Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-12-16
LOOMS ON PANAMA.
Assistant Secretary of State
Speaks on New Republic.
NO DESIRE TO ANNEX THE COUNTRY
President Was Instructed by Con-
Bress to Secure q Route For h
Canal on the Old Route il Pos
sibIe, and He Has Done So.

ner of the Quill club at the Hotel Man
haitian here last night delivered the
following address, which bears the au-
thority of an official statement:
The government has moi desired to
annex Panama and has not done so.
The president simply executed the will
of the American people, with due re-
gard to international law and rights.
He was instructed by congress to Sc
cure a canal route On the isthmus of
Panama If possible. He waited until
the adjournment of the Colombian con-
grass and gave the government of that
country every opportunity to ratify h
treaty or to propose some proper meth
cd looking to the ratification of a new
treaty, and the Colombian congress, in
utter bad faith, rejected the treaty and
adjourned.
I'm less than a weeks time n be-
fore the president could reasonably be
expected to turn to grave consideration
of the Nicaragua route the long expect
ed and inevitable revolution in Pana-
ma came TO pass. The people arose as
one IIluU, anu III thOIOuSh aNNOtOi WA
out the firing of a single shot, unre-
sisted, they quietly established a gov
eminent of their own. They had thrice
been independent, and the right of Sc
ccssion was, l believe, expressly stipu-
lated in some of their constitutions.
"The president directed our meager
naval force ashore, consisting of forty
marines, to do what they could to pre-
serve peace, order and unimpeded
transit across the isthmus. He prompt
ly recognized the de facto government
as soon as he learned that it was in
peaceful possession Of the country.
This is the usual and necessary pro-
ceeding. We have on many occasions
recognized new governments with an
equal degree of celebrity and prompt
ness. Later the republic of Panama
was given full recognition. We are
acting fairly and lawfully under the
treaty of 1S4G. The administration, l
am sure, has no apologies to offer for
its course.
''We were more deeply interested and
more directly in the guarantee contain
ed in the treaty of 1876 than New
Granada was or any other country.
That treaty was negotiated for the
purpose of securing TO us certain can
privileges. We in turn agreed to guar
antee the neutrality of the isthmus, to
keep transit open and to keep foreign
aggressors at a distance. We have
carried out the letter and the spirit of
our part of the agreement. We have
performed generously and faithfully all
of the duties laid upon us and at times
greatly to our disadvantage and very
great cost. Colombia, on the other
hand, seems to have shirked most of
her obligations.
1.-THE rejection of the treaty at Bogo-
ia was an u~nfriendly act from the
viewpoint of international law. Co
lombia appealed to us to enter into a
treaty to build a canal, the treaty was
negotiated with her in a most liberal
spirit on our part and was then reject
ed by the Colombian government and
congress without debate. The eXecu-
tive branch of the government, which
had negotiated it, did not try to secure
its ratification. 1t became evident short
ly after the opening of the Colombian
congress In June that there was moi the
least intention of ratifying the Hay
have been widely current in Bogota
that the United States could not OF
would not build a canal by any other
than the Panama route.
at occurred to certain men in BogO-
ia that the United States could be made
to pay $20,OOO.000 or 100000 in
stead of $4,000. 900, or, better still, as
has beer disclosed by recent published
official correspondence, if the treaty
were rejected or no action taken upon
it and the whole matter postponed for
another year, h concession of the
present French canal company having
expired by that time. the renewal of
that concession would be declared in
valid and ali the rights, privileges and
work Of the French canal company
be practically confiscated and disposed
of to the United States for $%40,000,000
in addition to the 500 900 as pro-
posed and the annuity of $250,000. This
was Il radiant and alluring prospect,
and the temptation proved too strong.
Reflect for a moment on the grave
possibilities which confronted this gov
eminent as it peered into the future
and sought to provide in~telligently for
the many serious complications and
contingencies which the president fore
saw. If the revolution in Panama had
not occurred, if the American people,
guided by the opinions of its most
learned, efficient and highly trusted
engineers, continued to think the Mica
ragua route an impracticable one, if
the people and congress of this country
had insisted that we wait for a year or
until such time as the politicians at
Bogota were ready to negotiate a new
canal treaty and in the meantime their
congress had declared invalid the re-
newal of the French concession, what
might have happened On the isthmus?