Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-11-26
ISTHM|AN CANAL
TREATY SIGNED.
Text of Convention Cannot Be
Made Public for Sew
eral Reasons.
LAND LEASE IN PERPETUAL
The Press Representatives Believe
That IT Follows Not Only the
Spirit But the Letter Of the
Spooner Act.

washington, Nov. 19.-The Hay
Bunau-Varilla isthmian canal treaty
was signed last evening at the home
of Secretary Hay by the secretary
and Philippe Bunau-Varilla, minister
from Panama.
The treaty in its text cannot be
made public at this moment for two
reasons, first, because of the unwrit-
ten law which obliges the state de-
partment to await the pleasure of the
senate in the matter of publicity;
and, second. because the president
has not yet determined when the
convection shall be submitted to the
senate for ratification. His present
purpose is to withhold 1t until there
is reasonable assurance that its con-
sideration will not obstruct any of
the legislation for which the present
special session OF congress was
called. But certain facts have been
disclosed as to the provisions of the
treaty which makes it appear that in
its general outlines the new Hay
Bunau-Varilla convention is pattern
ed ON the void Hay-Herran treaty,
with the exception that the new con.
vention follows not only the spirit but
the letter of the Spooner act. Thus,
instead of the lease for fixed period
of the canal strip, this new treaty
provides for perpetual lease of the
right OF way to the United States.
And instead of complicated provis-
ion for court of mixed composition,
half American and half Colombian. to
administer justice over the canal
strip, the new treaty tpermits the
United States government to exer-
else complete jurisdiction thereon.
The United States may fortify the
line and the terminals and it may
police it with troops. The money
consideration is understood to be the
same, $10,O00,000
In fact the foregoing summary OF
the substance of the treaty, the AS
ISOLATED Press is able to give as fairly
representative of the provisions of
the document. The treaty consists
of between twenty-five and twenty
five articles, but the main points of
the convention are contained in the
first articles.
The keynote of the treaty is the
ticles by which Panama cedes to the
United States whatever land or lands
throughout the republic of Panama
this government shall find desirable
in connection with the building or
the operation and maintenance of the
canal In addition the treaty gives
to the United States absolute sover-
eighty over the canal strip, which it
&c rn1nrctnnH hnt
eight and ten miles on each side of
the canal. Within this zone the
power of the United States is as alb
5olute as If the zone were part and
parcel of this country.
Permission also is given the United
States to fortify the line and the ter
minals and it may police it with
troops. That portion of the treaty
dealing with the fortification of the
terminals is rather general, but suffi-
GENTLY explicit not to be misunder
stood.
The cities of Panama and Colon re-
tain their municipal autonomy under
the republic of Panama SO long as
they maintain public order and sani-
tary conditions to the satisfaction of
the United States. Failure to do this
gives the United States, according to
the treaty, the right to force strict
compliance vita >he wishes of this
government in ssss direction and the
United States can even use force to
compel obedience to it's rules as to
public order and public health in
these cities.
Washington, Nov. 20-From vari-
GUS sources additional information in
| regard to the terms and provisions Of
the Panama treaty has been obtained
Under it the United States guaran-
tees and agrees to maintain the in
dependence of Panama. 1t is under
stood that this clause was inserted
in order to set at rest all questions as
to the recognition of Panama as an in
dependent nation by the other govern
mentS