The independent., 1903-12-10
THE PANAMA CANAL
NJ. sekyeizer Has . Word Of Criticism
Regards Domestic Matters Of inf
nitely Greater Importance

-
Regards Domestic Matters Of Inf
nitely Greater Importance
Editor Independent: According to
newspaper reports our president and
state secretary did not play very
noble part in that Panama revolution.
A French engineer calls it highway
robbery. Not long ago the State Jour-
nal said that President Roosevelt is
an expert with the lariat, and it seems
that he practiced in Panama with his
lariat under pretense of a duty to
keep the Panama railroad open; but
should think that first Of all the
government of Colombia is obliged to
keep that road open; and from reports
we see that that government was will
ing to do its duty, but was prevented
from doing SO by our president fool
ing around with his lariat and re-
volver.
That's a disgrace to our people; 1t
contradicts the principles of the Mon
roe doctrine, degrades us to free
booter nation and creates bad prece-
uent for the United States. AS
member of the worlds postal union,
the United States has to keep their
railroads open for the international
mail service. Now, according to that
Panama precedent, any European
power, as a member of the postal
union, in case our railroads are block
AIDED by a strike, can send fleet and
army into the states under pretense
OF keeping our railroads open.
1t is to be hoped that our congress
will restore the good name of this ma
ton, disavow that cowboy policy, for
which we already have sacrificed sew
eral thousand young men and about
three hundred million dollars in the
Philippine islands, in order that
Rockefeller, Morgan & Co. can get
hold on the natural resources of those
islands.
But, nevertheless, the people of the
United States are not freebooter ma
ton. When call was made for vol
unteers to- help the Cubans to make
themselves Independent of Spain,
about 200 thousand men more than.
were wanted offered themselves for
that noble cause; but when the war
was over and our executive tried TO
subjugate the people of the Philippine
islands, and officers urged those men
to apply the water cure to find out
where those islanders had hidden their
valuable things, those noble volun-
teers demanded their discharge and
since that time the executive cannot
get men to fill the regiments in those
islands. A decent, self-respectiDg man
will never hire out to serve as
hangman.
If congress should neglect it's duty,
then the people must take the matter
in their own hands; neither presi-
dent nor congress have any power to
build a Panama canal without the
consent of the people by direct vote,
because the constitution cOnfers no
power to congress to build such
canal, and the TX and X. amendment
reserve for the states and the people
all rights not conferred, by the con-
stitution to the Union; and before
mortgaging the bread of this people
for many hundreds or even thousands
of millions of dollars, the people must
have chance to give their consent
or to reject it by a direct vote, or they
may disavow such an act as unconsti-
tutiOnal and repudiate sucn bonds.
For such an act the new republic of
Panama created good precedent by
repudiating all debts made by the
government of Colombia. These sew
eral problems are real matters of life
or death for our people, which must
be solved before squandering hundreds
OF millions OF dollars for building the
Panama canal
Last winter every family in the
United States had to suffer from cold
hundreds OF people really froze to
death and millions of dollars losses
were caused To our industries, because
our coal barons shut up the coal mines
under pretense that those mines are
their absolute sacred private property
and that they can withhold the coal
whenever II pleases them 20 do SO.
Since that time strikes In coal mines
and railroads are permanent and ev-
cry man can see right now that the
same humbug will be repeated this
winter.
President and congress should,
therefore. flrst OF all keep our own
railroads aud coal mines open aud
save our people from freezing % death
Cham poat and ehann ana uura ratI.