The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-12-11

i craftsmanship is being steadily raised.
The best work ashore is Indispensable
| but the highest duty of a naval officer is
| to exercise command at sea-
1t Is eminently desirable, however, that
there should be provided a naval general
staff on lines similar to those of the general
! staff lately created for the army Within
| the navy department itself the needs of
the service have brought about a system
| under which the duties of a general staff
are partially performed; for the bureau of
navigation has under its direction the war
college, the office of naval intelligence and
! the board of inspection, and has been in
1 close touch with the general board of the
| navy. But though under the excellent off,
GERS at their head. these boards and bureaus
| do good work they have not the authority
| of a general staff, and have not sufficient
scope to insure proper readiness for
by law of body of trained officers, who
shall exercise systematic control of the
military affairs Of the navy, and be author
| lied advisers OF the secretary concerning 1t.
The Isthmian Canal.
By the act of June %, 1902, the congress
| authorized the president to enter into
| treaty with Colombia for the building of
the canal across the Isthmus of Panama;
| 1t being provided that in the event of
! failure to secure such treaty after the
lapse of reasonable time, recourse
should be had to building canal through
! Nicaragua. 1t has not been necessary to
! consider this alternative, as l am enabled
| to lay before the senate a treaty provid-
| ing for. the building of the canal across
| the lSthmus of Panama. This was the
| route which commended itself to the de-
| liberate Judgment of the congress. and
we can now acquire by treaty the right
| to construct the canal over this route.
The question now, therefore. is not by
which route the isthmian canal shall be
built, for that question has been definite
| ly and irrevocably decided. The question
is simply whether or not we shall have
an iSthmian canal.
| When the congress directed that we
! should take the Panama route under
| treaty with Colombia, the essence of the
condition, of course, referred not to the
| government which controlled that route.
across which the route lay, not to the
name which for the moment the territory
bore on the map. The purpose of the law
was to authorize the president to make
treaty with the power in actual con-
! troll of the Isthmus of Panama. This
purpose has been fulfilled.
Isthmian Treaty Obligations.
In the year 1916 this government en-
! the predecessor upon the Isthmus of the
Republic of Colombia and of the present
| Republic of Panama, by which treaty 1t
citizens of the United States should al
| ways have free and open right of way
or transit across the Isthmus of Panama
| by any modes of communication that
might be constructed, while in return our
government guaranteed the perfect neu-
! trality of the above-named iSthmus with
the view that the free transit from the
| one to the other might not be inter-
| rupted or embarrassed. The treaty vest
| ed 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 Gran
ada has passed away and its territory
has been divided. Its successor, the gov
| eminent of Colombia, has ceased to own
| any property in the isthmus. new
republic, that of Panama. which was at
| one time a sovereign state. and at an
| other time mere department of the sue
cessive considerations known as New
| Granada and Colombia, has now succeed
| the other formerly exercised over the
isthmus But as long as the isthmus en-
dures, the mere geographical fact of it's
existence, and the peculiar interest there
in which is required by our position,
perpetuate the solemn contract which
binds the holders of the territory to re-
spect our right to freedom of transit
across it. and binds us in return to safe
guard for the isthmus and the world the
exercise of that inestimable privilege.
The true Interpretation of the obligatio
| this treaty of 1916 has been given repeat
eddy in the utterances of presidents and
secretaries of state.
For 400 years, ever since shortly after the
discovery of this hemisphere, the canal
across the isthmus has been planned. For
6sD f IT has The worked at
to alter the geography of continent and
the trade routes OF the world. We have
by every t treaty we Raye me-
in control of the isthmus and with foreign
nations in reference thereto our consistent
good faith in observing our obligations; on
the one hand to the peoples of the isthmus,
and on the other hand to the civilized world
whose commercial rights we are safe
guarding and guaranteeing by our r. action etc
and spirit, and we have shown the utmost
forbearance in exacting our own rights.
Colombia's Reputation of Treaty.
! Last spring, under the act above re-
ferred to, a treaty concluded between the
representatives of the Republic of Colon
bia and of our government was ratified
by the senate. This treaty was entered
pie of Colombia and after a body of ex-
perts appointed by our government es-
pecially to go into the matter of the
routes across the isthmus had pro-
nounced unanimously in favor of
Panama route. In drawing up this treaty
every concession was made to the people
and to the government of Colombia We
| were more than just in dealing with
them. Our generosity was such as to
make it a serious question whether we
had not gone too far in their in
tereSt at the expense of our own: for in
our scrupulous desire to pay all possible
heed, not. merely to the real but even to
the fancied rights of our weaker neigh
Dor, who already owed so much to our
protection and forbearance, we yielded
in all possible ways to her desires in
drawing up the treaty. Nevertheless the
government of Colombia not merely
repudated the treaty, but repudiated it
in such manner as to make it evident by
the time the Colombian congress ad-
journed that not the scantiest hope re-
manned of ever getting satisfactory
treaty from them. The government of
Colombia made the treaty, and yet when
the Colombian congress was called to
ratify it the vote against ratification was
unanimous. 1t does not appear that the
government made any real effort to Sc
cure ratification.
Revolution In Panama.
Immediately after the adjournment of
the congress a revolution broke out in
Panama. The people of Panama had
long been disconnected with the Republic
of Colombia, and they had been kept
quiet only by the prospect of the con-
clusion of the treaty. which was to them
a matter of vital concern. When it be-
came evident that the treaty was hope
lessly lost the people of Panama rose
literally as one man. Not a shot was
fired by a single man on the isthmus in
the interest of the Colombian govern
ment. Not a life was lost in the accom-
plishment of the revolution. The Colon
bian troops stationed on the isthmus
who had long been unpaid, made COM
mon cause with the people of Panama,
and with astonishing unanimity the new
republic was started. The duty of the
United States in the premises was clear
Tn Stri accordance with he nj