The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-18
THE CANAL TREATY REJECTED
COLOMBIA SENATE VOTED 1T
down on AUG. IL.
One Despatch Says Both Houses Of the
Congress Rejected the Trcaty--Herran
and the state Department Informed
That Only the senate Took Action.
Special Gable Despatch 10 THE SUN.

That Only the senate Took Action.
Special Gable Despatch 10 THE Sun.
COLON, Colombia, Aug. 17-Advices from
Bogota Of date of Aug. 10. received hero
to-day, state that the Colombian Congress-
has rejected the Panama Canal treaty.
BoGorA, Aug. l2--The Colombian Con-
gress has unanimously rejected the Panama
Canal treaty with the United States.
WASHINGTON. Aug. l7.-After months of
effort on the part of statesmen in the United
States and Colombia. aided by the sup
posedy powerful influence OF the New
Panama Canal Company, the project for con-
| structinS a waterway across the lsthmus OF
Panama by the United States appears to
have failed Brief cablegrams were received
to-day at the State Department and at the
Colombian Legation to the effect that the
| Colombian Senate, on August II, voted
| against the canal treaty
Under the Colombian Constitution treat
| les are submitted to both branches Of Con-
! gress. Favorable action by both houses
| is requisite for ratfcat on of a treaty but
| adverse action by either house s sufficient
to determine its fate. As five days is
required for the transmission Of news from
| Bogota to Washington, nothing is known
of developments subsequent to the adverse
vote OF the Senate
| Minister Beaupre, in his despatch to the
State Department, gave the bare announce
| ment Of an adverse vote, with no figures
| to indicate whether the convention had
been faithfully supported by its friends
or whether it had been overwhelmingly
rejected
| Minister Herrans adviceS were almost
equally scanty, His despatch, however,
said that the rejection of the treaty by
the Senate was unanimous. Until further
| information is at hand it is impossible to
do more than surTnise the probable course
of action at Bogota. News OF a reconsider
alton of the vote in the Senate would not
be surprising but it is hardly expected.
| Acting Secretary Adee declined to dis
cuss the news from Bogota further than TO
say that IL was not regarded as final by
the State Department Not until the De-
partment is officially advised by the Colom-
bian Government that the treaty has been
rejected will action be taken toward the
execution Of that part of the lsthmian
Canal Act of June %, 1902, directing the
| President to obtain for the United States
perpetual control by treaty Of canal rights
from Costa Rica and Nicaragua and the
construction Of a canal from Greytown
to Brito.
Minister Herran is greatly disappointed
by the news from Bogota, but he clings
to the hope that a way may yet be found
for bringing about an agreement between
! Colombia and the United States. He
suggested to-day that il the Senate did
not reconsider its adverse vote, President
Marroquin might take the next best step,
which would be to submit another draft OF
the treaty amended as little as possible,
in the hope that it would be ratified and
returned for the consideration of the United
States Senate.
This, in view of the emphatic assurance
of President Roosevelt that the United States
will concede nothing further, is recognized
as practically ahopeless procedure. 1t is re-
garded as doubtful that the United States
Senate would be inclined TO consider further
proposals in the interest OF Panama, par
ticularly if these proposals differ greatly
from the terms Of the treaty just rejected.
Another remarkable feature of the sud
den rejection Of the treaty is the fact, as
was stated, that from advices received
the action of the Senate was apparently
based entirely on the question of SOW
eIeignty, which, it WAS thought, had been
satisfactorily settled, and not on the finan-
cial part of the treaty, which has been one
Of the most serious obstacles throughout
the many months that the negotiation
Of the convention has been in progress
While not entirely sanguine as to the
L.. L..
is. in view Of the facts surrounding the
rejection of the convention by the Senate,
somewhat hopeful, and he stated that he
would not entirely give Cp the idea of seeing
the convention ratified, either practically in
its present shape or in "A modified form
suitable to the United States, until detailed
adyices from his home Office in Bogota,
convinced him to that effect.
As soon as the despatch from Minister
Beaupr6 to the State Department to-day
had been translated from cipher, it was
forwarded to President Roosevelt at Oyster
Bay. No action is expected on the part
Of the President until further information
liz received If the action of the Colombian
Senate amounts to an absolute rejection
of the treaty it is a question whether
President Roosevelt would be willing to
enter into protocol extending the limit
of time for the exchange of notifications Of
an amended treaty.
Such a protocol must necessarily be
agreed upon if negotiations are to he con-
tinued with Colombia under new treaty,
however slightly 1t may differ from that
recently acted upon, as the United states
! Senate will not meet until after the ex-
| piration of the existing time limit.
| From atements made by the President
and Senators most Interested there is some
reason to believe that they will object to
further negotiations with Colombia. on the
ground that the reasonable time mon
| toned in the act has been stretched to its
limit.
Should the Colombian project be aban-
doned and the Nicaragua route be TAX en-
up there will be no change in the procedure
for the appointing M of the lsthmian Canal
Commission. The Secretary Of the Treas
ury ia authorized 10 issue S0,O00,00O of
2 per cent. thirty-year gold bonds to defray
the expenditures authorized, whether the
Panama or Nicaraguan route is selected,
PRESIDENT HEARS OF TREATY's REJECTION,
OYSTER PAY, II. i. Aug, II. The re-
lection Of the Panama Canal treaty by The
| Colombian Congress was communicated 10
the President from Washington this after
noon No comment on the toIcm nan
Governments action eman ated from official
sources here tonight. ror could any he
| obtained
COR CHaNPEON no WEB.