Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-12-29
PUZZLE IN PANAMA.
ARE WE AT WAR OR AT PEACE
WITH COLOMBIAN
Administration officials Uncertain as
10 the Situation on Isthmas-Soldiers
in Readiness-Incident Likely to Be-
come an Issue in Campaigns.
washington correspondence:

Washington correspondence.
Panama for several days has been the
all-absorbing topic at the White House,
at the State Department, at the War De
partment at the Navy Department aud
at the capitol. Questions of greater
gravity have been confronted by the adj
ministration Of President Roosevelt.
Problems involving our friendship with
Great Britain, Germany and Russia have
been solved happily but none of them,
after being il fair way of adjustment,
have risen to threaten war and to be-
come an issue in a national campaign as
this has done.
Have we been at war with olombia
ever since Nov. s, when we recognized
the republic of Panama?
Or have we been at war since the
treaty was negotiated?
Or have we been at war only since the
landing of armed sailors by Commander
Turner of the Atlanta at Titumati this
week?
Or are we at peace with Colombia and
only at war with Senator Hoar and those
who oppose the President?
These inquiries are being addressed by
members of the administration to each
other and arrangements are being made
TO present a defense, not only to the Co.
lombians in the isthmus, but to the oppo-
nents of yhe President in the Senate,
There the fight on the PaRama policy
was continued Friday by Senator Daniel
of Virginia, an orator of the old and pol
ished school, and Senator Morgan also
of the old school, introduced a resolu-
ton which declared that we had been at
war without the Nction of Congress
only since the negotiation of the treaty
with Panama, in which we guaranteed
the sovereignty of the isthPus to the
revolutionists.
While the administration was being
fayed in Congress. the cabinet was hold
ing a meeting for the purpose of con-
sidering the situation and the State,
War and Navy officials were i'll constant
touch. News had come from the 18TH
mus which had caused uneasiness, but
it's character was not divulged. 1t be-
came known after the cabinet meeting
that the opinion had been expressed that
the commander of the Atlanta had prob
ably gone too far in effecting a landing
on Colombian soil, even though it was
only for accommodating purposes.
theoretically we are not ut war with
Colombia, and we may have all the trou-
| BILE we can attend to keeping out of a
fight without deliberately trying to pro-
woke one The cables from Colon, which
show how near the American soldiers
were to clash, have given the admins
tration an idea that Fashoda incident
may occur at any time. If such thing
should happen, it would be all over so far
| as armed peutrality is concerned. An in
vason would be looked on as certain,
and the booted and spurred military ex-
| petition which is being held back, would
be embarking within forty-eight hours.
AS it is, another battalion of marines
| will be dispatched to the isthmus within
a few days, and Brig. Gen. Elliott will
be sent to assume supreme command of
everything ashore, and the administration
! is debating whether to keep its little
force of marines massed on the frontier
| or to withdraw them to the canal strip
| for the purpose of keeping transit open
/ under the treaty of 1916.
| The frebrand Of Senator Hoar's
| speech astonished the administration.
/ The effect of tie detection of 1.-The old
| man eloquent" of the Senate and the
tigeI-like quickness of Senator German
! in taking advantage of it and making
his attack on the President as a danger
| Gus man and a second Napoleon has been
| to drive the Democratic Senators togeth-
er more closely than party caucus ever
could have drawn them. Eleven Demo
| cratic Senators, mostly from the South
| had announced their intention of voting
for the treaty. 1t is not at all certain
that so many of these Senators will now
hold out. If they do not, then the Demo
cratic caucus will pass resolution by
a two-thirds vote and bind the party in
the Senate.
In a close party fight this is the dan
ger to the treaty. Party lines are to be
| drawn. The Democrats believe they have
found an issue. The Republicans will
be forced to meet them. How success.
full an issue it will be depends entirely
ON the progress of events on the 18th
mus and events on the isthmus depend
in large measure on the progress of
events in Congress.
So there are two ends to the anti-ad-
ministration campaign-one in Colombia,
the other in congressional conference
rooms.