The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-17
Marroquin's Protest.

President Marroquin of Colombia
must be singularly ignorant Of the OBJ
legations of international comfy, judg-
ing by his course in sending protest
against the recognition of the repub-
lie, of. Panama by the United States to
the presiding officer of the senate sil1-
stead Of sending. it. to the Executive
head Of the government. AsaSpublic.
man and statesman he must have
known better. Our government is not
bound to take any notice Of the pro-
test whatever. -
The protest itself is based upon
false premises. Marroquin falls back
on the thirty-f1fth article Of the. treaty
of 1876, where, after setting forth
the guarantees Of New Grenadatsto
the United States. the latter makes the
following guarantee to New Grenada:
The United States guarantee, positive
" and efficaciously, to New Grenada, by
the present stipulation, the perfect neu-
trality Of the aforementioned Isthmus,
with the view that the free transit from
the one to the other sea may not be in
terrupted or embarrassed in any future
time while this treaty exists; and, in con-
8
antee in the same manner the rights OF
sovereignty and property which New
Grenada has and possesses over the said
territory.
Upon this basis the Colombian gov
eminent charges the United States
with bad faith, because, it has recog-.
nized the provisional government es-
tablished by the people of Panama by.
g revolution of a swift and bloodless
character, against which the troops of
Colombia stationed on the isthmus
soon as they could, recognizing their.
inability to cope with it. Our govern:
ment, with the heavy responsibility of
the warden OF the isthmian transit,
under the same treaty, resting upon
1t, took steps at once to prevent in
terruption and embarrassment Of tran
sit, and, finding that the government
established by the people of the de-
partment of Panama had insisted on
their rights and was performing the
duties of government has given it full
recognition as q government de jure.
Marroqufn declares that the revolu-5
ton was a "harrack COUP TheAfact
is, that the Colombian troops in bar
rackyleft the isthmus seeing that they
could not put down a movement
backed by the leading citizens and the
people. III
The Colombian government was
well informed, as far back as, July,
certainly, when it became evident that
the congress at Bogota was going to,
tribe with the canal treaty, that the
Panama people were seriously talking
OF secession in order, thru the wrest-
ing of the sovereignty Of Colombia
over the isthmus from her they might
enter into negotiations with the United
States for the construction OF the
canal, vitality important to them. There
was talk, then at Bogota of sending a
strong force of Colombian troops to
the isthmus to guard against revolu-
ton. Colombia did not do this. Fully
warned, months ago, Of the possibili-
ties Of the isthmian situation, she per-
mits the Panama people in a single
day to overthrow her sovereignty and
place themselves in position to me-
gotiate for themselves an effective
cas,al treaty. The United States Of
Colombia has deliberately refused to
| aid In carrying out the manifest irIs
tention and purpose Of the treaty Of
j1S4e, which was the promotion Of the