Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-17


mark smanship Is being steadily raised
| me best work ashore is indispensable,
| to exercise command at sea
| 1t is eminently desirable, however, that
! there should be provided "A naval general
| staff on lines similar to those of the general
staff lately created for the army. Within
| the navy department itself the needs of
| the service have brought about a system
| under which the duties of general staff
are partially performed: for the bureau of
| navigation has under its direction the war
college the office OF naval Intelligence and
! the board OF Inspection and has been in
| close touch with the general board OF the
navy. But though under the excellent ofIl-
| GERS at their head. these boards and bureaus
! do good work, they have not the authority
of a general staff, and have not sufficient
| scope TO insure proper readiness for
! by law of a body of trained officers. who
| shall exercise systematic control of the
military affairs of the navy. and be author
izeo ADVISERS or the secretary concerning 1t.
The Isthmian Canal
BY the act of June %, 1902. the congress
authorized the president to enter into
treaty with Colombia for the building of
| the canal across the Isthmus of Panama;
1t being provided that in the event OF
! failure to secure such treaty after the
lapse Of a reasonable time, recourse
| Nicaragua. 1t has not been necessary TO
| consider this alternative, as | am enabled
| to lay before the senate a treaty provid-
|
| the Isthmus Of Panama This the
| route which commended itself to the de-
liberate judgment of the congress. and
we can now acquire by treaty the right
| to construct the canal over this route.
| The question now. therefore, IS not by
| which route the isthmian canal shall be
| built. for that question has been definite
! ~ and irrevocably decided. The question
| is simply whether or not we shall have
| an isthnian canal.
When the congress directed that we
| should take the Panama route under
treaty with Colombia. the essence of the
condition. of course referred not to the
government which controlled that route
! but to the route itself: to the territory
across which the route lay. not to the
name which for the moment the territory
was to authorize the president to make
treaty with the power in actual con
| troll of the lsthmus of Panama. This
purpose has been fulfilled.
Isthmian Treaty Obligations.
In the year 1916 this government en-
| tered into a treaty with New Granada,
! the predecessor upon the Isthmus of the
Republic of Panama by which treaty it
was provided that the government and
citizens of the United States should al
ways have free and open right of way
| or transit across the Isthmus OF Panama
| by any modes of communication that
might be constructed. while in return our
| government guaranteed the perfect neu-
| trality of the above-Ramed isthmus with
/ the view that the free transit from the
/ one 10 the OtneT sea might not be inter-
/ rupted or embarrassed. The treaty vest
/ ed in the United States a substantial
| property right carved out of the rights OF
| sovereignty and property which New
: Granada then had and possessed over the
said territory. The name of New Gran
ada has passed away and its territory
! ernment of Colombia, has ceased to own
! any property in the isthmuS. A new
republic, that of Panama, which was at
| one time a sovereign state. and at an
] time leDlrt u
| cessive considerations known as New
| Granada and Colombia, has now succeed
/ ed to the rights which first one and then
! the other formerly exercised over the
! isthmus. But as long the isthmus en-
! dures the mere geographical fact of its
! existence. and the peculiar interest there
/ in which is required by our position,
! perpetuate the solemn contract which
! binds the holders of the territory to re-
| spect our right to freedom of transit
| across it. and binds us in return to safe
! guard for the isthmus and the world the
! exercise of that inestimable privilege.
/ The true Interpretation of the obligations
! upon which the United States entered in
! this treaty of 1886 has been given repeat
/ edly in the utterances of presidents and
! secretaries of state.
| For 400 years. ever since shortly after the
! discovery Of this hemisphere, the canal
! across the isthmus has been planned. For
! twoscore years it has been worked at.
| When made it is to last for the ages. 1t is
| to alter the geography OF continent and
! the trade routes of the world, We have
! shown by every treaty We have negotiated
or attempted to negotiate with the peoples
| in control of the isthmus and with foreign
| nations in reference thereto our consistent
| good faith in observing our obligations; on
| the one hand to the peoples of the iSthmus,
| and on the other hand to the civilized world
! whose commercial rights We are safe
| guarding and guaranteeing by our action.
| We have done our duty to Others in letter
! and spirit, and We have shown the utmost
| forbearance in exacting our own rights.
Colombia's Reputation of Treaty.
Last spring, under the act above
| ferred to, treaty concluded between the
| representatives of the Republic of Colom-
bia and of our government was ratified
! by the senate. This treaty was entered
| into at the urgent solicitation Of the peo-
| pie of Colombia and after a body of ex-
| perts appointed by our government es-
pecially to go into the matter OF the
routes across the isthmus had pro-
| nounced unanimously in favor of
| Panama route. In drawing up this treaty
| every concession was made to the people
and to the government of Colombia We
| were more than just in dealing with
| them. Our generosity was such as TO
| make il a serious question whether we
had not gone too far in their in
! terest at the expense of our own: for in
| our scrupulous desire to pay all possible
| heed, not merely to the real but even to
| the fancied rights of our weaker neigh
Dor. who already owed so much to our
! protection and forbearance. We yielded
in all possible ways to her desires in
government of Colombia not merely
| repudiated the treaty, but repudiated it
| in such manner as to make 1t evident by
| the time the Colombian congress ad-
! journed that not the scantlest hope re-
mained of ever getting a satisfactory
| treaty from them. The government of
| Colombia made the treaty. and yet when
! the Colombian congress called to
| ratify it the vote against ratification was
| unanimous. 1t does not appear that the
| government made any real effort to Sc
| cure ratification.
Revolution in Panama.
Immediately after the adjournment Of
| the congress a revolution broke out in
| Panama. The people of Panama had
| long been discontented with the Republic
| of Colombia, and they had been kept
quiet only by the prospect OF the con
| clusion of the treaty, which was to them
matter OF vital concern. When it be-
came evident that the treaty was hope
! lessly lost. the people of Panama rose
! literally one man. Not a shot was
fired by single man on the isthmus in
! the interest of the Colombian govern
ment. Not life was lost in the accom-
| plshment OF the revolution. The Colon
bian troops stationed on the isthmus
who had long been unpaid made com
mon cause with the people of Panama,
| ten l.I,t,