The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-08

event of war between Peru and Spain
the United States would carry into ef-
feet fec the guaranty o. nsutraiity- mere ere
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 ISL that the department or
state had reason to believe that an at
tack upon Colombian sovereignty on the
isthmus had, on several occasions, been
ment. In 1856. when Colombia was under
the menace of hostilit.es from Italy IN
the Cerruti case, Mr. Bayard oppressed
the serious concern that the United
States could rot but feel. that Euro
pean power should resort to force against
sister republic OF this hemisphere, as
to the sovereign and uninterrupted use OF
a part OF whose territory We are guar
antors under the solemn faith Of treaty.
The above recital OF facts establishes
beyond question: First. that the United
States has for over half a century pa
tiently and in good faith carried out its
obligations under the treaty of 1916; sec
opd. that when for the first time it be-
came possible for Colombia 10 do any
thing in requital Of the services thus re-
peatediy rendered TO II for 81 years BY
the United States. the Colombian gov
eminent peref:iptorily and extensively re-
fused thus to do its part, even though
to do so would have been to its advan-
tage and UNNECESSARILY 10 the advantage
OF the state OF Panama, at that time I'M
der its jurisdiction. third, that through
out this period revolutions, riots, and
factional disturbances of every kind have
occurred one after the other IN almost
uninterrupted succession some of them
lasting for months and even for years,
While the central government was unable
10 put them down or to make peace with
the rebels: fourth, that these disturb
ances instead Of showing any sign of
abating have tended to grow more
numerous and more serious in the imme-
date past; fifth, that the control of
Colombia over the Isthmus of Panama
armed Intervention and assistance of the
United States. In other words the gov
eminent of Colombia, though wholly I'M
able to maintain order on the isthmus,
has nevertheless declined to ratify a
treaty the conclusion OF which opened
the only chance to secure its own stAbil-
lty and to guarantee permanent peace
on, and the construction OF a canal
across. the isthmus.
Under such circumstances the govern
ment OF the United States would have been
guAty OF folly and weakness, amounting
IN their sum TO crime against the nation,
hao 1t acted otherwise than 1t did when
the revolution of November last took
place fn4Ranama. This great enterprise OF
building the interoceanic canal cannot be
held up to crafty the whims, or out of
respect TO the governmental Impotence.
or 10 the even more sinister and evil pClit-
zeal peculiarities, of people who, though
they dwell afar off, yet against the wish
or the actual jewellers on the istEmuS, as
sert an unreal supremacy over the terri
tory The possession of a territory fraught
with such peculiar capacities as the 18TH
mus in question carries with ii obligations
shown that this canal cannot be built by
private enterprise. or by any other nation
than our own; therefore ii must be built
by the United States.