The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-12

plain to let no armed men or cause Of any
| kind disturb the open. free course of
commerce or of movement in the pathway
across the isthmus. applause on Repub-
| lican side,.
Colombia has invoked our interference
before. but 1t so happened that always
heretofore It Injured to her benefit. In
this case, that which We have done, we
did for motive of the highest obligation
of national faith.
at was done sedIlously and carefully.
but it did result in making 1t very difficult
for troops to come from Bogota. Our
Government will not permit anybody on
the line Of that railway crossing the 18th
mus, which would disturb free transit,
and it is because the two things coincided
that some men vii! say that we did what
we did to injure Bogota. when, in fact, We
did it to keep good faith. although 1t has
injured Bogota."
Mr. Hit said the people OF Colombia
thought the United States were so bent
on having canal on the isthmus that the
game was easy. They had ten millions.
but twenty would be better. Referring
to the size OF Panama, Mr.. Hit said:
MORAL LAWS NOT MEASURED
RY REQUIREMENTS OF CANAL
1T is not a matter of space. The rule
of square mile is mistake. Moral laws
are not measured from the surveyors
point
Mr.. Williams quickly replied: Nor
measured by bitches or the requirements
of n canal. either"
Mr.. Hit: THE one purpose that has
been effected. the one that had been voted
for in this body, and which has governed
the action of our Government, is the one
that every good American heartily SYM
pathizes with.
THAT is the reason We do not apologize
for the conduct of our Government in fol-
lowing the precedents of its past history
and We are proud that We have a Presi-
dent that did not wait ten years" cloud
applause on the Republican side)
MIR. Williams, interrupting, said he want
ed To takc the burden of saying yes" to
the question as to whether the Govern
ment had been virtually guilty of moral
obliquity in its international relations in
it's action concerning the Republic of PAN
ANA.
Mr.. Hit said of the Government at Bo-
gotta:
Ihat distant center, coldIy plotting to
get hold of the great wealth they hoped
10 get from the United States. deliberate
ly threw away the treaty and ten millions
IN the hope of getting still more, utterly
regardless of the great peril to which they
put the people of the Province of Pam
anna
FOLLOWING the spirit of the treaty the
president would not submit to the black
mailing of the people of the United
States.''
MI Williams. the minority leader fol-
owing. said that the minority side could |
not be made to make the mistake which |
he majority desired It to. make. The |
Democrats wanted the Nicaraguan Canal
out he thought possibly the Nicaraguan |
quite was regarded as too great a COM
'etitor of the transcontinental railways.
DEMOCRATS NOT PROUD
)F GOVERNMENTS COURSE" |
He said the Democrats are not proud
II the part this Government has taken.
'ut they must recognize fact as a fact.
Mr.. Williams said:
Virtually it had been confessed that If
Colombia dares to land a soldier in the
newborn Republic of Panama-newborn
With the birth foreseen and aided, az /
'elieve. from Paris and from Washing
on-the United States will treat it as an
ct of war.
= There is one fact that cannot be gotten
round. and that is the manner of the
'irth of the new Republic.
IF the Democratic party and a few Re-
uhlicans had not hedged up and bound
his Government in the two clauses which
ompclled Us to give Cuba her freedom
nd Independence you would have treated
iiba as you treated the Philippines. AS
o the new Republic of Panama. am
atistied that the most deliberate, long re-
iewed. well-thought-out project ever COM I
leted or ever thought Of since the world .
eean is the birth of Panama and our con- J
ecticn with II