The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-12
Fighting the Treaty.

2 -S 4.---s
Fighting the Treaty.
The resolution introduced by Sem
ator Culberson in the senate -yester-
day, providing for the reference Of the
question: of bananas right to- form,
a government in a portion of the ter
ritory over which Colombia, under her
constitution of 1886 had exclusive SOW
Rereignty, to the Judiciary committee
for an exhaustive examination. will of
course, afford the assailants of the
government an opportunity to delay
the ratification Of the treaty with the
republic of Panama indefinitely.
Senator Morgan has declared his
intention to fight the ratification of
the Panama treaty to the last ditch"
and no doubt he will do so, as he holds
that, under the treaty of 1916, our
government, while guaranteeing free
transit across the isthmus, is bound
to guarantee also the government Of
Colombia against sedition and insur-
rection in the department or province
OF Panama and against the secession
of Panama from the centralized re-
public Of Colombia.
Morgan,s views on this subject are
sustained neither by international law
nor by precedent. He himself has not
dWelt at all upon the natural query:
What becomes of our duty to guaran-
tee the free transit of the isthmus if
orr pOvarnn1ant ic obl;naa Zen 41,.4
territory with the blood and violence
of war, putting down sedition and in
surrection for the centralizede republic
Of Colombia ?" Contemporary the
American guarantee was construed as
applicable only against foreign inva-
volve our government in an inferno
cine conflict in Colombia. The view
has always, been maintained by our
government. We guaranteed the SOW
erelgnty Of New Granada in 1876, and,
when Panama seeded in 1856 from
Granada, and became = independent
! nothing was heard of our duty to
whip back the seeding state into the
poWepesof New Granada, under every
just Interpretation of international
law, the sovereignty Of the isthnnus
passed to Panama, and when Panama
| entered voluntarily into the fedora.
! ton known as the United States Of
Colombia, the sovereignty of the 18th.
mus passed to the new federation
! When Panama seeded from Colon
bia. she again resumed the sovereign.
ty of the isthmus which she had after
seeding from New Granada in 1855
We guaranteed the sovereignty OF the
! isthmus in 1916, and, when our gov.
eminent found that the sovereignt,
! of Colombia had lapsed, and a. Pana.
| ma government had been organized
and was the only authority on ths
isthmus to recognize, the exigence de.
manded the adjudication Of our guar
antee and : our government actet
promptly in the recognition Of Pana
ma, because of the extreme Eimpor
lance Of the canal interests at stake.
The judiciary committee of the sen
ate WILL after any unpartizan, un
prejudiced investigation Of this sub
ject, arrive at q conclusion similar t,
the above. Democrats, who are as
sailing the government as Mr.. Dins
more of Arkansas did yesterday in tn,
house. will not find a democratic ad
ministration which ever voiced thei
| views of the treaty of#1S46 with New
Granada. Certainly, a political part
is hard pushed for issues when it ha
to take the position of a chronic libel
/ list of the national government as: t
! any act of government outside tn
United States.