Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-18
THE REJECTED TREATY NO FURTHER ADnCES
Subject Will Come Up at The State Department Hears
Extra Session Nothing More About Treaty.
OLD FIGHT AGAIN ON A RECONSIDERATION N
Is EXPECTED BY SOME BEFORE
COLOMBIAN CONGRESS
Prediction Made
Congress That Panama Treaty subctReasons
Would Prove Ineffective Rejection y.
The State Department Hears
Nothing More About Treaty.
A RECONSIDERATION
Is EXPECTED BY SOME BEFORE
COLOMBIAN CONGRESS ADJoURNs
President is Disappointed, but Will Not
Discuss the Subject-Reasons
for the Rejection

The State Department has received nc
further advices from Minister. Beaupre al
BOgota concerning action upon the cana
treaty but notwithstanding the conflicting
reports that have been received as to the
rejection Of amendments and also of the
treaty, 1t is believed that the cable from
Mr. Beaupre is correct and that other dis
patches referring to the rejection Of amend
ments were sent before final action on the
treaty. Naturally the parliamentary pro-
cedure would be the rejection Of all amend
ments and the treaty, If that was the tenn.
per of the Colombian senate. There are
close friends of the administration who do
not believe that the matter is going to end
with the action of the Colombian senate
but that finally some action will be taken
which will bring about favorable results
A reconsideration of the action of the 18th
is hoped for before the adjournment of the
Colombian congress.
President Disappointed.
A dispatch from Oyster Bay last night
says: Upon the return of the President
to Sycamore Hill this evening from re-
viewing the fleet he found awaiting him
there information of the rejection by the
Colombian senate of the Panama canal
treaty.
While he naturally Is disappointed at the
action of the congress, he does not desire
at this time to make any comments upon
it.
When 1t was learned recently that the
Colombian congress intended to amend
the treaty, 1t was understood that an init
nation was conveyed to the Colombian
government that such amendments as were
proposed wiuld be unsatisfactory to this
government The absolute rejection OF the
treaty followed
1t is quite certain that the acton Of
Colombia will induce some consultations of
importance in the near future, and possibly
some action by Congress at the :extraer-
binary session. =
A New York special last night says:
William Nelson Cromwell, counsel for the
Panama Canal Company. in eOAversation
tonight said he had no private advices
from Bogota in regard to the reported vote
on the treaty. His opinion is thai the bal
lot Of the Colombian senate wasesimply a
preliminary act. -
The treaty is still in committee. z, said
Mr.. Cromwell, "as 1t hts been for some
time. While without means Of knowing
positively what has been the action of the
senate, I assume that a vote has been
taken on the agreement as it stands, and
that the adverse vote applies simply to the
original draft of the treaty without any
alterations whatever. I am confident that
the vote on the treaty, with certain amend
mentS, Will De taken later, ana tn6re l6
no reason to fear it will not be ratified,
with very slight amendments"
Reasons for Rejection.
The reason given for the rejection of the
treaty by the Colombian senate 1t is said
here, was the alleged encroachment on
Colombian sovereignty which its opponents
contended would result from the treaty.
This information was contained In dis
ri
Colombian charge, from Foreign Minister
Ricos at Bogota. This dispatch showed
that In it's present form the treaty was
absolutely unacceptable to the senate for
the reason above stated and that it had
been rejected unanimously. f.
The view taken by the senate was at
variance to that held by the government
of Colombia. which felt satisfied when 1t
submitted the treaty to congress that there
would be no impairment of Colombian SOW
ereignty If the treaty should be ratified.
Incidental to the general question of SOW
ereignty necessarily was that of lease of
the strip of land through which the canal
was to be constructed, and the debate in
the Colombian senate indicated that that
body regarded this amounting to a sale
of the land and therefore Objectionable.
When the treaty was submitted to the
seIate by the committee to which 1t had
been referred seven of the senators favored
| 1t with certain amendments which they pro-
posed and the remaining two opposed 1t
absolutely. The amendments proposed by
the majority are not stated here, but they
evidently referred to the question of SOW
eIeignty, as is indicated by the subsequent
rejection of the treaty In Its present form.
An interesting feature Of the whole de-
bate In the Colombian senate and in the
committees report favoring the treaty is
said to be the entire absence Of reference
to the question of indemnity offered by the
United States for the right of way 1t
was generally supposed that this would cut
considerable figure in the discussion of
the subject In Colombia, but the question
of money consideration 1t is said, faded
away and was replaced by the sovereignty
issue.