The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-12-04
GOVERNMENT OF THE PANAMA
REPUBLIC RATIFIEs THE
NEW CONVENTION.
PUBLIC VIEWS CEREMONY
GENERAL JOLLIFJCATION IN CITY
OF PANAMA OVER THE SIGN
ING OF THE TREATY.

Panama, dec. 3.-ln the grand Sa-
Ion of the governmental palace the
Isthmian canal treaty between the
United States and the republic of
Panama was signed at 1913 Wednes-
day morning by the members of the
junta and by all the ministers of the
Panama republic. Senior Arrange, pes
ident of the junta, was the first to
sign the document. A number of
prominent persons were present, in
GLIDING Senior Bird, president of the
municipality of Panama, and General
Huertas. commander-in-chief of the
forces of the republic.
The ceremony was performed in
public. a number of Panamaians crowd
ing the doors of the salon. A big
flag of the new republic was draped
behind the table on which the docu-
ment was signed. Photographs were
taken OF the principal signers as they
attached their signatures to the treaty.
Senior Arrange announced that the
treaty would not only be signed but
that the fact of it's ratification would
be published Wednesday afternoon.
This announcement was greeted with
great applause by the assemblage. I'm
mediately before attaching his sigma
ture to the treaty Senior Arrange read
a decree in which was recited the fact
that an agreement had been entered
into between NJ. Philippe Bunau-Varil-
la, representing the republic of Pana-
ma, and Secretary of State Hay, rep
%reserting the United States.
This was followed with the text of
the treaty. The decree then says:
Desire independence Preserved.
"Considering first that in the treaty
a guarantee of the independence of
the republic of Panama is obtained
and, second, that for reasons of ex-
ternal safety it is indispensable to
proceed with the greatest celebrity to-
the consideration of the treaty to the
end that this. the principal obligation
on the part of the United States, shall
begin and be eficaciously fulfilled:
and third, that by this treaty the 18th.
milan people consent to the opening of
q canal and to its use for the benefit
of the commerce of all nations, thus
realizing the dreams of all Isthmians;
and fourth. that the junta of provis-
ional government, formed by the
unanimous will Of the people of the
republic. is possessed of full sover-
eign powers over the Isthmian terri
tory, it is decreed that the treaty en-
tered into at Washington on the
eighteenth of November between M.
Philippe Bunau-Varilla and Secretary
John Hay be hereby approved"
The signing of the treaty was JOY
fully accepted by the people and there
was no opposition of n nature
whatever. The members of the pro-
visional government are pleased and
gratified that the matter is now off
their hands.
The gold pen with which the treaty
was signed was presented by the mem
bers of the junta to Consul General
Gudger, with a letter expressing the
pleasure the junta felt in making the
gift.
There was a public manifestation
Wednesday evening in the streets of
Panama in honor of the junta, and
placards were posted saying that Go
lombia's ~pretentions of it's right to sell
the isthmus have been mortally
wounded"
There is every evidence that the
signing of the treaty is an extremely
popular event in Panama.