The sun., 1903-12-08

IMPORTANCE TO UNITED STATES OF CONTROL
OF MEANS or UNDIsTURBED TRANSIT
ACROSS IsTHMuS.
The control. in the interest Of the com
! merce and traffic of the whole civilized
world, of the means of undistur bed transit
across the Isthmus of Panama has become
! Of transcendent importance to the United
! States. We have repeatedly exercised
domestic dissension. and by protecting
the territory from foreign invasion. IN
t 1853 Mr.. Everett assured the Peruvian
Minister that we should not hesitate to
! maintain tho neutrality of the lsthmus
| in the case of war between Peru and
| Colombia, In 1884. Colombia. which has
always been vigilant to avail itself OF itss
! privileges conferred by the treaty, expressed
| it's expectation that in The event of war
| between Peru and Spain the United States
! would carry into effect the guarantee o'
neutrality. There have been few admin
! strations of the State Department in which
| this treaty has not, either by the one side
| or the other been used rs a basis OF more
! or less impor tant demands. 1t was SAID by
Mr., Fish in 1871 that the Department OF
State had reason to be!ieve that an attack
upon Colombian sovereignty on the lsthmus
| had, on several occasions, been averted
! by warning from this Government In
1885 when Colombia was under the menace
of hostilities from Italy in the Cerrut case,
that the United States could not but feel,
that European power should resort to
force against sister republic OF this hemi-
| sphere, as to the sovereign and uninter-
rupted use OF a part OF whose territory
we are guarantors under the solemn faith
OF a treaty.
The apove recital of facts establishes
beyond Question: First, that the United
and In good faith carried out its obligations
under the treaty Of 1s48 second, that when
! for the first time 1t became possible for
Colombia to do anything in requital OF the
ffty-seyen years by the United States
| the Colombian Government perempt orlly
and Extensively refused thus TO do it's part,
even though to do so would have been 70
! it's advantage and immeasurably to the
, advantage OF the State Of Panama, at that
time under it's Jurisdictions; third, that
! throughout this period revolutions, riots
| and factional disturbances OF every kind
| have occurred one after the other IN almost
| uninterrupted succession, some. OF them
/ lasting for months and even for years
| while the central Government was unable
| to put them down or to make peace WIN
| the rebels fourth, that these disturbances,
instead of showing any sign OF abatlng,
! have tended to grow more numerous ana
more serious in the immediate past; hfth,
! that the control Of Colombia over the 18th,
! mus of Panama could not he maintained
without the armed intervention and assist
|
| the Government of Colombia, though wholly
unable to maintain order on the lsthmus,
| has nevertheless declined to ratify treaty
| the conclusion of which opened the only
chance to secure its own stability and to
guarantee permanent peace on ana the
construction Of a canal across the lsthmus.
| Under such circumstances the Govern
| ment of the United States would have been
! guilty of folly and weakness amounting IN
their sum to crime against ,i ihe s, na't1,, tba
revolution of Nov. 3 last took place in Pan
| anna This great enterprise OF buiidlng
| the interoceanic canal cannot be he'd up
! to crafty the whims. or out of respect to
| the governmental impotence, or to the even
more sinister and evil political peculiari-
| ties, of people who, though they dwell afar
OF, yet against the wish OF the actual
! dwellers on the Isthmus. assert all unreal
supremacy over the territory. The pos
session OF u territory fraught with such
peculiar capacities as the lsthnus in ques-
ton carries with it obligations to mankind
The course of events has shown that thus
canal cannot be built by private enterprise
or by any other nation than our own; there
fore it must be built by the United States,
SUBMISSION OF TREATY WITH NEW REPUBLIC
OF PANAMA.
Every effort has been made by the Govern
ment of the United States to persuade
Colombia to follow a course which was
essentially not only to our interests ana TO
the interests of the world, but TO the interests
of Colombia itself. These efforts have
failed, and Colombia, by her persistence in
repulsing the advances that have been made,
has forced us, for the sake OF our own honor
and Of the interest and we'll being not merely
of our own people, but of the people of the
Isthmus OF Panama and the people of the
civilized countries of the world, to take
decisive steps to bring to an end a condition
of affairs which had become intoerable.
The new Republic OF Panama Immediately
OF n trau " ~ IA g
treaty l herewith submit. BY II our in
teresis are better safeguarded than in the
treaty with Colombia which was ratified
by the Senate at its last sess on, II is bette
by the Republics of Nicaragua and Costa
Rica At last the right to begin this great
undertaking is made available. Panama
has done her part All that remains is for
forthwith this republic will enter upou the
execution Of Il project colossal in its size
and of we'll nigh incalculable possibilities
for the good OF this country and the nations
Of mankind.
PROVISIONS OF TREATY.
BY the provisions of the treaty the United
States guarantees and will maintain the
Independence Of he Republic of Panama.
There il granted 10 the United States IN
perpe, uily the use, occupation and con-
irol Of strip ten miles wide and extend
inl three nautical miles into the sea at
eli her terminal with all lands lying out
side of the zone necessary for the con-
strlctiuu ot the canal or for its auxiliary
works, and with the islands in the Bay of
/ Panama The cities ot Panama and Colon
are not enbracsA IN the canal zone, but
the United States assumes their santa
lion and in case of need, the main' enance
%. order therein; the United States enjoys
within the granted limits all the rights.
power and ant hority which ii would Possess
we're il the sovereign OF the territory TO
ho av,.1nSipp pf the pyprf,Sp Of SONpreiQn
| rights by the republic All railway and
] canal property rights belonging to Panama