The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-16
LOOMS TO
 THE DEFENSE MT. ROOSeVelt'S > nanama
 Course Ey Aned. ACTION y, NOT TASTY COl0fA> d Acted in Bad Faith
 in Rejecting Treaty. Chance of Getting More Millions Caused the Bogota Congress to Fail to Ratify the Hay-Her-
 ron Compact.

New York, Dec. 15.-The conditions which resulted in the recent estabiishment of the Republic of Panama were discuss ed 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 M. Philippe Bunau- Variila. Minister for Pan- anna. The Rev. E. s. ripple. D. D., Pres ident of the Club. presided. and among those present were Albert Shaw, Editor of The Review of Reviews. and President Frissel of the Hampton Institute.
 Assistant Secretary Loomis in present. ing his views on Panama and our rela- tons with other Latin-American coun- tries, said:
 Speech of Loomis.
 "we have not desired to annex Panama and we have not done so. The President. simply executed the will of the Ameri- can people. with due regard to interna- tional 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 Co., lombian Congress and gave the Govern ment 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 Con- Kress in utter bad faith rejected the treaty and adjourned.
 Tn less than a weeks time and before the President could be reasonably ex- pected to turn to grave consideration of the Nicaragua route, the long expected and inevitable revolution In Panama came to pass; the people rose as one man, and in thorough accord. without the firing of single shot, unFesisted, they quietly es- tablished a government of their own. They had thrice been independent, and the right of secession was. believe. ex- pressly stipulated in some of their con- stitutions.
 "The President directed our meagre na- val force ashore, consisting Edx Rrty ma rines. to do what they coulAd FpreseTvs peace. order and unimpeded tFA0I S z e'NFoss the Isthmus W'oty(.
 Prompt RecognltioIas% NnS
 He promptly recognized the de faeto government as soon as he learked that it was a peaceful possession Of the coun. try. This is the usual and necessary pro- ceding. We have on many occasions re- cognized new governments with an equal degree of celerity and promptness. The adminlstration I am sure has no apollo gies to offer for its course.
 We were more deeply interested and more directly, in the guarantee contained in the treaty of 1S46 than New Granada was. or any other country. That treaty 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 distance. We have performed generously and faithfully all the duties laid on us and at times greatly to our disadvantage and very great cost. Colombia on the other hand seems to have shirked most of her obIisa- tions.
 "The rejection of the treaty at Bogota was an unfriendly act from the view point of international law. Colombia ap- pealed to us tor enter into a treaty to build a canal, the treaty was negotiated with her in a most liberal spirit on our part; and was then rejected by the Co., lombian Government and Congress with out debate. The executive branch of the Government which had negotiated 1t did not try to secure its ratification.
 Not to Be Ratified.
 'It became evident shortly after the opening of the Colombian Congress in June that there was not the least inten- ton O. 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 canal by any other than the Panama route.
 It occurred to certain men in Bogota that the United States could be made to pay $2O.000.0 GOO or $25.0000 900 instead of $1O.. 0OO 900. or, better still, as has been dis closed by recent published official corre- spondence if the treaty were rejected or no action taken and the whole matter postponed for another year, the conces- sion of the present French canal company having expired by that time. the renewal of that concession would be declared in- valid. and all the rights privileges and work of the French canal company be practically confiscated and disDosed of to the United States for $40, ,OOO0 0OO in ad- dition to the $1O.OOO 0OO as proposed, and the annuity of a quarter of million This was a radiant and alluring prospect and the temptation proved too strong.
 Reflect for a moment on the grave possibilities which confronted this Gov ernment as 1t peerad into the future and sought to provide intelligently for the many serious complications and contin- gencies which the President foresaw.
 France to Be Heard From.
 eff the revolution in Panama had not occurred. if the American people, guided bv the opinions Of it's most learned ef- ficient and highly trusted engineers. con- tinued to think that Nicaragua route an impracticsble one: if the people and Con- gress of this country had insisted that we wait for year ar until such time as the politicians It Rogota were ready to negotiate a new canal treaty and in Ire meantime their Congress had declared invalid the renewal of the French con- cession. what might have happened on the isthnuS? I may safely assert with ont fear of contradiction by any we'll informed person. that the Governmnn. of France would not have stood sereneIv by and witnessed the pillage of thous- ands of her people through the act which Bog0ta politicians devised for the loo ing of the French conpanv Of $40 OnO oO1
 '"rhe moment that the cables hash d f-o-1 l'oFota to Paris the astounding news that the extension of the French concession was cancelled, French squadron from unique would have borne down upon the isthmus and per h9ps landed marines at Colon end rent the'n across the isthmus to Panama and along the lire of The canal pro 'ect tn protect the interests and prone-tv of French citizens. There would in all prob