Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1903-12-18
RECOGNITION Of PANAMA
ASSISTANT SECRETARY LOOMS
EXPLAINS OUR POSITION.
During Banquet at New York He
Tells of Conditions Under Which
Republic Was Established-Cites
Possible Result-How France Could
Have Borne Down on the Isthmus.

IIdVc POIHe OOWIl vi Lie iStIlfluSs
New Yorkshire conditions which
resulted in the recent establishment
of the republic of Panama were dis
cussed recently at the banquet of the
Quill club, held at the Hotel Manhat-
tan, by Francis B. LOOMS, assistant
secretary of state of the United
States, and NJ. Philippe Bunau-Varil-
la, minister for Panama. Mr.. Loomis
said:
I'VE have not desired to annex Pa
mama, and we have not done SO. The
president simply executed the will Of
the American people, with due regard
to international law and rights. He
was instructed by congress to secure
canal route on the isthmus Of Pana-
ma if possible. He waited until the
adjournment of the Colombian con-
gress and gave the government of
that country every opportunity to rat
ify the treaty or to propose some prop
err method looking to the ratification
of new treaty, and the Colombian
congress, in utter bad faith, rejected
the treaty and adjourned.
"In less than weeks time. and
before the president could be reason
ably expected to turn to grave con-
sideration of the Nicaragua route, the
long expected and inevitable revolu-
ton in Panama came to pass; the
people arose as one man and in thor
ough accord, without the firing of a
single shot, unresisted, they quietly
established a government of their own.
They had thrice been independent and
the right Of secession was, believe,
expressly stipulated in some of their
constitutions.
1.-THE president dispatched our mea-
ger naval force ashore, consisting Of
40 marines, to do what they could to
preserve peace, order and 'unimpeded
transit across the isthmus. He prompt
ly recognized the de facto government
as soon as he learned that was in
peaceful possession Of the country.
This is the usual and necessary pro-
cedure. We have on many occasions
recognized new governments with an
equal degree of celebrity and prompt
ness. Later the republic of Panama
was given full recognition. We are
acting fairly and lawfully under the
treaty of 1S46. The administration,
am sure, has no apologies to offer for
its course"
Mr.. Loomis discussed the rejection
of the canal treaty by the Bogota con-
gress, and continued:
What Might Have Happened.
'If the revolution in Panama had
not occurred; if the American people,
guided by the opinions of its most
learned, efficient and highly trusted
engineers conunued to think the Mic
araguan route an impracticable one;
If the people and congress Of this coun-
try had insisted that we wait for a
year, or until such time as the politi-
clans at Bogota were ready to nego-
tiate a new canal treaty, and in the
meantime the congress had declared
invalid the renewal of the French con-
cession, what might have happened
on the isthmus? l may safely assert,
without fear Of contradiction by any
well informed person, that the gov
eminent of France would not have
stood by and witnessed the pillage Of
thousands of her people through the
act which Bogota politicians devised
for the looting from the French COM
pany Of $4O,0OO,0OO. ..
I France Would Have Acted.
1.-THE moment that the cables fash
ed from Bogota to Paris the astound-
ing news that the extension of the
French concession was Cancelled, a
French squadron from Martinique
would have borne down upon the 18TH
mus and perhaps landed marines at
Colon and sent them across the 18TH
mus to Panama and along the line of
the canal to protect the interests and
property of French citizens. There
would, in all probability, have been an
armed conflict between France and
Colombia, or France at least would
have felt herself compelled to hold the
isthmus for long period. This would
have wrought poignantly upon the SEN
sibilities of the American people in
respect to the Monroe doctrine, and
we should, no doubt, have found our
selves viewing France with annoying
apprehension. The French warships
might easily have been followed ~
those of England and Holland, and
Panama, like the Balkans. might have
been expected to furnish the spark
to set half the world in flames"
Want banana IN P,v n.hx