Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-12-10

, 1910
The necessity for perpetuating our
forest resources, whether in pubic or
private hands, is recognized now as
never before The demand for forest
reserves has become insistent in the
West, because the West must use the
water wood, and summer range which
only such reserves can supply. Fro
gressive lumbermen are striving,
through forestry, to give their business
permanency. Other great business IN
terests are awakening to the need OF
forest preservation as business mat
ter. The governments forest work
should receive from the Congress
hearty support, and especially support
adequate for protection of the forest
reserves against fire. The forest re-
serve policy of the government mas
passed beyond the experimental stage
and has reached condition where
scientific methods are essential to It's
successful prosecution. The admins
trative features of forest reserves are
at present unsatisfactory. being d1-
vided between three bureaus of two
departments. 1t is therefore recon-
mended that all matters pertaining to
forest reserves, except those involving
or pertaining to land titles. be con-
solidated in the bureau of forestry of
the Department of Agriculture.
Brief mention is made of the army
navy, and Indian Office affairs; better
safety appliance laws are recommend
ed also an extension of civil service
rules.
The Isthmian Affair.
The-fresident -gives.a complete re-
view of the relations of the United
transit across the isthmus. He tells of
the revolution on the isthmus, and de-
tends the action of the United States
and recOunts the disturbances on the
isthmus since 1916. He names in all
fiftyttree disturbances, ranging from
serious riots to revolutions.
Following is the main portion of the
Presidents argument in favor of ratifi-
cation of the treaty with Panama, and
in justification of the recent acts Of
the government regarding the recent
event on the isthmus:
isthmian Canal.
BY the act of June %, 1902, the Con-
gress authorized the President to enter
into treaty with Colombia for the build
ing of the canal across the Isthmus of
Panama; it being provided that in the
event of failure to secure such treaty
after the lapse of a reasonable time, re-
course should be had to building a
canal through Nicaragua. 1t has not
been necessary to consider this alter
native, as l am enabled to lay before
the Senate a treaty providing for the
building of the canal across the 18TH
mus of Panama. This was the route
which commended itself to the DELHI
crate judgment Of the Congress, and
we can now acquire by treaty the right
to construct the canal over this route.
| The question, now, therefore, is not by
which route the isthmian canal shall be
built, for that question has been def
| nitely and irrevocably decided. The
question is simply whether or not we
shall have an isthmian canal.
When the Congress directed that we
should take the Panama route under
treaty with Colombia, the essence of the
condition, of course, referred not to the
government which controlled that
route, but to the route itself; to the
! territory across which the route lay, not
to the name which for the moment the
| territory bore on the map The pur-
| pose of the law was to authorize the
President to make a treaty with the
power in actual control of the Isthmus
| of Panama. This purpose has been
fulfilled.
| For 400 years, ever since shortly
after the discovery of the hemisphere.
| the canal across the isthmus has been
been worked at. When made it is to
last for the age. 1t is to alter the
geography of continent and the trade
routes of the world. We have shown
| by every treaty we have negotiated or
attempted to negotiate with the peoples
in control of the isthmus and with for
eign nations in reference thereto our
consistent good faith in observing our
obligations; on the other hand to the
civilized world whose commercial
rights we are safeguarding and guaran-
| teeing by our action. We have done
our duty to others in letter and in
spirit, and we must have shown the
utmost forbearance in exacting our
own rights.
Reputation Of Treaty by Colombia.
Last spring, under the act above re-
ferred to, a treaty concluded between
the representatives of the Republic of
Columbia and of our government was
ratified by the Senate. The treaty was
entered into at the urgent solicitation
of the people of Colombia and after a
body of experts appointed by our gov
eminent 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 every concession was made
| to the people and to the government of
Colombia. We were more than just in
uedllnS WITH tHeI1. our generosity was
such as to make it a serious question
whether we had not gone too far in
their interest at the expense of our
own; for in 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 government
of Colombia not merely repudiated the
| treaty. but repudiated it in such a man.
ner as to make it evident by the time
the Colombian Congress adjourned
| that not the scantiest hope remained
of ever getting a satisfactory treaty
from them. The government of CO.
lombia made the treaty and yet when
the Colombian Congress was called to
ratify 1t the vote against ratification
was unanimous. 1t does not appear
that the government made any real eff
fort to secure ratification.
Revolution in Panama.
Immediately after the adjournment
of Congress a revolution broke out in
Panama The people of Panama had
long been disconnected with the Re-
public of Colombia, and they had been
kept quiet only by the prospect of the
conclusion of the treaty, which was to
them matter of vital concern. When