The San Francisco call., 1903-12-08
ReUiew of Efforts
for Isthnlidn Canal
History of the Negotiations
for the Great Watera0ay
Which eliminated in Gre
alton of a Ne7v Republic

By the act OF June IS. 1902. the Congress au-
thorizeo the President to enter into treaty with
the Isthmus of Panama; il being provided mai
IN the event of failure TO secure such treaty
,s s5eer me lapse OF reasonable time. recourse
should be had TO building a canal through Mica
ragua. 1t has not been necessary to consider
this alternative, as / am enabled to Law before
the Senate treaty providing for the building
Of the canal across the Isthmus of Panama
This was the route which commended itself to
the deliberate Judgment OF the Congress ana
we can now acquire by treaty the right to con-
struct the canal over this route. The question
nov. there.ore, is not BY which route tie 18TH
man canal snail be built, for that question has
been definitely and irrevocably decided The
question Is simply whether or not we shall have
an isthmian canal.
Nhen the Congress directed that we should
take the Panama route under treaty with CO.
% %loInoia the essence OF the condition. of course
TeIerreo not TO the Government which con-
trolled that route. but to the route itself. to
the territory across which the route Law NOT to
the name which for the moment the Territory
bore on the map. The purpose Of the law a,as
TO authorize the President TO make treatv
with the power in actual control Of the Isthmux
OF Panama This purpose has been fuIdlIed
In the year 1s4e this Government entered
into a treaty with New Granada, the pre-
decessor upon the istbmus Of the republic Of
Colombia and of the present republic of PAN
anna. by which treaty it was provided that
the Government and citizens Of the United
states should always have free and Open right
OF way or transit across the isthmus OF PAN.
anna by any modes of communication that
might be constructed while in rsturr orr
Government guaranteed the perfect ne1,traIitv
OF the above mentioned isthmus with the view
that the free transit from the one to the
other sea might not be interrupted or en-
barrassed. The treaty vested In the United
States a substantial property right carved out
OF the rights Of sovereignty and property which
New Granada then had and possessed over
the said territory. The name of New Granada
has passed away and its territory has been
divided Its successor, the Government OF
Colombia. has ceased to own any property
IN the isthmus.
A new republic. that of Panama, which was
NJ ff-aa
time mere department OF the successive con-
federations known New Granada ana CO.
lombia. has now succeeded to the rights which
first one and then the other formerly exer-
cised over the isthmus. But as long as the
isthnus endures the mere geographical fact OF
It's existence and the peculiar interest therein
which is required by position 2erpetuate
the solemn contract which binds the holders
OF the territory to respect our right to free
dom OF transit across It, and binds us in re-
turn to safeguard for the isthmus and the
world the exercise OF that inestimable privilege
which the United States entered in this treaty
of 1916 has been given repeatedly in the ut
terances Of Presidents and Secretaries of State
Secretary Cass in 1908 officially stated the
position OF this Government as follows
The progress Of events has rendered the
interoceanic route across the narrow portion
of Central America vastly important TO the
commercial world and especially 20 the United
States. whose possessions extend along the
speediest and easiest modes of communication
While the rights OF sovereignty of rhe states
occupying this region should always be re-
speeted we shall expect that these rights be
exercised in a spirit beftting the occasion
and the wants and circumstances that have
arisen. Sovereignty has its duties as we'll as
its rights and of these IocuI govern
rnents even II administered with mere regard
to the Just demands of other nations than they
have been, would be permitted in a spirit of
Eastern isolation to close the gates Of inter-
course on the great highways OF the world
and Justify the act by the pretensfon that
these avenues Of trade and travel belong to
them and thst they choose TO shut them or
what is almost equivalent. to cucumber them
with such unjust relations would prevent
Seven years later. in 1855. Mr. Seward IN
different communications took the following
position:
The United States have taken and will
take no interest in any question OF internal
revolution in the state of Panama or anv
state of the United States of Colombia but
will maintain perfect neutrality in counec-
tion with such domestic alterations The
United States will. nevertheless hold them
selves ready TO protect the transit trade across
the isthmus against invasion OF either domestic
or foreign disturbers OF the peace CT the state
OF Panama. Neither the text nor the
spirit Of the stipulation in that article bv
which the United States engages to rraserve
the neutrality OF the isthmus of Panama i'm
poses an obligation this Government to
comply with the requsition Iof the President
of the united states OF Colombia for a force
TO protect the isthmus OF Panama from BODY
OF insurgents OF that countryl. The purpose