The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-16
FOR
RECENT ACTION
Assistant Secretary Of State
Speaks Of Panama.
WHY The PRESIDENT ACTED
FRANCE MIGHT HAVE SEIZED
THE ISTHMUs.
WY TIE PRESIDENT ACTED

Al EW YORK, Dec. 15.-The conditions
IN which resulted In the recent eHab-
ushment Of the republic Of Pana-
ma were discussed tonight at the ban
quet Of the Quiu club held at the H0ter
Manhattan. 10y Francis b. LOOMS. as
sistant secretary of state of the United
States. and M. Philippe -Varilla.
minister for Panama Mr.. LoOmis
said.
1--WE have not desired to annex
Panama, and we have not done SO.
The president simply executed the viii
of the American people. with due re-
gard TO international law and rights
He was instructed by congress to se-
cure a canal route on the isthmus OF
Panama If possible. He waited until
the adjournment of the Colombian con-
Eress and gave the government Of that
country every opportunity TO ratify
the treaty, or TO propose some proper
method looking to the ratification OF
q new treaty. and the Colombian con-
gress, i'm utter bad faith, rejected the
treaty and adjourned
Arose as One Nan.
'In less than weeks time and before
the president could be reasonably expect
cd to turn TO grave consideration Of tine
Nicaragua route. the long expected and
inevitable revolution in Panama came 10
pass The people arose as one man. ard
single shot. unreststed, they quietly es-
tablished a government of their own.
They had thrice been independent and
the right Of secession was, believe. eC-
pressly stipulated in some OF their con-
..The president dispatched our meager
naval force ashore, consisting of forty
marines. to do what they could to pre-
serve peace. order and unimDeded transit
across the lsthmus- He promptly recog-
nized the de tacto government as soon
as ne learned that it was I'm peaceful pos
session Of the country This IS Tee vsual
and necessary DrOceedlng- We have on
many occasions recognized new govern
ments with am equal degree OF celebrity
and DrOmDtness. Later the republic ~
are acting fairly and lawfully under tho
treaty Of 1876 The administration, + am
sure, has no apologies TO offer for IT'S
Rejection of the Treaty.
Mr.. LOOMS discussed the rejection OF
the canal treaty by the Bogora congress,
and continued
''If the revolution I'm Panama had not
occurred If the American people. guided
bv the opinions Of its most learned. ef-
ficient and highly trusted engineers. con-
impractiCable one. II the people and cone
gress Of this country had insisted that we
wait for "a year. OF until such time as the
politicians az bogota were red0y % fe-
gOtiate new canal treaty, and iu inc
meantime the congress had declared lii-
valid the renewal of the French couees-
sion. what might have happened ON the
isthmus2 I may safely assert. without
fear Of contradiction by any well-iu-
formed person that the. government ~
France would not have stood bE ana Wit
Messed the pillage of thousands of her
people through The act which B0eota pol-
iticians devised for the lo0tins from the
French company of Sl5.o00ol0
What Might Have Happened.
''The moment that the cables flashed
from BogOta to Paris the last astounding
news that the extension of tine French
/ concession was cancelled. French squad
ron from Martinique would have borne
down upon the isthmus and perhaps
landed marines at Colon and sent them
across the isthmus 20 Panama and along
the line Of the canal 20 protect the inter
ests and property Of French cirZens
There would. i'm all probability. have been
armed conflict between France and Coz
I I0rnbia or France at least would have
] felt herself compelled to hold the isthmus
for a long period This would have
wrought Immediately and poisnart-N
upon the sensi bilftes or the American
people i'm respect to the Monroe doctrine,
and we should no doubt have found our
J selves viewing France with annoying app
/ prehensiOn The French WarshiDs might
1 easily have been followed by those of
/ England and Holland, and Panama Ike
/ the Balkan states. might well have been
I expected 10 furnish the spark TO set hale
the world fin flames.