Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-12-02
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence of the COURIER.
Washington, Dec. 1.

Over half the membership of
the House of Representatives has
returned to the bosom of its con-
stituency to await the date for the
opening of the regular session of
Congress. Hardly a quorum of
of members is left here, and while
this handful of members of the
House is adjourning over three
days at time and waiting for the
Senate to do something, the chief
topic of conversation among them
is the primary situation. There
is but one single note among the
democratic chorus, and that is con-
demnation Of the administration
for its act of piracy against Colon
bia. They say that if any Euro
pean power, or all the powers of
Europe combined, had done to us
what we have done to- Columbia,
the American people would be
resolute for war. There would be
a universal demand for the she'd
ding of the last drop of American
blood, and the spending of the last
American dollar to bring back the
seeding state and restore the in
tegrity of the Union. 1t is we'll to
bear this i'm mind if Colombia's ex-
element Is TO be understood. In
the eyes of her people we have
ceased to be a great, free and lib
erty-loving Republic. We have
become a robber power and have
adopted for our rule of conduct
the brutal maxim that might makes
right. In their eyes we are lost to
all perception of justice and senti-
ments of chivalry and deaf to every
appeal that is not addressed TO our
material interests. They say that
this piratical foray, which disgraces
us before mankind, has been made
by President Roosevelt without
warrant in law or excuse i'm neces-
sity. He has trampled on the
treaty under which we guaranteed
the sovereignty of Colombia over
the Isthmus, and is continuing
to defy the plain mandate of the
Spooner Act. That statute pro-
vides that il the President cannot
get from Colombia permission TO
dig the canal on reasonable terms
and within Il reasonable time he
shall turn to Costa Rica and Mica
ragua and conclude "A treaty for the
construction of the canal by that
route. The people demand an
Isthmian canal; the vote in the
House in favor of the Nicaragua
route was practically unanimous,
but the bill was held up in the
Senate and the SpoOner substitute
adopted to placate and deceive the
people with the delusion that
canal was to be built, but it was
to be one which, il built, would be
of no practical use, could never
antagonize the railroad interests,
and the men on the inside would
get the benefit of the rise in the
price of Panama bonds. Several
birds were killed with the SpOoner
stone.
The persistent enemies of any
lsthmian canal, the transcontinen-
tai railroads, apparently have ac-
eomplished their object and have
succeeded in forcing upon the gov
eminent the adoption of the Panama
route, well knowing thatif the work
shah be commenced no man now
living willeversurvive long enough
to sec its completion, even if it
should prove practicable, which, in
the opinion of the best engineering
talent, is doubtful.
In pursuing the course he has in
this matter the President of the
United States, in the person of
Theodore Roosevelt, has accom-
plished several things, and all of
them reprehensihle in the highest
degree. He has played into the
hands of the worst enemies of any
canal, he has played the game of
the Senatorial grafters and gray
wolves" he has violated the plain
letter of the law of the statutes
which he is sworn to execute, he is
aiding and abetting secession in a
sister Republic, he is upholding
revolution in Panama, he is seek
ing to transform himself from a
constitutional President into an ir-
responsible dictator, and, in the
lanOua0e of the venerable Senator