Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-16
NO DESIRE TO ANNEX
ACTION OF UNITED STATES MOST
UNSUITABLE.
Able Exposition of the Panama Cues
ton by Assistant Secretary
Loomis in New York.

| says:
| The conditions which resulted in the
recent establishment of the republic of
Panama were discussed tonight at the
banquet of the Quill Club, held at the
Hotel Manhattan, by Francis B. LOomis.
assistant secretary of state Of the United
States, and NJ. PHILIPPE BunauVarilla,
minister for Panama. The Rev B. S. Tip
pie, DID,, president of the club, presided
and among those present We're Albert
Shaw, editor of the Review of Reviews,
and President Frissell of the Hampton
Institute.
Assistant Secretary LOOMS, in present
ing his views on Panama ana our rela-
tons with other Latin American coun-
tries, said
I'VE have 30 desire to annex Panama
and we have not done The President
simply executed the will of the American
people with due regard to international
law and rights. He was instructed by
Congress to- secure canal route on the
Isthmus of Panama, if possible.
He waited until the adjournment of
the Colombian .con2T eSs and gave the
government of that country every oppor-
tunity to ratify the treaty to propose
some proper method looking to the rati-
fication of a new treaty, and the COlom-
bian congress, in utter bad faith, rejected
the treaty and adjourned.
An Unfriendly Act
was an unfriendly act from the viewpoint
Of international law. Colombia appealed
to us to enter into treaty to build
canal, the treaty was negotiated with her
in most liberal spirit on our part, and
was then rejected by the Colombian gov
eminent and congress without debate.
The executive branch of the government,
which had negotiated it, did not try to
secure its ratification 1t became evident
shortly after the opening of the Colom-
bian congress in June that there was not
the least intention of ratifying the Hay
Herran treaty"
Mr. Loomis referred to the belief in Bo-
gotta that the United States would be
compelled to pay very high price to Co
other than the Panama route could or
would be used He showed very con-
clusively the real intent OF the Colombian
government to secure large sum of
money by postponing the ratification of
the treaty.
Reflect for a moment he said. ION the
grave possibilities which confronted this
government as 1t peered into the future
and sought to provide intelligently for the
many serious complications and contingent
cies which the President foresaw.
France Would Have Acted Promptly.
IF the revolution In Panama had not
occurred, if the American people. guided by
the opinions of its most learned, efficient
and highly trusted engineers, continued to
think the Nicaragua route an impracticabl BILE
one; If the people and Congress of this
country had insisted that we wait for
year. or until such time as the politicians
at BogOta Were ready to negotiate new
canal treaty. and in tie meantime their
congress had declared invalid the renewal
of the French concession, which might have
happened on the isthmus, l may safely as
sert. without fear of contradiction by any
well-iDformed person, that tie government
of France would not have stood serenely
by and witnessed the p:llage of thousands
of her people through the act which Bogota
politicians devised for the looting of the
French company of $40,000,000.
''The moment that the cables flashed
from Bogota to Paris the astounding news
that the extension of the French conces-
sion was Cancelled a French squadron from
Martinique would have borne down upon
the isthmus and. perhaps, landed marines
at Colon and sent them across the isthmus
to Panama and along the line of the canal
to protect the interests and property of
French citizens.
An Armed Conflict Very Probable.
There would, in all probability, have
been an armed conflict between France
and Colombia or France, at least, would
have felt herself compelled to hold the
isthmus for a long period This would
have wrought Immediately and poignantly
upon the sensbilities of the American peo-
pie In respect to the Monroe doctrine and
we should, no doubt have found ourselves
viewing France with annoying apprehen-
sion.
THE French warships might easily have
been followed by those of England and Ho-
land and Panama, like the Balkan states.
might well have been expected to furnish
the spark to set half the world In flames
"One of the most significant and valuable
results of our action in respect to Panama
will be the wholesome object lesson and
the enduring moral effect which our SUI
premacy on the ishmus will bring to the
eyes Of certain people who are in sore need
of instruction in the practice of peaceful
pursuits and orderly administration.
1T also would not be without value for
these same people clearly to understand in
dealing with the United States that there
Is limit to the patience and the forbear-
ance of this government"
United States Inclined for Peace.
In closing, Mr. LOOMS declared:
I'm these peaceful ways it is the desire
of this government to Americanize the new
world and perhaps the old, but not by
the power of the almighty dollar not by the
urgency of trade demands not by any man
Hesitation of display of force, but rather by
the more potent and enduring means of the
dissemination of those lofty civilzing agen-
cies. those great principles, those fine ideals
those substantial virtues upon which our
country was founded and upon which it
has continuously thrived and had its well
being.
Panama Minister'S Address.
Minister Bunau-Varilla, in the course of
a speech of some length, covering practi-
cally the same points given by Mr.. Loomis,
related the events leading up to the rejec-
ton of the Hay-Herran treaty by the Co
lombian senate. He added:
TT is known now that the rejection of
the treaty was a plan to thwart the arti-
cles of the convention with the Panama
Canal Company in order to declare for
feited the concession and practically rob
the French bondholders of their property.
Thus when the Colombian congress closed
on November i it had violently insulted
the United States, which had been very
generous in all its dealings and negotia-
tons"