The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-28
TROUBLE ON. THE IsTHMUs.

That there would be trouble the isthmus of Pan
has been quite certain for time past and the
only surprising is that has been long coming
head They get up revolutions order everywhere
down in those ATTITUDES; and the status of the Panama
canal treaty inducement strong to be over
looked
That the treaty has not been ratified is due to the
inability of the Colombian authorities to agree on a
division of the spos We fail to realize in this country
the utter absence of anything corresponding to idea
of popular government in these little socaed republics
of Central and South America well the utter cor
rupton of those who chance hold power because tenn
porary i'll control of the lputan army that constitutes
the state Therefore we apt to be wrong in our
judgments and foolish in expectations where these
governments concerned.
The canal treaty has been regarded solely by Colon
bia piece of possible plumber too rich to be trlHed
away When representatives of that country talked about
their national interests involved they to be i'm
agned winng the other eye From first to last they
have had but two questions before them first could
money than the United States offered be got out of it
either by threats by caolery second how should the
money that could be got be up among the Colombian
patriots themselves?
While these great issues of craftsmanship were being
decided the outside world has heard very little about the
canal treaty its prospects Nowhere else, not even in
Russia the censorship of complete as IN one
of these little capitals where the dictator for the time
being who calls himself president absolute autocrat.
So Colombia shut down reports of proceedings until
decided.
1t could also be prophesied without risk that the de-
bate the treaty would peaceful finish.
There bound to be a There not enough
money the proposition of the United States satisfy
all the Colombian leaders, and division of what there
was would satisfy all of them The dissatisfied had only
to get up revolution Moreover there strong
possibility that this way the macontents could get all
the loot Themselves well good precedent for them
to follow.
AZ
men administered in those quarters that the
of the sthmus through which the canal route did
rebel and themselves up independent bust
time ago. 1t has been done before. little
revolution would make them republic all by them
Selves the United States would be bound recognize
them if the former central government could not bring
them into subsection; and then they would have a
nopoy of the canal and be able appropriate all
the payments for canal concessions that might be
prepared to make.
Something of this sort has happened is happening.
There is politics in it, but just plain DOODLE The
Colombian factions bound to fight it to determine
which of them shall control the only valuable they
have namely the canal franchise Peaceable deibera-
ton has failed the whole project in danger of failure,
and whoever control the biggest fragment of the
insignificant army of the country will prevail.
need not surprise any find that the practical
consequence of canal negotiations will be the separa-
ton of Columbia into two distinct and warning
States of them composed of the provinces along the
canal That solution of the trouble obvious
to have escaped the attention of the of
that they develop the lower ATTITUDES of the continent