The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1903-12-18
RECOGNITION Of panama
ASSISTANT SECRETARY LOOMS
EXPLAINS OUR POSITION.
During Banquet at New York He
Tells Of Conditions Under Which
Republic Was EstabIished-Cites
Possible Result-How France Could
Have Borne Down on the lsthmus.

Have Borne Down on the Isthmus.
New York.-The conditions which
resulted in the recent establishment
of the republic of Panama were dis
cussed recently at the banquet of the
Quill club, held at the Hotel Manhat-
secretary of state of the United
States, and M. Philippe Bunau-Varil-
la, minister for Panama. Mr.. LOOMS
said:
I'VE have not desired to annex Pa
mama, and we have not done SO. The
president simply executed the will of
the American people, with due regard
to international law and rights. He
was instructed Dy congress to secure
a canal route on the isthmus Of Pana-
ma if possible. He waited until the
adjournment of the Colombian con-
gress and gave the government of
that country every opportunity to rat
ify the treaty or to propose some prop
er method looking to the ratification
of new treaty, and the Colombian
congress, in utter bad faith, rejected
the treaty and adjourned.
I'm less than a weeks time. and
before the president could be reason
ably expected to turn to grave con-
sideration of the Nicaragua route, the
long expected and inevitable revolu-
ton in Panama came to pass; the
people arose as one man and in thor
ough accord, without the firing Of a
single shot, unresisted, they quietly
established government of their own.
They had thrice been independent and
the right of secession was, believe,
expressly stipulated in some Of their
constitutions.
"The president dispatched our mea-
ger naval force ashore, consisting of
40 marines, to do what they could to
| preserve peace, order and unimpeded
ly recognized the de facto government
as soon as he learned that was in
peaceful possession of the country.
| This is the usual and necessary pro-
cedure. We have on many occasions
recognized new governments with an
equal degree of celebrity and prompt
ness. Later the republic of Panama
was given full recognition. We are
acting fairly and lawfully under the
treaty of 1916. The administration,
am sure, has no apologies to offer for
it's course"
Mr.. Loomis discussed the rejection
of the canal treaty by the Bogota con
gress, and continued:
What Might Have Happened.
"If the revolution in Panama had
not occurred; if the American people
guided by the opinions of it's mos
learned, efficient and highly trusted
engineers conUnued to think the Mic
araguan route an impracticable one
if the people and congress Of this coun
try had insisted that we wait for 6
year, or until such time as the politi
clans at BOgota were ready to negO
tate a new canal treaty, and in the
meantime the congress had declared
invalid the renewal of the French con
on the isthmus? / may safely assert
without fear of contradiction by an!
; well informed person, that the gov
eminent of France would not have
stood by and witnessed the pillage o.
!, thousands of her people through thu
: act which Bogota politicians devised
J for the looting from the French com
. pany of $4O,OO0,OOO.
\ France Would Have Acted.
"The moment that the cables flash
ed from Bogota to Paris the astound
ing news that the extension of thu
French concession was Cancelled,
I French squadron from Martinique
would have borne down upon the 18th
mus and perhaps landed marines a
: Colon and sent them across the 18th
l mus to Panama and along the line o
r the canal to protect the interests ant
l property of French citizens. Their
would, in all probability, have been al
) armed conflict between France ant
J, Colombia, or France at least woul'
: have felt herself compelled to hold tn
: isthmus for long period. This woul'
! have wrought poignantly upon the ser
: sibilities of the American people Il
b respect to the Monroe doctrine, an
we should, no doubt, have found oul
selves viewing France with annoyin
apprehension. The French warship
might easily have been followed y
those of England and Holland, an
!, Panama, like the Balkans, might hav
been expected to furnish the spar
to set half the world in flames"
g Want Panama To Paw Debt.