Catoctin clarion., 1903-12-10

|
to enable the guardsmen of the several
| States to share in the benefit. The
| Government should as soon as possi-
BILE secure suitable permanent camp
sites for military maneuvers in the va
riOus sections of the country. The
President then says: "The only people
who are contcnted with system Of
promotion by mere seniority are those
who are contented with the triumph
of mediocrity over excellence. On the
other hand, a system which encour-
| aged the exercise of social or political
favoritism in promotions would be even
worse. But it would surely be easy to
devise a method of promotion from
grade to grade in which the opinion
Of the higher officers of the service
upon the candidates should be decisive
upon the standing and promotion of
the latter. Just such system now OBJ
tains at West Point" Mr.. Roosevelt
concludes this part of his message as
follows: II heartily congratulate the
| Congress upon the steady progress in
building up the American Navy. We
| cannot afford q let-up in this great
work. To stand still means to 80
back
THE ISTHMIAN CANAL.
On this vital question the message
says: "By the act of June 2S, 1902.
the Congress authorized the President
| TO enter into treaty with Colombia
for the building 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 Il reason
able time, recourse should be had to
building q canal through Nicaragua.
| 1t has not been necessary to consider
| this alternative, as I am enabled to
lay before the Senate treaty provid-
| ing for the building Of the canal across
the Isthmus of Panama. This was the
route which commended itself to the
| deliberate 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 definitely and irreyocably de-
cded The question is simply whether
or not we shall have an lsthmian
| 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 isclf; TO
the territory across which the route
| lay, not to the name which for the
moment the territory bore on the map.
The purpose of the law was to au-
| thorize the President to make treaty
| with the power in actual control or
| the Isthmus of Panama. This purpose
has been fulfilled
| A number of paragraphs of the mes
sage are devoted to n review of our
| efforts to secure treaty rights for the
| building of an Istlimian canal, and
| many matters touching upon the sub
| ject are cited.
| REPUTATION OF TREATY.
Last spring, under the act above re-
| frrred to, treaty concluded between
| the representatives of the Republic OF
Colombia and of our Government was
ratified by the Senate. This treaty was
entered into at the urgent solicitation
| of the people of Colombia, and after
| body Of experts appointed by our GOV
ernment especially to 70 into the mat
! ter of the routes across the lsthmuS
had pronounced unanimously i'll favor
| of the Panama route. In drawing up
| this treaty every concession was made
| to the people and to the Government
of Colombia. and yet when the Colon
bian Congress was called to ratify 1t
the vote against ratification was unan-
imous. 1t does not appear that the
n nFfnrt
cure ratification. The control, IN the
interest of the commerce and tralllc OF
the whole civilized world. Of the means
of undisturbed transit across the 18TH
mus of Panama has become or trans.
cendent Importance to the united
states. We have repeatedly exercised
this control by intervening in the
course of domestic dissension, and ny
protecting the territory from foreign
invasion.
In conclusion it is argued that this
country would have been recreant TO
its solemn duty to have delayed longer
in ayailing itself of the offered oppor'
tunity to secure rights and franchises
sufficient to guarantee its immediate
entrance upon the important work OF
canal construction.
pROyISIONSO OF PANAMATREATY,
BY the provisions of the treaty the
United States guarantees ana Will
maintain the independence of the Re
public of Panama. There is granted
to the United States in perpetulty the
use. occupation and control of Il strip
ten miles wide and extending three
nautical miles into the sea at either
terminal, with al! lands lying outside
of the zone necessary for the cOnstruc-
tion 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 within the
granted limits all the rights, power
and authority which 1t would possess
were it the sovereign Of the territory
to the exclusion of the exercise of SOW
ereign rights by the republic. All rail-
way and canal property rights belong
ing to Panama and needed for the
canal pass to the United States, includ-
ing any properties Of the respective
companies in the cities of Panama and
Colon: the works, property and person.
mel of the canal and railways rfe ex-
empted from taxation as we'll IN tho
cities of Panama and Colon as III the
canal zone and its dependencies. Free
immigration of the personnel and, I'M
portation of supplies for the construc-
ton and operation of the canal are
granted. Provision is made for the usc,
of military force and the building or
Notifications by the United States FOR
the protection of the transit In other
details, particularly as to the acquisi'
ton of the interests Of the New Pana'
ma Canal Company and the Panama
Railway by the United States ana the
condemnation of private property for
tie uses of the canal, the stipulntions
of the Hay -Herran treaty are closely
| foIlowod while the compenSa ton to be