Milford chronicle., 1904-10-07

the canal commission as an eNluehce tud'
the President was treating the Panama
ians with autocratic sway.
What are the facts? It seems that
when the President gave his orders IN
June last to Gen. Davis, as Governor OF
the zone, to organize the strip controlled
by the United States, the President en-
deavOred in every way to act in strict
accordance with the wording Of the
treaty, and for the best interests OF
Panama as well as the zone. 1t happen
ed. however, that a CERTAIN GROUP
| OF POLITICIANS IN PANAMA A
WHO HELD NO OFFICES, AND
WHO ARE THE OUTS" LIKE THE
| DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE
UNITED STATES, WERE LOOKING
| FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
TROUBLE. Without consulting care
fully the treaty, they Immediately made
n severe attack on the United States gov
ernment and the President, proclaimng
in manifestos and in their newspapers
that the Presidents orders TO Governor
Davis were against the spirit and letter
Of the treaty. and that he was disregard
ing Aagrantly the rights and interests of
Panama, thus crushing out its indepen-
dence, They agitated their position so Wig
orously that they not only aroused con-
! siderable element of the Panama popula-
tion, BUT PROVIDED THE BACK
GROUND FOR SENSATIONAL
| NEWSPAPER STORIES TO BE
SENT TO THE UNITED STATES.
no Cause for the Furry.
At the moment when the situation was
somewhat critical in Panama. the new
| American minister, John Barrett, arriv-
/ ed on the scene with special instructions
| from the President to demonstrate to
/ the Panama government and people that
| the President was determined that NO
| STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN, IN
VOLVING THE RELATIONS OF
PANAMA PROPER AND THE
CANAL ZONE. WHICH WERE NOT
| CONSISTENT WITH THE TREATY
AND WITH THE TRUE INTER
ESTS OF BOTH PANAMA AND
THE UNITED STATES. After the
minister had Gained the excitement to
great extent by his assurances of fair
dealing and after he had given the Pan
amaians abundant opportunity to file
with him all the complaints they had in
mind. he showed them, in a respectful
uNt nApAtAA4ALlN Wh9s AAAA 4 II u AAAN 4
POINTS ON WHICH THEY so Sc
VERELY CRITICISED PRESIDENT
ROOSEVELT HAD ALREADY.
BACK IN JANUARY OF THIS
YEAR, BEEN EXPLICITLY EX-
PLAINED BY THEIR OWN ENVOY
PLENIPOTENTIARY, MIR. BUNAU-
VARILLA, IN HIS STATEMENT TO
SECRETARY HAY OF HIS INTER
PRETATION OF THE TREATY. In
other words, the minister proved 10 the
Panama government and people that
their own representative, Mr. Bunau-
Varilla, many months before, had, on
their behalf, given the United States alb
sOlute control of the two ports at the
respective entrances Of the canal, THUS
COMPLETELY DISARAIING THE
CONTENTIOUS OF THE CRITICS
OF THE PRESIDENT that, in es-
tablishing these ports by his orders to
Governor Davis, he'had disregarded the
sovereignty and rights of the Panama
government In addition to this. the
minister also explained to them that in
view of the great responsibility which
the United States owed to the rest of
the world in constructing such a gigantic
waterway, there could be no possible di-
vision Of authority, and that the United
States had already, by a liberal gift of
ten million dollars, paid for those very
sovereign rights which they now Ques-
toned. If they had not agreed to this
arrangement, they might never have got
the canal, and they would probably have
lost their independence.
President Was Right.
What now is the result? In compari- /
son with the situation a few weeks ago
when the editorials in the local news
papers. the discussions in the public 1
plazas, and the kilograms to the Demo |
cratic papers in the United States, all |
criticised the President and said that |
he was acting arbitrarily, WE NOW |
SEE THE LEADING MEN. NOT |
ONLY OF THE GOVERNMENT |
PARTY BUT OF THE OPPOSITION, !
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE I
PRESIDENT is RIGHT; we hear peo-
pie in the plazas and public meetings
commencing the United States; we note
the editorials in the Panama press pray
ing for the election Of President
Roosevelt. and at a banquet given on
Sept 8 in the American legation BY
Minister Barrett in honor OF the Minister
Of Foreign Affairs, this latter official.
Don Tomas Orias one Of the ablest and
most influential men in Panama, toasted
in eloquent terms the health Of President
Roosevelt and expressed the earnest
wish, on behalf of his government and
his people, that THE PRESIDENT
WOULD BE TRIUMPHANTLY
IN NOVEMBER, SAYING |
THAT THE BEST INTERESTS OF
AS WE'LL AS THOSE OF |
THE UNITED STATES, AS INVOLV-
ED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF |
THE GREAT CANAL, REQUIRED |
THE CONTINUANCE OF THE AD-
MINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT |
ROOSEVELT TO CARRY FOR
WARD THE WORK.
And SO it is with most of the criti-
cisms Of President Roosevelt, whether
they refer to his home or foreign policy.
At first it is alleged that he acts rashly