The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1903-12-16

SquadToh from Martinique would have
DornS dowA upon the isthmus and per.
hAps lRAd0d marines at Colon and seat
them across the isthmus 70 PaAama
and along the line ee the canal to pre-
tect the interests and property OF
French citizens. There would In all
probability have been an armed con
Aict between France and Colombia or
France ut least would have felt her
self compelled TO hold the isthmus for
a long period. This would have
wrought Immediately and poignantly
upon the SensibilitiOs of the American
people In respect to the Monroe doc
trine, and we should no doubt have
found ourselves viewing France with
annoying apprehension. The French
Warships might easily have been fol-
lowed by those OF England and Hol-
land, and Panama, like the Balkan
states, might well have been expected
to furnish the spark to set half the
world In flames.
This situation which have describ-
ed, fraught with real and momentous
dangers, furnished one Of the very Sc
rious possibilities which the admins
tration had to reckon with in dealing
with the revolution in Panama. When
you keenly grasp the full sense of i'm
minent danger Of foreign complications
which confronted the president and the
plainly evident truth that no justice,
generosity, fair dealing or business
like consideration could be obtained
from Colombia; when you consider
further our obligations under the treaty
OF 1S46 and the opportunity afforded to
put an end to the long series OF san
culinary and enfeebIing revolutions
which have wasted the resources and
arrested the progress Of the isthmus;
when you recall Colombias dog in the
manager attitude and. the salient, dan
gerous, pressing eXigencies Of the sit
uation which confronted this govern
ment upon the night of Nov. / think
you may well be glad that there was
in Washington upon this truly fateful
occasion a man who possessed the in
sight, the knowledge, the spirit and the
courage TO seize the opportunity to
strike 4 blow the results Of which can
be fraught only with peace and good to
the whole world.
zone of the most significant and val
liable results of our action in respect
TO Panama will he the wholesome OBJ
iect lesson and the enduring moral eff
feet which our supremacy on the 18TH
mus will bring to the eyes of certain
people who are IN sore need Of instruc
ton in the practice of peaceful pur-
suits and orderly administration. 1t
also would he not without value for
these people clearly to understand in
dealing with the United states that
there is limit to the patience and the
forbearance Of this government.
"ln this sense At least we hope TO he
throughout the new world.
We want the American republics to
know that honest toll is dignitieu and
we want them to entertaiQ
a spirit of federation in all matters; we
want the ideas of civil and religious
liberty and free education to have wide /
scope and abundant appreciation. and |
we desire all of our Latin-American !
friends heartily to join US in urging, |
and vitalizing the principle |
IF international arbitration.
"ln these peaceful ways It is the de-
sire Of this government to Americanize |
he new world and perhaps the old, but /
not by the power of the almighty dol
lar not by the urgency of trade de-
nands. not by any manifestat ton or
display of force but rather by the more
potent and enduring means Of the dis
,emination OF those lofty, civilizing
agencies. those great principles, those
inc ideals. those substantial virtues,
lpon which our country was founded
md upon which it has continuously
hrivcd and had its well being"