The sun., 1903-11-07


the United States guarantees positively
and efficaciously to New Granada by the
present stipulation, the perfect neutrality
of the before mentioned Isthmus. with the
view that the free transit from the one to
tho other sea may not be interrupted or
embarrassed in any future time while this
treaty exists and in consequence the United
States guaranteed in the same manner the
rights Of sovereignty and property which
New Granada has and possesses over the
said terri ory'
The close connection thus created be-
tween the two Governments was we'll set
forth by President Polk in his message
transmitting the treaty to the Senate.
He said The importance Of the conces-
sion to th, commercial and political in
terests OF tnn nted States cannot be over
rated The route by the lathmus Of Panama
Ia the shortest between tho two oceans,
and from the information herewith COM
municatad il would seem to be the most
practicable for railroad or canal.
s'The vast advantages to our commerce
which would result from such a ccmmuni-
cation. not only with the west coast OF
America. but with Asia ard the islands OF
tho Pacific, are too obvious to require any
detail Such passa gSs%oud save us from
long aud dangerous navigation OF more
than 9,CGO miles around the Horn and render
our communication with our possessions
on the northwest coast of America COM
paratively easy and speedy The treaty
does not propose to guarantee territory
to a foreign nation in which the tnitedStates
will rot have common interest with that
nation. On the contrary, we are more
deeply and directly interested in the sub
ject Of the guarantee than New Grenada
herself or any other country
These considerations, the controlling
nature of which were at once recognized
SO long ago, have become more and more
important in every year that has elapsed
since the treaty was written. Even the ac-
ouisition of Hawaii and the Philippines has
given them greatly enhanced validity.
The control, in the interest Of the COM
merce and traffic of the whole civilized world,
of the means of undisturbed transit across
the Isthmus of Panama has become of
transcendent importance to the United
States. The right TO this control we have
never forfeited by any laxity of our own,
either in the assertion of our rights or in
the performances of our duty under the
treaty.
-In lS5a Mr. Everett assured the Peru
Wan Minister that we should not hesitate
to maintain the neutrality of the lsthmus
in the case Of war between Peru and Co
lombia; in 1894 Colombia, which has always
been vigilant to avail self of its privi-
leges conferred by the treaty. expressed
it's expectation that in the event OF war
between Peru and Spain the United States
would carry into effect the guarantee of
neutrality There have been few admins
trations of the State Department in which
this treaty has not. either by the one side
or the other. been used as basis of more
or less important demands
1T was said by Mr.. Fish in 1871 that the
Department of State had reason to believe
that en attack upon Colombian sovereignty
in the Isthmus had on several occasions been
averted by warning from this Government.
In 1885, when Colombia was under the men.
ace Of hostilities from Italy in the Cerruti
case, Mr. Bayard expressed the serious
concern that the United States could not
but feel that a European Power should not
resort to force against a sister republic OF
this hemisphere as to the sovereign and
uninterrupted Use OF a part OF whose terri
tory we are guarantees under the solemn
faith Of q treaty.
4The United States has not only con-
stantly protected Colombia from foreign
invasion on the strength of the rights and
the duties created by the treaty of lS48.
but has time and again intervened to pre-
vent the freedom of traffic from disturb
anco in the course of domestic disse nsions.
In these cases we have interviewed, some.
times at the suggestion of Colombia, some
times on our own impression of the necessi-
ties of the case, but always to the profit OF
Colombia as we'll as of universal commerce.
The position of the United States was
clearly set forth by Mr.. Seward in these
words:
.'The United States have taken and
will take no part in any question OF internal
revolution in the State of Panama or any
State of the United States of Colombia,
but will maintain a perfect neutrality in
regard to such domestic controversies.
The United States will, nevertheless, hold
themselves ready to protect the transit
trade across the Isthmus against invasion
OF either domestic or foreign disturbances
of the peace of the State of Panama
There has never been any doubt Of the
validity of the treaty Of ls46 to guarantee
free and open transit either for American
citizens or for the Government OF the United
States.
we have used the lsthmus for tne IRAN
sit of troops and of fugitives from justice,
and a protocol was signed at Bogota on
the 22d Of February. 1879, acknowledging
this right of transit for troops and extra
dited fugitives belonging to the United
States, a right, as is declared In the proto-
col, which is established in compensa-
ton for the guarantee Of the sovereignty
and property Of the Isthmus, to which the
same Government is bound
1T must not lie lost sight of that this
treaty is not dependent for its efficacy on
the personnel Of the signers or the name
of the territory it Affects. 1t is covenant
as lawyers say, that runs with the land,
The name of New Granada has passed
away; it's territory has been divided. But
as long as TIE Isthmus endures the great
geographical fact keeps alive the solemn
compact which binds the holders of the ter
ritory to grant US freedom CT transit and
binds us in return to safeguard for the 18TH
mus and the world the exercise of that
inest Unable privilege.
1T is therefore too clear for discussion
that when at the repeated solicitation OF
the Government OF Colombia n treaty was
entered into between that Government