The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-16
GERMANY AND THE CANAL.

United StEtcS W0uId not permit 'p-olH-
bia to sell to any European govern
ment. AS the ana is not expected
10 be a gaysng institu ion at tle start,
there IS 10 P0ss biIity u any private
COMPANY completing it. The only
canal that viii be construed 10 con-
meet the two ocean Will b O7a con-
etructed by the United States. That is
certain.
Here may he a text for Il fresh out
burst on the part OF thosa pope at
home and abroad who hOld that the
Monroe doctrine Is = piece of 'cOlbS-
sal ~impBdence.' Colombia not at no
eIJy u Jr-dJ with whom ShE D-eaSeS
as To her own torrt7ry- She must
treat with US or with nobody? Is not
this an offensive assumption of au-
thority coward Il as in
dependent as our own? If this is al
hwnd can any limit be placed on the
operations Of the Monroe doctrine?
"And vet The Press states the case
accurately. Neither Germany nor any
other foreign power would b. per
united To build and control an 18TH
milan canal"
The above is from the Washington
Star. the organ Of the a~dministrl-
ton. In their statements neither the
Philadelphia Press nor the Star his
gone beyond the limits TO the Monroe
doctrine IS construed by the eXecu-
tive branch of our government. 1t has
been laid down that no European
power can acquire by conquest. pur-
chase or anv manner of cessiOn any
territory on the Western newspapers.
This. of course. would include control
of such territory as would be necessary
to construct ana operate an isthmian
62naI- but there IS no DOUBT that the
Monroe doctrine would be held to pre-
e,ude any such power building and
operating the canal, were the Ques-
ticn of ownership or control of terri
tory not at all involved: for i would
he q far greater menace t. the in
tegrity of the American republics for
this important maritime thorOughfare
TO be in the hands of a foreign power
than for that nation to gain posses
SION % som. West Indian island or
establish a colony in some Central or
South American republic.
Whether we are carrying the Mon
roe doctrine too far or not is another
question. entirely distinct from the
VII IL. bNSfOlI- w N1hVI
this position and we are going to
stand by it. The people are ready
snd willing to back the government
in it's contention
Under these conditions it is the duty
of this government to build the canal
and to build it with as little deIly as
possible. It's construction and open
ILE to commerce has become u world
wide necessity Our coasIw.se trade is
suffering because Of its nOu-eXistarce.
The opening Of this canal would be Of
great advantage to all our seapOrts.
both on tEe Atlantic and the Pacific
~seaboard. hardly more t. the south
ern than the northern portions. Eu-
nope would benefit by it to a deSrea
little, if any less than the United
States. and it is this latter demand |
for the canal which places upOn US
the moral obligation TO build it il we
say no one else shall do so. We owe
this to the balance IF tbs world. These
powers have the right to demand that
we delay 40 longer IT this maIrer.
that we do not play the deg in the
manager. If Europe accepts our con-
structiOn of the Monroe doctrine which |
prohibits any of her people building |
this canal then she has the right to
say to US that we.shall construct it. |
Such demand is the logical and natural |
outcome of the position of our gov
eminent. And If we do not in the near |
future show more determination to
enter UDOn the work, then we may
look for these European powers to be-
gin to lose patience with our dilly
dallying over the question and take
concerted action to have the two
oceans connected by = waterway
which will 50 greatly enhance the
value of their commerce.
What does one suppose would have
been the result of highlands closing
the Suez canal on acquiring control
cf it? She would have aroused the in
~CignatiOu of all Europe ana the United
States to such an extent that she I
would have been forced immediately
to reOVen the canal or face the COM
binCd ornaments Of these nations. Our
refusal 10 allow any one else to build
the isthEr2iIn canal and then REFUSE
to build it ourselves i on the same
order, though Of less pronounced char
acter. as would be EngIand's conduct,
in CLOSING the Red So waterway 70
the east The time will sOon come
VIXEN We must show Europe h We
are sincere IN our declared intention
to build the iSthmian canal and are
going 10 90 SO at an early date or we
must face consequences which Will
not be pleasant. The world de-
mands the canal and must have It
If we expect TO maintain the principles
of the Monroe doctrine we must build
it.
An exchange suggests that some
word be coined TO designate the young
laiipS who Onar1t r. ~ ryDav-~Fr.r- e