from which the Colombian govern
ment has just by it's action decided to bar
us by preventing the construction Of the
| canal
Importance to United States of Control
| OF Means of Undisturbed Transit
Across Isthmus.
The control, In the interest of the COM
| merce and traffic of the whole civilized
world, of the means Of undisturbed transit
| across the 1sthmus of Panama has become
| Of transcendent Importance to the United
States. We have repeatedly exercised this
i control by intervening In the course of do
| nestle dissenslon, and by protecting the
| territory from foreign invasion. 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 1854
Colombia, which has always been viglant
to avail itself of its privileges conferred
by the treaty, expressed its expectation
that in the, event OF war between Peru
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. 1t was said by Mr..
Fish In 1871 that the department of state
had reason to believe that an attack upon
Colombian sovereignty on the isthmus had,
on several occasions, been averted by warn
ing from this government. In 1886, when
Colombia was under the menace of hostilf-
ties from Italy in the Cerruti case Mr.
Bayard expressed the serious concern that
the United States could not but feel that
European power should resort to force
against q sister republic of this hemisphere
| as to the sovereign and uninterrupted use
Of part of whose territory we are guar
antors under the solemn faith of treaty
The above recital Of facts establishes be-
yond question First, that the United
States has for over half century patiently
and In good faith carried out it's obligations
under the treaty Of 1886; second, that when
Tor the first time it became possible for
Colombia to do anything in requital of
| the services thus repeatedly rendered to l.
for ffty-seven years by the United States.
the Colombian government peremptorf!y
and extensively refused thus to do its part.
even though to do so would have been to
its advantage and UNNECESSARILY to the adj
vantage of the state Of Panama, at that
time under its Jurisdictions; third, that
throughout this period revolutions riots
and fractional disturbances of every kind
have occurred one after the other In almost
uninterrupted succession, some of them last
ing for months and even for years, while
the central government was unable to put
them down or to make peace with the reb-
els: fourth that these disturbances instead
Of showing any sign of abating have tended
to grow more numerous and more serious
in the immediate past; fifth, that the con-
troll Of Colombia over the Isthmus of Pana~
ma could not be maintained without the
armed Intervention and assistance of the
United States. In other words. the govern
| ment of Colombia, though wholly unable to
maintain order on the isthmas, has never
| theleSs declined to ratify q treaty the con-
| clusion of which opened the only chance
| to secure it's own stability and to guarantee
! permanent peace en-, and the construction
| of canal across the iSthmus.
| Under such circumstances the government
| of the United States would have been
guilty of folly and weakness, amounting
had it acted otherwise than 1t did when
the revolution OF November last took place
in Panama. The great enterprise OF build
ing the intereceanic canal cannot be held
! up to crafty the whims, out Of respect
| to the governmental impotence, or 90 the
even more sinister and evil political pc
cnlarities, of people who though they
| dwell afar off, yet, against the wish OF
| the actual dwelers on the lsthmus, assert
| an unreal supremacy over the TERRITORY
The possession of q territory ffaugnt WITH
| such peculiar capacities as the isthmus IN
| question carries with it obligations to man
Kind. The course of events has shown that
this canal cannot be built by private s enter inter
| therefore it must be built by the United
States.
Submission of Treaty witt, New Repuhlic
of Panama.
Every effort has been made by the gov
eminent of the United States to persuade
Colombia to follow a course which was
to the interests of the world but to the
interests of Colombia itself. These efforts
have failed; and Colombia, by her per-
sistence in repulsing the advances that have
been made, has forced Us, for the sake OF
our own honor, and of the interest and Well
being, not merely Of our own people, bar
Of the people Of the Istnmus OF Panama
and the people of the civilized countries of
the world to take decisive steps to bring to
an end a condition Of affairs which had to
come intolerable. The new republic OF
Panama Immediately offered to negotiate Il
treaty with us. This treaty herewith sub
NIT. BY it Our interests are better safe
guarded than in the treaty with Colombia
which was ratified by the Senate at it's
| last session. It is better in its terms than
the treaties offered to us by the republics
of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. At last the
| made available. Panama has done he"
part. All thst remains is for the American
Congress to do its part and forthwith this
| republic will enter upon the execution of a
| project colossal In its size and of well-nigh
| incalculable possibilities for the good OF
| this country and the nations Of mankind
Provisions of Treaty.
BY the privisions Of the treaty the Unit
ed States guarantees and will maintain the
independence of the republic Of Panama
There is granted to the United States in
perpetuity the use, occupation, and control
of 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 construction Of
| the canal or for Its auxiliary works, and
with the islands in the bay Of Panama.
The cities Of Panama 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 therein;
the United States enjoys within the graft
ed limits all the rights, power and author
! ity which 1t would possess were 1t the
sovereign of the territory to the exclusion
| of the exercise Of sovereign rights by the
republic All railway and canal property
| rights belonging to Panama and needed for
| the canal pass to the United States, includ
| ing any property of the respective com
panies in the cities of Panama and Colon;
| the works, property, and personnel of the
| canal and railways are exempted from tax
alton as we'll in the cities Of Panama AMI
| Colon as in the canal zone and it's depend
| encies. Free immigration of the personnel
and importation of supplies for the construc