The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-26
A COSTLY CANAL.
The Panama Middle Will Tighten
Treasury of at Least $2OO,oOO,Oo0.

Are we actually at war with Colon
bia? If state of war does not exist,
the dispatches from Washington are
unintelligible. High officers of the navy
department were in consultation on
Friday, and the conclusion was reach
ed that "if present conditions on the
isthmuS of Panama continued we must
send re-enforcements. It it stated in
the dispatches that Br1gadler General
Elliott, cOmmandant of the marine
corps, will sail aboard the Dixie when
that vessel goes south, with new bat
talon of marines to be assembled at
Philadelphia. The curious announce
nent is added that General Elliott
has been anxious for some days to have
a field command, and it is the present
intention of the officials to grant his
request" If a field command" is to
be given to crafty the ambition OF
either exists or that in the judgment
of the navy department it will speedily
break out.
Another announcement was made,
still more curious In view OF the
growing complications over the Panama
situation the navy department deems
it 'inadVisable longer to announce the
plans of the department with the free
dom shown during the past rev
weeks" This must surely be war. In
time of peace the navy department ex-
ercises no such caution. The public is
freely and fully informed, purely as
matter of routine, of the orders given
and of the movements of our ships OF
war. During the Spanish war the plans
and operations determined upon by the
war board were of course, kept secret
But we were then avowedly at war.
Are we now really at war but without
aVowing it? -.
patched by Admiral Coghlan to the
coast of Colombia would bring on a war
very quickly if Colombia were of our
size" Absolutely the only right or duty
we have upon the isthmus under the
treaty. of 1886 is to protect the freedom
of transit over the Panama railroad
and along the line OF the proposed
canal We have no better right or au-
thority to dispatch warShips to the d1s-
fant Colombian coast and to send naval
officers ashore to hunt for Colombian
troops than We should have TO take Slhn-
liar measures upon the coast OF france,
England or Germany. The operations
of Au1iral Coghlan, under orders, OF
course and the conferences ana conclu-
sions of the secretary of the navy ana
the chief of the bureau of Navigation
give unexpected point ana force 10 sen
etor Norgan's resolution declaring thai
the action of the president amounts 70
a declaration of war against CoioInp id-
THE president has no constitutional au-
thority to make or declare war Wltnou-
the consent Of congress
should the new treaty with Panama
be ratified by the senate. however. the
situation will be changed. Article OF
that instrument declares: 1.-THE United
States guarantees and will maintain
the independence of the repubhc OF
Panama This is a much broader
grant of authority; it implies the as
sunptfon of far more serious ob1ga-
ton than there is warrant for IN the
old treaty with New Granada. The
protection OF transit over the Panama
railroad Involves no necessity for dis
tant expeditions to the Colombian
coast. If we undertake to guarantee
not merely peace and order within
narrow zone along the railroad. but the
independence of the entire republic OF
Panama. the president will have much
better reasons than he now has for
dispatching ships of war carrying
armed marines to the territorial waters
department could then call upon con-
gress for appropriations to defray the
cost of maintaining a considerable
standing army on the isthmus- To such
policies to such risks and such expen-
ditures we shall stand committed ii
the Panama treaty is ratified.
It is going to be an enormously cost
" canal before we are through with 1t
much more costly than the Nicaragua
canal. We are to pay Panama $1,000
0Q0 and we are to pay the Frenchmen
so, 600 000 According to the lowest
estimate of the isthrnian commission 1t
will cost US s144. ono 900 to complete the
work of construction. The prediction
is made on good authority that We
finishing the canal We have before US
at least 5000, 0O0, 900 of expenditure "in
sight" Warned by the experience of
De Lesseps, we must take into consid-
GRAFTON the possibility that 1t may cost,