The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-14
STOOD BY PANAMA.
What the Presidents Annual
Message Would Have Said.

Washington, Nov 14.-For several
weeks President Roosevelt has had in
preparation his annual message to N
gress to be presented at the opening of
the regular session ON the first Monday
of December. That part of the message
in which the president discussed the
negotiations between the United States
and Colombia for an iSthmian canal
treaty, it is said was completed about
two weeks ago. Events which have oc-
CURED on the isthmus and in this
country since that time have made it
necessary for the president completely
to rewrite that part of the message
touching the canal negotiations.
In the opening sentence of his dis
cussion of the negotiations with Colon
bia the president said:
Il regret the report that, contrary to
all expectations, the government of the.
republic of Colombia refused to ratify
the treaty for building a canal across
the ISthmus of Panama.
Then after stating that the treaty
had been negotiated at the earnest re-
quest of the government of Colombia
and consequently was disapproyed by the
Colombian senate, the president said
that the powers exercised by the United
States under the treaty of 1916 were so
large in the protection of transit across
the isthmus hat it sometimes had been
questioned whether it was necessary
now to obtain a treaty for the purpose
of building a canal. Continuing he
wrote:
High authorities on International
law hold that the canal can be dug as
an incident to exercising the power to
prevent the obstruction of traffic across
the isthmus. Nevertheless, in accord
ance with QUE settled policy of behav-
ing with scrupulous fairness and gen.
| crosby toward our weaker sister re-
publics of the south, taking no position
that can even by implication be treated
as unfriendly, unless literally forced
thereto, we have endeavored to pro-
vide for the building of the canal by
treaty. In this treaty we went as Tar
as it is possible for us to go in the dl-
rection of making concessions to the
| United States of Colombia. No further
| concessions can or should be made by
this government"
The president then stated that the
circumstances of the canal case were
| peculiar, The canal, he said, must be
dug. It was demanded by he interests
of this nation and by those of the CIVIL
lied world. The United States had
solemnly pledged its word that it should
be free to the of the World.
reserving to ourselves merely the right
to see that it shall peyer be used to our
military disadvantage.
"A private company Whlcn IN the
past undertook to build the canal hao
failed. The events of the last Few years
warrant US in now saying not only that
the canal shall not be constructed by
any foreign government, but that 1t IS
not to be constructed by any private
comnauv. 1t must. therefore, be done
by the government of the United
Referring further. along to the terri
tory bisected by the canal, the president
wrote:
desires to safeguard with scrupulous care
the interest and the honor of such coun-
try or countries. On the other HAND,
in my Judgment, it is time to declare
that the beginning of the canal cannon
we his ain
does not desire to be unreasonable or
inpatient, but it cannot and will no
permit any body of men permanently 10
obstruct n of the great world hlgn-
Wavs of traffic, and refusal to permit
the building of the canal amounts tc
such obstruction. OF course to insist on
unreasonable terms is equivalent TO a
refusal"
Adverting to that phrase of the
Spooner law which says that h pres1-
dent shall have reasonable time to de-
termine as between the Panama am
Nicaraguan routes the president wrote:
Reasonable time in the case of such
ran enterprise as this, an enterprise
which has been thought of for nearly
four centuries. which has been planned
in detail and worked at for half a
century. and which when complated
will endure for ages and will change
the geography of a hemisphere and
the trade routes of the world must
of course, mean whatever time is nee
eSSdTN 10 COW ME- OuASGANCo IAoS ~HH
course we are following is wise and
proper.
cit seems evident that in a matter
such as this we should finally decide
which is the best route. and if the ad-
vantages of this route over any other
possible route are sufficiently marked
we should then give notice that we car
no longer submit to trifing or insin-
eere dealing on the part of those whom
the accident of position has placed il
, temporary control of the ground
through which the route must pass
that if they will come to agreement
with us in straightforward fashion we
shall in return act not only with jus
tice but with generosity; and that i
they fail to come to such agreement
: with US, we must forthwith take thu
: matter into our own hands"
I nncINFCC CTCCl0M