The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-01-08
PANAMA DISCUSSED
President Roosevelt Tells Con.
gress the Causes of Our
Action Down There.
COURSE VIGOROUSLY DEFENDED
fsthmus Policed by United States i'm
Interests Of Its Inhabitants and
Good OF Civilized World.
To the senate and House of Repre-

| lay before the congress for its in
formation a statement of my action
up TO this time in executing the act
entitled An act To provide for the
construction Of a canal connecting tn.
waters Of the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans" approved June 2S. 1902.
BY the said act the president was
authorized TO secure for the United
States the property Of the Panama
lCanal company and the perpetual con
mol of a strip six miles wide across
the Isthmus Of Panama. 1t was fur
Their provided that SHOULD the presi-
dent be unable to obtain for the
United States satisfactory title to
the property Of the New Panama
Canal company and the control of the
necessary territory of the republic of
Colombia within reasonable
time and upon reasonable terms, then
the president should endeavor to pro-
vide for Il canal by the Nicaragua
route. The language quoted defines
with eXactness and precision what was
10 be done, and what as a matter OF
fact has been done. The president
was authorized to so to the Nicaragua
route only if within a reasonable time
he could not obtain control of the
necessary territory of the republic of
Colombia" This control has now
been obtained; the provision of the
act has been complied with; it is no
longer possible under existing legsla
tion to 20 to the Nicaragua route ms
an alternative.
Climax OF the Effort.
This act marked the climax of the
effort on the part of the United States
to secure. so far as legislation was
concerned, an intcroccanic canal across
the isthmus The effort To secure
treaty for this purpose with one Of
the Central American republics did
not stand on the same footing with
the effort TO secure a treaty under any
ordinary conditions. The proper POI
Sition for the United States to assume
in reference 10 this canal. and there
fore to the governments of the 18TH
mus. had been clearly set forth by
Secretary CaSs i'm 1858.
The principle thus enumerated 10y
Secretary CaSS was sound then and il
is sound now. The United States has
taken the position that no other gov
eminent is To build tie canal, In 1889,
when France proposed 10 come 10 the
aid Of the French Panama company by
guaranteeing their bonds the Senate
of the United States in executive ses-
sion. with only some three votes dis
sentin" passed a resolution as follows:
THAT the government Of the United
States will look with serious concern
and diSapprOval upon any connection
of any European government with the
conservation or control of any ship
cana a,.osS the Isthmus of Daricn or
acres Central America, and must re-
gard any such connection or control as
injurious to the Just rights and inter
estS Of the United States AMI as a
menacc TO their welfare"
Hay-pauncefote Treaty.
Under the IIay-Paunccfotc treaty it
was explicitly provided that the United
States should control. police. and pro-
tect the canal which was to be built.
keeping il open for the vessels of all
nations ON equal terms. The United
States thus assumed the position of
guarantor of the canal and of its peace
ful use 10y all the world. The guar
anty included ms matter Of course the
building of the canal. The enterprise
was recognized as responding to an in
ternational need; and il would he the
verieSt travcSty on right and justice TO
treat the governments in possession Of
the isthmuS as having the right, in the
language Of Mr.. CaSS. Ito close the
gatcseof intercourse on the great high
ways Of the world and Justify the act
by the pretcnsion that these avenues
Of trade and travel belong TO them and
that they choose to shut them"
When this government submitted to
Colombia the Hay-Herran treaty three
things were therefore. already settled
ono was that the canal should be
built the time for delay the time
for permitting the attempt TO he made
by private enterprise the time for per-
hitting any government of ant-soc;al
spirit ana Of imperfect development
10 bar the work was past The United
States had assumed i'm connection with
the canal certain responsibilities not
only to its own people, but to the
civilized world which impcratively de-
handed that there should no longer be
delay in beginning the work
Second While it was settled that
the canal should bc built without un-
necessary or improper delay. it was no
less clearly shown 10 be our purpose
to deal not merely in a spirit Of JUS.
ticc hut i'm spirit of generosity with
the people through whose land we
might build il The Hay-Herrar
treaty. il it erred at all. erred i'm the
direction OF an over-gcneroSity to-
wards the Colombian government In
our anxiety to bc fair we had gone
90 the very verge I'm yielding to weak
nations demands what that nation
was helplessly unable to enforce from
us against our will. The only critic
isms made upon the administration for
the terms of the Hay-IIorran treaty
were for having granted too much TO
Colombia, not TO failure TO grant
.,nou0b Noffhar I'm tho pon ppaSe NOR