The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-30
THE PANAMA TREATY AND THE ma.
TIONkL CONSCIENCE.

In a period when rampant speculation
dominates, the national conscience is at
it's lowest ebb. When men are busily en-
gagged chiefly in converting nothing into
something, and trying by manipulative
alchemy to turn water into gold, when
the best business talent of the country
is employed in floating securities thai
have little actual value-when these
things dominate the great marts of the
whose natural gait is running away to
hesitate at grabbing one of Colombia's
states when he feels that he needs it in
his business? The first comment upon the
manipulation of the Panama secession
was at is smart trick" The money
changers and the gamblers applauded the
presidents usurpation just as they APP
plauded Schwab when he was the head OF
a syndicate that fioated securities upon
a credulous public at twice as much as
they were worth. AS an illus
tration of the lack of conscience in dealing
with this question, it is needed only to
quote few extracts from the speech of
Congressman Bede, of Minnesota, at the
Essex dinner in Boston. Speaking of the
President, he said:
Some people may think he is little
impulsive, and others say that his watch
was a few minutes fast when he took
Ill he ,o+
have set it just right at standard time.
But we were going to take Panama any
way (Appause.) It was a question of 10
or Is minutes, and what difference did it
make whether you took it in at sunrise
or at noon? (Laughter.)"
The administrators attitude in the 20
rum of expediency, in the field OF ''let
him take who has the power and let him
keep who can,'' and in the world of land
forum of conscience it has no leg to stand
upon. In international law and common
honesty it is equally indefensible. If the
executive may usurp the power to use
the army and navy to induce a state that
We desire to seceie from it's country, may
he not use it for all sorts of colonial ag
gressions? If this executive usurpation
is approved or condoned, what is to pre-
vent our strenuous Cromwell from dis
solving Congress and usurping all the
powers of government? But if the NOR
conscience of the American people is as
dead as it seems, there is no danger to
al, executive in land piracy and trCpics
buccaneering.
The Charlotte News has a wise and
interesting discussion of the treaty aud
canal question as it affects the South. il
Is a presentation along line too little
discussed and we print it in full below
as valuable addition to the discussion
OF the most absorbing question now be-
fore the American people. The News says:
eve do not know anything that has re-
vealed the real want of inteiIgent leader
ship in politics and in journalism in the
South as much as the attitude OF some
politicians and newspapers toward The
Isthmian Canal
In the first place let US say that We
do not blame the North, that part OF it
with an outlet toward the sea and ~
ing without the Mississippi Valley, tor
preferring Panama to Nicaragua. But
we desire to remark that this preference
was one that had to do with sectional
rather than national reasons. There is
very little difference in miles between
the routes for shipping from New York
t. Panama and to Nicaragua. But there
is a big difference between the routes
from wilmington and Charleston and Sa-
vannah and especially Mobile and New
Orleans to Panama and the routes from
the same cities to Nicaragua. Nicaragua
Is the nearer by an average OF several
hundred miles. And yet with time in
Transportation growing more and more
ptecious with the progress OF the years
and this immense advantage or the Nc
aragua route for Southern seapor.s, SO lit
tie real tudy of the situation was given
by Southern papers and Southern BUSH
ness men, and SO willing was the South
to take the point of view OF the New York
papers, interested of course in minimizing
the competition or Southern seaports with
New York, that the unanimous vote for
the Nicaragua Canal in the House was
weakly reversed In the Senate, even some