Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-04

ISBlV ISnucQ ColOmDldD troops Hdu IN
dulged in wanton and violent threats
against American citizens. which Gre
ated serious apprehension. As Com
nlander Hubbard reported in his letter
of Nov. !. this officer and his troops
practically began war against tine
United States, and only the forbear-
ance and GOODNESS of our officers and
men prevented bloodshed. Here the
president gives Commander Hubbard's
letters confirming the foregoing state
ments, the first of which closes as fol-
lows: Il feel that l can not sufficient
~ strongly represent TO the department
the grossness of the outrage and the
insult to our dignity. even apart from
the sava gerry of the threat Referring
TO these letters the president proceeds:
We Were Not Too Energetic.
This plain official account of the &C.
curences of Nov. 1. shows that, in
stead of there having been too much
provision by the American government
for the maintenance of order and the
protection of life and property on the
iSthmus. the orders for the movement
of the American warships had been
too long delayed: so long, in fact, that
there were but forty-two marines and
sailors available to land and protect
the lives of American men and women.
1t was only the GOODNESS and gallantry
with which this little band of men
wearing the American uniform faced
ten times their number of armed foes,
bent on carrying out the atrocious
threat of the Colombian commander,
phe. At Panama, when the revolution
broke out. there We're no American
troops or Sailors. At Colon. Com
maHder Hubbard acted with entire
impartialty towards both sides. pre-
venting any movement. whether by tile
ColOmbians or the Panmans. which
would tend TO produce bloodshed. On
Nov. . lie prevented Il body of the
revOlutiOnists from landing at Colon.
Throughout he behaved In the most
creditable manner. CThe president
next quotes Il special correspondent in
the New York Evening Post setting
forth in detail the unbcarable oppres-
sion of the Colombian government in
Panama.
Panama People willing to Fight.
l call special attention to the con-
GLIDING portion of this interview
which states the Willingness of the
Panama people to fight the Colombian
troops and the refusal of Commander
Hubbard 10 permit them to use the
railroad and therefore to get into a
position where the fight could take
place. 1t thus clearly appears that the
fact that there was no bloodshed on
the isthmus was directly due-and on
ly due to the prompt and firm en-
fOrcement by the United States of its
traditional policy. During the past
forty years revolutions and attempts
at revolution have succeeded oneanotb-
err with mOnOtOnous regularity on the
isthmus, and again and again United
States sailors and marines have been
landed as they were landed in this in
stance and under similar instruction to
lutious resulted i'm three years of war
fare; and the aggregate of bloodshcd
and misery caused by them has been
incalculable. The fact that in this
last revolution not a life was lost.
save that of the man killed by the
shells of the Colombian gunboat and
no property destroyed. was due to the
action which | have described. We,
in effect. policed the isthmus in the
interest OF its inhabitants and of our
own national needs, and for the good
of the entire civilized world.
Refers to Injurious InsinuatiOns.
l hesitate to refer to the injurious
Instructions which have been made of
completely by this government in the
revolutionary movement in Panama.
They are as destitute of foundation as
of propriety. The only excuse for my
mentioning them is the fear lest I'M
thinking persons might mistake for ac-
quiescence the silence of mere self
respect. L think proper TO say, there
fore. that no one connected with this
government had any part in prepar-
ing, melting. or encoura ging the late
revolution on the Isthmus of Panama.
and that save from the reports of our
military aud naval officers. given above,
no one connected with this government
had any previous knowledge of the
revolution except such as was acces-
sible to any person of ordinary intelli-
gence who read the newspapers and
kept up n current acquaintance with
public affairs.
BY the unanimous action of its peo-
pie. without the firing of a shot-with
unanimity hardly before recorded in
any similar case-the people of Pan
anna declared themselves an independ-
ent republic Their recognition by this
government was based upon a state of
facts m no way dependent for its JUS
tification upon our action in ordinary
cases. | have not denied. nor do |
wish 10 deny, either the validity or the
propriety of the general rule that Il
new state should not be recognized as
independent till it has shown its abil-
ity to maintain its independence. This
rule is derived from the principle of
nonintervention. and as a corollary Of
that principle has generally been OBJ
served by the United States But, like
the principle from which it is deduced.