The Washington times., 1903-01-28
Senator Quay, of His Own
VOlition, Announces He
VIII Give 1t Precedence
in View Of Paramount I'M
pOTtanCe.
Foreign Relations Commit
tee to Consider Treaty
Saturday and VIII Report
Favorably-Final Action
Within Ten Days.

FdVOIdDIy-FlI ACIlOa
Within Ten Days.
Because OF the action OF Senators
Spooner and Fairbanks the meeting os
the Foreign Relations COMMITTEES called
for today was postponed until Saturday.
The members Of the committee say that
the Panama Canal treaty vii be favor
ably reported at that time. and will be
ratified within ten DAYS
Senator Quay this morning of his own
volition informed the members OF the
committee that because of the para
mount Importance of the canal and the
necessity for the United States TO begin
work speedily he would not oppose ex-
ecutive sessions and wiz support an
early ratification of the treaty
/ SinguiarIy enough Senator Morgan.
who has been advocating an inter
+ oceanic canal OF any kind. preferably
the Nicaraguan route. Is the only Sena-
tor who is openly fighting the treaty He
has announced that he VIII prevent its
ratification If possible, but the other
members OF the fnter-oceanie COMMITTEES
who supported him al the last session
are not now wilh him in the course ne
has taken
Positive denial was made this morn
ing by member OF the Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations OF the story
that the committee is showing q dis
/ position TO proceed slowly in acting
upon the Panama Canal treaty because
| Of Senator Morgan's iusisUence That
4 certain questions raised as to Sennr
| HeFTans authority shall first be an
/ swered-
Il was asserted with equal decision
that the resolution Of inquiry intro
duced in the Senate by Senator Morgan
and referred to the committee would
sleep in its present resting place. sna
nothing eve. again be heard from it.
- Reason for the course IL regard 10
the Morgan resolution is plain l3r.
/ Herra3 s credentials are now in the
hands Of the State Department, having
been delivered yesterday by the charge
d'a1aires If the Colombian government.
II IS known now that Secretary Hay
had been informed by cable OF he
mailing of these credentials, and ehat
he entered into negotiations with Or
Herraa with the assurance that the
representative Of the Colombian repub-
lie had full power 70 act for his gov
ernment.
Answered by the Press.
This. OF course. invaIidates the Nor
gan resolution. though there could be no
objection TO Senator Morgan pressing it
should he be so disposed. However. the
public press has already answered all
the questions he sought by Senate in
quiry 10 pat to the Senate
Some information hinted at but never
before published vas revealed by the
memt er OF the Senate committee who
talked to Times representative in re-.
gard to the Panama Canal treaty. The
statement has gone forth that several
Senators who were intimate with Min
lister Concha. the former. representative
Of the Colombian republic. are opposed
10 the treaty because the minister him
self was IN doubt as to his authority IN
der the constitution OF his country 20
negotiate a treaty, and that his doubt
was so strong that he has gone home to
oppose ratification there
This is so far from the real facts
said the Senator. that it is well known
in Administration circles. even outside
the State Department. that mad Conchs
not Withdrawn when he did his recall
would have been demanded by the United
States
CoHcha Showed Hostility.
It vas while Concha was in charge OF
the Colombian legation here that his
government sent . note to the United
States intimating that II might be we'll
for this country 10 give some reason Why
Colombia should curtaiI its revenues sim
ply to please the United States Conchs
showed hostility t. tEe United States at
this time
State Department olGciaIs construed the
Colombian note to indicate that Germany
was bidding for the canal concessions.
this having long been suspected. and that
COHcha was promoting the interests Of
the Kaiser as against the United States.
The result vas that Secretary Hay
sent diplomatic. but at the same Cus
q rather sharp. note TO Colombia 10 the
effect that If the United States was pre-
vented from obtaining the canal cessiol.
il should rot 20 20 any other country.
Colombia was given peep into the
Monroe Doctrine and Secretary Hay sent
with it an American dictionary in order
that the meaning should be plain
Minister Concha then declined 30 pro-
ceed with the United States in the Ee-
gotiatIoBs for a treaty asserting that tke
Colombian constitution provided that
only the congress of that government
could delegate authority TO make
treaties.
Not Shared by Present Government.
It is believed that the construction
Coucha placed on that provision is not
now shared by the MaTrOquin govern
ment. The constitution is not unlike
that Of the United States. The Presi-
dent can delegate, but Congress must
ratify.