Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-12-26
Moon.s PHRsEa.
AFFAIRS AT PANAMA.

Last week, Senator .Hoar, Republican,
scored the. action of the president
in the matter sof the. PanamaissreVo-
luton. Hei was. followed. by Senator
German who in the course of his speech
intimated very strongly. that Mr.. Roose-
welt is an unsafe man to trust with the
management of the affairs of the coun-
try. "What / want" said. Mr.. German,
"and what / believethepeople want, not
only in this case, but in. all the cases
that have arisen and are here and are
likely to come, is nothing that will dis
turb the business interests-o the scoun-
try, nothing that will put in jeopardy,
because OF the fear Of some extreme ac-
ton on the part of the Executive, the
thrift and enterprise that we have so
long enjoyed"
The New York Times, one of the best
edited newspapers in the country, in its
issue OF December 10th, thus treats this
Panama affair:
AN APPEAL To THE MORAL SENSE.
II is perfectly true that we restrained
Colombia from putting down an unlaSg-
full revolution against its own authority.
Referring to the meagre records sent to
the House in response TO the Hit reso-
luton, Mr.. Hoar asks:-"Is not this
an act of war upon a friendly though
weak nation as it stands in these imper-
feet Documents Ii was an act of war
because we went far beyond the limits of
our authority and our duty under the
treaty guarantee. We are even now with
our war ships carrying on operations of
restraint and espionage in Colombian
waters and on the coasts of that republic
so offensive, insolent, outrageous and un-
warrantable that from any nation that
was our equal in power and resources
they would evoke indignant protests and
an inquiry, peremptory demand to
know what they meant, followed at once
by war il the offensive acts were not dis
claimed. 1t is insulting to the intelli-
gence of the American people to be told
that the treaty of ls46 gives us the right
practically to blockade the coasts of Col
ombia far beyond the limits of the Re-
public of Panama
Ii becomes increasingly difllult to keep
up the hollow pretence that this reyolu-
ton was not accomplished by our aid
and procurement The chronological Sc
quence of events, as il appears in Sena-
ator Hoar's examination of dates, proves
we knew of the outbreak before it occurr-
ed. that we were prepared for it, and
that we had made such disposition of
our armed forces as to enable US to pro-
tect the rebels from the very moment
that the signal of revolt was given. 1t
was our revolution: II was a canal revo-
luton, not the uprising of a people burn
ing to be free. The instigators of it on
the isthmus were men like Mr.. Bunau-
Varilla, standing in position to reap
money profit from q successful rebellion.
This nation made itself the accomplice
OF these schemers, certainly the accom-
plice after the fact, and the suspicion
that we were accomplices before the fact
is too widespread for the comfort of self
respecting Americans.
The belief is expressed in Washington
that the democratic Senators will not as
sumo for their party the responsibility of
blocking the canal. The country wants
an isthmian canal; if the treaty is defeat
ed the republicans will keep the matter
open for discussion in the expectation of
making abundant party capital during
the campaign. We think they misjudge
the virtue of this issue, and we have an
abiding confidence that they also mis-
Judge the American people. 1t is not
good for a party or a candidate to get
upon the wrong side of moral issue
when an appeal is to be made to the
voters of this nation.
The Panama policy of the President is
a moral issue He has violated century
old traditions of national fair dealing
If its rejection will suit the re-
publicans as campaign issue let them
make the most of it. They expect to
make Mr.. Roosevelt their candidate. If
his isthmian policy is presented to the
people in its true light, if their moral
sense is awakened by the expositions
and appeals of the campaign, their votes
will sweep Mr.. Roosevelt from the
great office whose powers he has abused.
II is not an issue of which democrats