Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-14
Colombian Congress Has Amen
ded the Compact Into a
Form Not Acceptable
TALK OF NICARAGUA ROUTE.
Not Unlikely That the President Will
Decide to Submit Treaties to Nicar.
aqua and Costa RIGA and Select the
Nicaragua Route for the Big Water.
way.

practically has killed the Panama canal
treaty. and 1t is believed that President
Roosevelt almost surely will decide to
select the Nicaraguan canal route.
Colombia struck death blow to the
Panama route when the congressional
committee having the treaty under con-
isideration adopted nine amenments. any
one of which will be fatal to the treaty.
owing to the impossibility of securing
their adoption by the United States
senate, which must accept or reject
them.
Officials OF the department. of state
and Senior Herran, the Colombian
charge d'atfaires here, are In the dark
as TO the exact nature of these amend
ments. From meager and mutilated Of
fetal dispatches received last night,
however. it is known tina, the two prdn-
cipal amendments provide for large
and unreasonable increase IN the bonus
demanded of the United States for the
strip of territory thru which 10 con-
struct the waterway, and for a provis-
ion which prohibits the Colombian
government giving the United States
absolute and perpetual control over this
territory. The other amendments are
considered unlmportant.
The committees action In order to be
binding must be ratified by the Colom-
blan congress, but there Is scarcely any
doubt about the ratification of the
treaty in its amended form. as the
amendments were agreed to by the
friends of the canal, its enemies on the
committee having voted in favor of the
absolute rejection of the treaty.
Officials OF the state department are
disguised and disappointed at. the ac-
ton of the Colombian committee, as it
means long delay in the construction
of the canal Senior He-ran, Colombian
charge d'affaires, agrees with the de-
partment, and when seer said:
Il am bitterly disappointed Those
amendments are fatal to the treaty.
L do not know their exact wording, but
any amendment will be fatal.
Colombia's action has revived the
bitter fight which has been fought here
for more than q year. 1t began during
the negotiation of the treaty, which re-
suited in the recall of Senior Conoha,
the Colombian minister, who was de-
posed at the request of Secretary Hay,
who objected to Concha's dilatory tao
tics, and the fact that he insisted on an
excessive bonus in payment for tia
concessions. and obstruoted the nego-
tiations by Directing 10 giving the
United States control of the strip OF
territory. After Concha's recall the
negotiations proceeded smoothly. They
were conducted by DIR. Herran. the
present charge d'affaires. Theye We're
extremely delicate, and only after exer-
cising great patience and tact did
Secretary Hay succeeded in negotiating
the treaty, which gave the United
States control of the six mile strip of
territory, for which Colombia was to
receive S10,00O.000. DIR. Herran exper-
fenced considerable difficulty in agree
ing to the terms, but finally succeeded.
Now Colombia has repudiated its
solemn agreement and is attempting TO
sandbag the United States by demand
ing larger payment. This demand
will not be agreed to, first, because the
United States will not be held up, after
the fashion of highwayman, and sec
ond, because it will be almost impossi-
BILE to secure the assent Of the United
States senate to the amendments. The
bitter struggle in the senate to secure
the ratification of the treaty In its
present shape is still fresh in the minds
Of the people.
President Roosevelt has lost patience
with Colombia because of the delay on
the treaty and by its action in repudiat-
ing its solemn agreements Some
months ago he caused n robust intima-
ton to be conveyed to Colombia that
unless the treaty should be ratifled
without further delay he would select
the Nicaraguan route.
Nicaragua Treaty.
Treaties with Niagara and Costa
RIGA have been prepared for some
months and only await the signatures
of the regulators to put them in shape
to be sent to the ratifying bodies. If
the vague dispatches received here give
the true situation President Roosevelt
will, in all probability, instruct Sec
tary Hay to affiY his signature to them
and secure those of the Nicaraguan
and Costa Rican minister. These trea-
ties will then be referred to the Uni
ted States senate and the congresses
of the two Central American republics.
There probably will ensue a protracted
contest in the United States senate,
as the opposition to the canal is strong,
but there will be no difficulty about the
other notifications.
Under the law authorizing the con-
struction of the 1sthmian canal. the
president is authorized to secure title
to the canal company's property ana
control of the necessary strip of terri
tory for which he was given author
ity to pay reasonable sum. He is
also directed to secure other rights, in
Guiding that of defense and the con-
troll OF n Panama railway. This COM
pany agreed to sell its interests for
s4O00o,00O and Colombia agreed upon
$4,000, goo for concessions.
President to Decide.
The president is authorized to choose
the Nicaraguan route il, after reason
able time he Is unable to secure a title,
concessions, and control of territory
and ether concessions. This law was
signed on June 2s 1902, nearly fourteen
months ago, and practically no progress
toward the construction Of the can II
has been made. This is considered
more than reasonable time, aud
therefore President Roosevelt may
shortly announce his intention of Sc
lecting the Nicara guam route.