Evening star., 1903-11-25
DEFENDED BY FORAKER
Our Attitude in Recognizing
Panama Republic.
p00OTUCIT n nIn PINHT
ROOSEVELT DID RIGHT
WASTING TIME NOT ONE OF HIS
CHARACTERISTICS.
Denounces as False That There Was
Connivance With Panama to
Force the Result.

| GO1CC luC 4NCSu1Is
The annual dinner of the Pittsburg cham
| Der of commerce was held last evening at
the Hotel Schenley, that city. Among the
| speakers were Gov Pennypacker, Senator
B. Foraker, w. S. Shallenberger second
assistant postmaster general, and Dr. D. J.
Holmes, director of mines at the ST. Louis
exposition. Two hundred local business
men enthusiastically received and applaud
| ed the speakers.
Gov. Pennypacker spoke on "The Com
monwealth Of Pennsylvania" Senator For
! aker on Some Political Problems That
| Concern Business Men," Mr.. Shallenberger
on THE Pittsburg Postal District" and
| DR.. Holmes on Western Pennsylvania s
| Natural Resources" Senator Foraker dealt
largely with the isthmian canal and the
| recognition of the new republic Of Pan
ANA. In part he said:
| Under the legislation enacted by the
| Congress the President had right after a
lapse of reasonable time to adopt the
| Nfcaraguan route. Before he had taken
any action under this provision the depart
ment of Panama, which was part of the
territory of the United States of Colombia,
| on the third day of this month seeded and
| set up an independent government.
! Our government four days later, on No
vember Z, recognized that government as
| the de facto government of Panama, and
| has since received it's minister and has
| recognized 1t as government de jure.
He Never Wastes Time.
TT has been said that President Roose-
welt made indecent haste to grant this rec
ognition. There is no excuse for such
statement. He did not waste any time-he
never does Neither did he act without
| In hor n
ognition of new governments has been
| quite as prompt, and in some of them even
| more prompt.
| When. in 1871. the people of France de-
! posed the emperor. Napoleon III, and inSti-
| tuted republic to take the place of the
monarchy our recognition was granted the
| following day. We were equally as prompt
to recognize the republic established in
! Spain in 1873, and the republic of Brazil
| when the emperor, Dom Pedro, was de-
posed. Other precedents might be cited
but these are comparatively recent, and
enough to serve as illustrations of what
our practice has been.
In none of these cases was there any
urgent necessity for such promptness of
action. The recognition was granted in
each instance because all the conditions
existed that are prescribed by internation-
al law as necessary to warrant such recog-
milton; and when those conditions were
found to exist delay was optional
Those conditions are, briefly stated, that
the new government shall be in control,
exercising authority, and be the only gov
ernment that is in control, exercising au-
thority, to which a foreign government
can apply for the protection of it's citizens
in the enjoyment of their life or their
| property, or for the discharge of any other
| international duty.
Colombia Alone to Blame.
'It has been charged in false and
| groundless way that the United States
government connived or intrigued with
| .I.- loo
taken. There is no truth whatever in such
assertion. Such connivance and intrigue
| were not only improper, but from the be-
! ginning manifestly unnecessary.
| THE refusal of Colombia to ratify the
| treaty under which the canal was to be
constructed was, under all the circum-
| stances, not only breach of faith toward
| the United States, but an incalculable out
| rage upon Panama.
by such action, had Panama remained
part of Colombia, it was made impossible
| for the United States to construct the
! nal over the Panama route. We We're
! thereby driven, if we constructed the canal
! at ALL to the Nicaraguan route. to the IT.
! reparahle prejudice, loss and injury of
| Panama.
1T 10 no wonder that, under such circum-
| stances. provoked by such an act, Panama
! should take the action she did. 1t would
| have been an injustice to herself rot to
| have taken it, She did not need any urg-
| ing. On the contrary, she at once threat
cned to resent such i'll treatment by the ac-
| ton she finally took
"Only Colombia seems to have been blind
| to the course of events for which her ac-
, ton was responsible. But, however all that
may be, the fact remains that Panama has
| seeded and has established an independ-
| ent government, which is, and was when
we recognized it, in complete control of her
| entire territory
| There was at that time and there is
now, no vestige of the Colombian govern
l ronf HNySfhf fha f,srr
soldiers, constabulary, no officials no
representatives of any kind of Colombian
authority, and there is every prospect that
the same conditions will continue as they
are now.
Duty to Recognize Panama.
Under such circumstances, In view of
our treaty obligations and the compulsion
we were under on that account to be pres
ent in Panama when necessary to preserve
the transit from interruption it was not
only our privilege but our necessity and
duty. to recognize the new republic. since
1t was the only government with which in
the discharge of that duty we could have
official relations.
THE result of all this is that Colombia.
for reasons of her own-it is not neces-
sary to characterize them; they speak for
| themselves-has forfeited her opportunity
/ and has lost all that we were anxious to
| generously give her. 1t is through no
| fault of ours that this misfortune has be-
! fallen her. and there is no reason why, in
view of all that has transpired. we should
| have any concern on her account.
we have already signed with Panama a
new treaty. 1t is far more favorable to us
| than the one Colombia rejected. In due
time it will, no doubt. be ratified and it is
| hoped that the day is not far distant when
| the construction of the canal will be actu-
| ally commenced.
| Regarding the Philippines.
| From time to time we see estimates of
| the cost that has been incurred on account
| of the acquisition of the Philippines, the
| suppression of the insurrection and the
maintenance there of the military and civil
governments we have established and over
| against this great aggregate set
down the comparatively minor results of
| close calculations of the financial nrnfits