Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1903-12-11
this Government AS follows:

tant to the commercial world, ana eSpe-
| cially to the United States. whose pos
sessions extend along the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts, and demand the speediest
and easiest modes of communication.
While the rights of sovereignty OF the
states occupying this region should al
ways be respected. we shall expect that
these rights be exercised in a spirit be-
fitting the occasion and the wants and
circumstances that have arisen. Sover-
eighty has its duties as well as its rights,
and none of these local governments,
even If administered with more regard to
the just demands of other nations than
they have been. would be permitted, in
spirit of eastern isolation. to close the
gates OF intercourse on the great high
ways of the world and justify the act by
the pretension that these avenues Of
trade and travel belong to them and that
they choose to shut them. or. what is
almost equivalent to cucumber them
with such unjust relations as would pre-
vent their general use"
Seven years later. in 1865, Mr.. Seward
in different communications took the fol-
lowing position
THE United States have taken and
will take no interest in any question of
internal revolution in the State of Pan
anna, or any State of the United States of
Colombia, but will maintain a perfect
neutrality in connection with such do
nestle alterations. The United States
will. nevertheless hold themselves ready
to protect the transit trade across the
isthmus against invasion of either do
nestle or foreign disturbers of the peace
Of the State of Panama. - Neither
the text nor the spirit of the stipulation
in that article by which the United States
engages to preserve the neutrality of the
Isthmus of Panama imposes an obiga-
tion on this Government to comply with
the requisition [of the President of the
mi q Of a., f1.
protect the Isthmus of Panama from a
body of insurgents of that countryl. The
purpose of the stipulation was to guar
antee the isthmus against seizure or in
.vasion by foreign power only"
Last spring, under the act above re-
ferred to. treaty concluded between tho
representatives of the Republic of CO.
lombia and of our Government was rati-
lied by the Senate. This treaty was en-
tered into at the ur<ent solicitation Of
the people of Colombia and after a body
of experts appointed by our Government
especially to go into the matter of the
routes across the isthmus had pronounced
unanimously in favor of the 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 Sc
rious question whether we had not gone
too far in their interest 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 neighbor. who already owed SO
much to our protection and forbearance,
we yielded in all possible ways to her
desires in drawing up the treaty Never
theless the Government of Colombia not
merely repudiated the treaty but repu-
dated it in such manner as to make it
evident by the time the Colombian Con-
gress adjourned that not the scantiest
hope remained of ever getting a salts
factory treaty from them The Govern
ment of Colombia made the treaty and
yet when the Colombian Congress was
called to ratify it the vote against rati-
fcation was unanimous. 1t does not ap-
pear that the Government made any real
effort to secure 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 conclusion
of the treaty, which was to them a mat
ter of vital concern. When it became
evident that the treaty was hopelessly
lost. the people of Panama rose literally
as one man. Not a shot was fired by
single man on the isthmus in the interest
Of the Colombian Government. Not
ACCOMPLISHMENT
the revolution. The Colombian troops
on the isthmus, who had long
been unpaid. made common cause with
the people Of Panama. and with aston
shing unan imity the new republic was
started. The duty of the United States
in the premises was clear. In strict ac-
cordance with the principles laid down
by Secretaries Cass and Seward in the Of
icial documents above quoted, the United
States gave notice that it would permit
the landing of no expeditionary force,
the arrival Of which would mean chaos
md destruction along the lire of the rail-
road and Of the proposed canal. and an
of transit as an inevitable
The de facto Government
IF Panama was recognized in the follow
ng telegram to Mr.. Ehrman:
''The people of Panama have. by APP
)arently unanimous movement, dissolved
heir political connection with the Re-
public of Colombia and resumed their in
dependence. When you are satisfied that
1 de facto government republican in
Iorm and without substantial opposition
rom its own people, has been established
n the State of Panama. you will enter
nto relations with it as the responsible
govern ment of the territory and look to
I for all due action to protect the per-
sons and property of citizens of the
United States and to keep open the
sthmirn transit. in accordance with tho
,DlSdtlONS Oh existing TREATIES SONtTu-
ng the relations OF the United States to
hat territory
Treaty With Republic of Panama
Every effort has been made by the Gov
,rnment of the United States to persuade
Colombia to follow a course which was
essentially not only to our interests and
o the interests of the world, but to the
interests of Colombia itself. These ef-
orts have failed and Colombia, by her
in repulsing the advances that
lave been made, has forced us, for tho
AXE of our own honor. and of the inter-
st and we'll being. not merely of our own
people. but OF the people Of the Isthmus
II Panama and the people Of the civilized
countries of the world. to take decisive
teps to bring to an end a condition OF
n irs which had hecnme infnlarahle.