The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-12-17
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS


territory across which the route ia9s
not to the name which for the momens
The territory bore on the map. Ina
purpose of the law was to authorize
the president TO make treaty with the
power in actual control of the isthmuf
of Panama. This purpose has been
fulfilled.
For 400 years, ever since shortly after
the discovery of this hemisphere, tiis
canal across the isthmus has been
planned. For twoscore years 1t has
been worked at. When made it is ia
last for the ages. 1t is TO alter the
geography of continent and the trade
routes of the world. We have shown
by every treaty we have negotiated OF
attempted to negotiate with the peo
Piles in control of the isthmus and with
foreign nations in reference thereto our
consistent good faith in observing our
obligations, on the one hand to the pe0-
pies of the isthmus and on the other
hand to the civilized world, whose COM
mercial rights we are safeguarding and
guaranteeing by our action. We have
done our duty to others in letter and in
spirit, and we have shown the utmost
forbearance in exacting our own rights.
Reputation OF Treaty by CoIombia.
Last spring a treaty concluded be-
tween the representatives Of the re-
public of Colombia and of our govern
ment was ratified by the senate. This
treaty was entered into at the urgent
solicitation of the people of Colombia
and after body of experts appointed
by our government especially to so into
the matter of the routes across the
isthmus had pronounced unanimously
in favor of the Panama route. In draw
ing up this treaty every concession was
made TO the people and to the govern
ment of Colombia. We were more
than just in dealing with them. Our
generosity was such as to make it
serious question whether we had not
gone too far in their interest at the ex.
pense of our own, for in our scrupulous
desire to pay all possible heed not
merely to the real but even to the
| fancied rights of our weaker neighbor,
who already owed so much to our pro.
| lection and forbearance, we yielded in
| drawing up the treaty. Nevertheless
the government Of Colombia not mere.
ly repudiated the treaty, but repudi..
| ated it in such manner as to make ii
! evident by the time the Colombian con-
! gress adjourned that not the scantiest
! hope remained of ever getting salts.
factory treaty from them.
Tv
The people of Panama had long been
| discontinued with the republic of Co
| lombia, and they had been kept quiet
only by the prospectsof the conclusion
| of the canal treaty, which was to them
! matter of vital concern. When 1t be-
| came evident that the treaty was hope.
lessly lost the people of Panama rose
| literally as one man. Not q shot was
! fired by single man on the isthmus
in the interest Of the Colombian gov
| eminent. Not life was lost In the
accomplishment of the revolution. The
! Colombian troops stationed on the 18th.
! mus, who had long been unpaid, made
! common cause with the people of Pan
! anna, and with astonishing unanimity
1 the new republic was started. The
duty of the United States in the prem.
Uses was clear. In strict accordance
! with the principles laid down by Sec
/ retaries Cass and Seward, the United
I States gave notice that 1t would per.
| mft the landing of no expeditionary
force, the arrival of which would mean
chaos and destruction along the line of
| the railroad and of the proposed canal
and an interruption of transit as an
inevitable consequence. The de facta
government of Panama was recog
| niZed.
Under such circumstances the gov
eminent of the United States would
have been guilty of folly and weak
ness, amounting in their sum to crime
against the nation, had 1t acted other.
! wise than 1t did when the revolution of
/ Nov. last took place in Panama. This
great enterprise of building the inter-
oceanic canal cannot be held up to
crafty the whims or out of respect to
the governmental impotence or to the
even more sinister and evil political
peculiarities Of people who, though
they dwell afar of, yet. against the
wish of the actual jewellers ON the 18TH
mus, assert an unreal supremacy over
the territory. The possession of a ter.
ritory fraught with such peculiar ca.
pacities as the isthmus in question car
ries with it obligations to mankind.
The course of events has shown that
this canal cannot be built by private
enterprise or by any other nation than
our own; therefore it must be built by
the United States.
| New Treaty With Panama.
! Every effort has been made by the
government of the United States to per-
suade Colombia to follow a course
which was essentially not only to our
interests and to the interests OF the
world, but to the interests of Colon
bia itself. These efforts have failed,
and Colombia, by her persistence in re-
pulsing the advances that have been
made, has forced US for the sake of