The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-05
Panama's independence

isthmus, the following discussion of the
subject by DR.. Albert Shaw in the No
vember Review of Reviews will be read
with interest. 1t is rather remarkable as
forecast and valuable as an intelligent
| review Of the whole situation:
In every real crisis for half a century
the United States has been the guardian
OF the isthmus of Panama as a focus of
International trade. The Panama railway
mas always been an American institution,
ana 1t has played great part as a link
| OF commerce and travel between the At
iantie and the Pacific. Old treaties, rigid
~ maintained and respected on our part
1 nave made us the guarantors of order at
| 9anama, and have alone prevented chaos
BUT Tor the United States, Colombia would
| nave lost the isthmus of Panama a long
| ,line ago. The present behavior of Co
| iomDla as respects the canal is in fatal
| contraventlon of the rights and interests
| OF the people living in the Panama prov
| NICE as well as in defiance of the needs
| ana interests of the commercial world,
| Whlch would like to use ship canal
| across the 1SthmuS as one of the great
/ highways OF international traffic Colom-
| pla mas no rights or concerns on the 18TH
mus OF Panama excepting those expressed
| In the technical claims of sovereignty; and
| sucn claims must be made good by the
snow or the necessary military and ad-
| illustrative ability to maintain respect
| Tor them. AS we remarked last month the
pest thing that the people of the isthmus
| could possibly do would be to make a
l "a oihpt anu effort to Qetach
| themselves from Colombia; and We fur
| ther remarked that 1T would be absurd
| Tor the people of the United States to
! pretend that they did not look with favor
| upon so righteous and excellent a PROPOSE
| tion."
| VIII Panama Declare independence?
| For some time there have been rumors
| or widespread desire on the part of the
| isthmian people to cut loose and form a
| government of their own, largely upon
NP CN,,I
having even closer relations than Cuba
| enjoys with the people and government of
| the United States. InaSmuch as the per-
manent control of Panama by the pol
| itlclanS at the remote Colombian capital
mas now become wholly impracticable ii
! may be assumed that the movement for
| Panama independence affords the best
| solution of the situation Such a stem
| promptly entered upon might bring about
| the much to-be-desired stability of equili-
| brium at the isthmus that would alike
| Denent North America and South America,
| Europe and Asia. 1t would also of course
| greatly benefit Colombia since the prompt
| construction of the canal would do more
than anything else to develop the trade
ana resources of the northern part of
South America, and to bring about condi-
| tons that would make for enlightenment
| and political progress 1t would be quite
| too much to expect that if the merchants
| strip should declare their independence
/ adopt a suitable constitution and appeal to
| the United States for friendship and pro-
tectlon: they would be treated with dis
DAM Our government will no longer fol-
low the plan of sending warships and
| landing marines on the isthmus with the
| object. while keeping the Panama rail-
| road open, of holding the situation for the
benefit OF the Colombian government
| Attitude of the French Company.
| 1t Is not to be supposed that the gen.
| tlemen who control the new French PaDa-
ma company, and who have been thrifty
| enough to make a conditional sale to the
| United States for $40 900 900. have been
politicians with Indifference or with men
tai sluggishness or indecison. The Bo-
| gotta politicians have boldly demanded
| that these French gentlemen and their
| Wall street partners should deliver to
| them large share of that $40, 00O 900 in
| consideration of their ratifying the Hay
| Herran treaty. But the company and its
| allies have other uses for their money,
| and they have not believed that there is
| enough efficiency back of the greed of
| the men at Bogota either to block the
completion of the Panama canal or to
prevent so powerful and so astute an ar
ray of financial. legal and diplomatic tai
| ent as this French corporation employs
| from carrying out the sale of it's assets
and obtaining its full 100000, 600 from an
! honest and responsible purchaser like I'm
| Gle Sam. The original Panama franchise
| expires within year. 1t is notorious that
| the extended franchise, which runs only
French company has undertaken to sell
to the United States was never legally
granted. A high handed Colombian
president. some years ago. dismissed an
intractable congress and extended the
franchise by his own personal act on
payment of $1.OOOOOO. The Colombian
| congress now proposes to declare that
such extension was invalid. and to delay
proceedings until next year. when the
original franchise expires, and when, by
| the expressed terms of that franchise the
canal and its appurtenances become
forfeited to the Colombian government.
Where Uncle Sam Comes In Again.
The government at Washington has
never cared very much about the details
of the history of the relations between
the Panama Canal company and the COLI
| ombian government. Those relations
would not bear close inspection on either
side. Our government, on the advice of it's
own trusted experts, has simply decided
that the unfinished canal and the works
connected herewith, together with the
Panama railroad. are fairly worth SAC, 0O0.-
ma company is the legal possessor of
those assets, and entitled to sell them
and receive the money. This fact of the
French company's status, as ascertained
Knox, would not be altered by
Of Panama If such new republic
were to come into a'on,t existence Geo. it
canal treaty with the United States; and
If such treaty were of the kind desired
by our government, the rev republic
would naturally have not only our recog-
milton, but also our protection and our
guarantee of a peaceful career. The
French company would still be entitled to
it's $40, 000, 900. 1t is not very likely that
Secretary Hay, having in his draft of a
treaty with Colombia offered to pay $780,,
900 900 for the grant of canal strip,
would reduce the amount in making
treaty with a new Panama republic. Our
secretary would not, however, permit such
new republic to assert over our canal
strip any absurd pretenSions of soVer-
eighty. On the canal itself, and within
the needful limits of a strip of territory
on either side the United States govern
ment would be at liberty in it's own way
to administer justice, protect the public
health, and do whatever it might find
necessary in it's capacity as govern
ment.
The interests That kiake for Action.
The merchants and property owners at
Colon at the town of Panama, and else
where in the isthmus, see plainly that
their property is dead and their business
is ruined if President Roosevelt acts
rpon the alternative laid down in the
Spooner act, drops the idea of the Panama
canal, and proceeds to develop the Near
aqua route. In like manner, the French
Panama company is perfectly aware that
the adoption of the Nicaragua route
which is made mandatory upon the presl-
dent in case of failure to secure a gov
ernmental concession at Panama-Wlh