The daily sentinel., 1903-12-08
THE PANAMA MATTER.

VI a
points unerringly to the fact that a
huge International conspiracy. was
Matched to deprive poor little Colom-
bia of her valuable strip of land
knwon as Panama The unseemly
haste with which the United States.
France. Germany and other nations
rushed to the recognition of the new
Panama republic ere it got into its
swaddling clothes demonstrates clearly
enough that the program of prior
plot is being carried out.
OF course all the other nations will
/ fall in line, and right or wrong Col
omuia's most precious bit of territory
is gone beyond recall. 1t is case of
the strong overriding the weak. 1t Is
along the line of progress that the
Atlantic Ocean shall link iself with
the Caribbean and the commerce of the
east aud west be more clearly joined.
Therefore the minor considerations Of
Justice aud right must stand aside.
This ruthless price of aggression ON
the part of the United States. con-
u
Roosevelt and Secretary Hay. is APP
plauded by the foreign powers. not
because they believe i'll the right
eousness OF the deed, but because they.
also. propose to profit by its consuma-
tion. They, too. have ships and goods
to transport and naturally desire like
liberty of the seas highways.
President Roosevelt's action will
be defended on the ground of progress
the advancement of this nations as
well as the worlds commerce And
though the deed be morally wrong we
doubt not the appeal to sentiment. not
to say cupidity. of people bent ON
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT at any cost, will be
justified and any preachment of the
moralities by the Democratic party be
the signal for an avalanche of adverse
votes for the unfortunate one standing
protestingly OH the path of destiny
splitting straws.
| On the score of policy. we believe it
is best the Democratic party should
make no issue Lof the Panama affair
and leave the administration free to
work out its plan successfully if it can
1t may seem cowardly to compromise.
even quiescently, with wrong; but
this is an era of grab. and evidently
of the democratic patry's conservative
views thereon. So if grasp we must
the Democratic party can more readi-
ly hush its conscience if the operation
be performed on its own continent
rather than sending our fleets TO .oc-
cupy by force of arms unremunera-
tive colonies at the worlds end.
1t may be argued bv the Republican
party, with justification, that the
coveted territory of Panama was held
for manipulation by grating Colon
bian ring incapable of building can
al itslef and determined that none else
should. The full commercial devel=
opment of the American continent
could not always halt at the insignifi
cant strip known as Panama. and sc
President Roosevelt's unique actions
might, from certain line of vision.
Justify itself in the transcendent OBJ
ject gained.
The inquiring mind however. will
naturally speculate along this line OF
thought: since the Spooner bill was a
Republican measure. why were its
provisions ignored? This provided
that if negotiations failed with Col
ombia for the Panama route that a
compact be closed. if possible. with
Nicaragua. The latter government
was willing aud anxious that a
ship canal be built on its territory
and no charge for the privilege
Since there was little preference be-
tween the two routes about as many
championing Nicaragua as Panama,
many will wonder WHY the admins
tration found it necessary to adopt
the devious methods of sowing a revo-
luton in order to reap a republic
when it might have steered straight
course and ACCOMPLISHED the same end
over IN Nicaragua. Then a person
here and there possessed of a con-
science will wonder what became of
Columbia's treaty rights with the
United States. and whether ii the DO.
sitions We're reversed. we would stand
for such highway robbery.
The Democatic party is just as
much interested as the Republican
party in seeing this canal built, and
will therefore shut its eyes to much
that is questionable in the transac.
tion. The administration is not like.
ly to be harassed in the undertaking,
and it now remains for it to make its
initiative good