The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-16
ACCUSES COLOMBIA OF UTTER BAD FAITH IN NEGOTIATIONS

New york, Dec. 15.-F'ranciS B. Looms,
Assistant Secretary Of State. made Wig
orous defense of the administrators
course in regard to Panama in speech
before the Quill Club at the Hotel Man.
haitian last night.
NJ. Philippe Bunau-varilla. Minister
from Panama, also made a speech ON the
same general subject
The Reverend E. S. Tipple. D. D., pres
ident of the club, presided. and among
those present were Albert Shaw, editor OF
the Review Of Reviews, and President
Frissell Of the Hampton Institute.
Assistant Secretary. Loomis, in present
ing his views on Panama and our relations
with other Latin-American countries. said
NO DESIRE TO ANNEX.
I'VE have not desired to annex Panama
and We have not done so. The President
simply executed the will of the American
people. with due regard to international
Law and rights.
He was instructed by Congress to Sc
cure a canal route on the Isthmus Of
Panama II possible. He waited until the
adjournment Of the Colombian Congress
and gave the Government Of that country
every opportunity to ratify the treaty or
to propose some proper method looking to
the ratification of a new treaty, and the
Colombian Congress. in utter bad faith. re-
jected the treaty and adjourned.
INEVITABLE REVOLT.
''In less than a weeks time and before
the President could be reasonably expect
ed to turn to grave consideration Of the
Nicaragua route, the long-expected and
inevitable revolution In Panama came to
pass: the people arose as one man. and.
in thorough accord. without the firing Of a
single shot, unresisted, they quietly estab-
lishcd a government Of their own. They
had thrice been independent and the right
Of secession was believe. expressly stip-
ulatei in some of their constitutions.
THE President directed our meager ma
val force ashore. consisting of forty ma
rines. to do what 1t could to preserve
peace, order and unimpeded transit across
the isthmus. He promptly recognized the
de facto Government as soon as he
learned that 1t was In peaceful possession
of the country.
NOT TOO PRECIPITATE.
This Is the usual and necessary pro-
ceeding. We have on many occasions rec
ognized new Governments with an equal
degrees Of celerity and promptness. Later,
the Republic Of Panama received full
recognition. We are acting fairly and law
fully under the treaty OF 1876. The admin
fstration. am sure, has no apologies to
offer for its course.
We are more deeply interested. and
more directly. in the guarantee contained
in the treaty of 1876 than New Grenada
was negotiated for the purpose of secur-
Ing to US certain canal privileges We in
turn. guaranteed the neutrality of the
isthmus. to keep transit open and to keep
foreign aggressors at a distance. We have
carried out the letter and the spirit of our
part of the agreement. We have per-
formed generously and faithfully all the
duties laid upon US. and at times greatly
to our disadvantage and very great cost.
Colombia. on the other hand. seems to
have shirked most of her obligations.
AN UNFRIENDLY ACT.
The rejection Of the treaty at Bogota
Ras an rnfriendly act. from the viewpoint
Of international law. Colombia appealed
to us to enter into treaty to build a ca
nal: the treaty was negotiated with her.
and in a most liberal spirit upon our part:
it was then rejected by the Colombian
Government and Congress without debate.
The executive branch of the Government,
which had negotiated 1t. did not try to Sc
cure its ratification.
cit became evident. shortly after the
opening Of the Colombian Congress in
June that there was not the least inten-
tion Of ratifying the Hay-Herran treaty.
The belief seems to have been widely cur
rent in BOgota that the United States
could not or would not build a canal by
any other than the Panama route.'
IDEA OF sCHEMERS.
1t occurred to certain Ine1 in Bogots
that the United States could be made to
pay $200oo.00o or $25.ooo.0oO instead Of N0,-
0o0. coo: or. better still. as has been dis
closed by recent published official corre-
spondence. II the treaty were rejected or
no action taken upon it. and the whole
matter postponed for another year the
concession OF the present French Canal
Company having expired by that time. the
renewal Of that concession would have
been declared invalid and all the rights,
privileges and the work Of the French ca
nal Company be practically confiscated
and disposed Of to the United States for
S4o00o, 900, IN addition to the $4,000, 900; as
and the annuity Of a quarter of
. million. 49,;
This vas. I, radiant and salluring pros
pct aad, tns semptettoas proved too
:Thls particular phase Il canal history
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