Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-01-07
SPECIAL MESSAGE
ON PANAMA CANAL
President Roosevelt Transmits His
Views to Congress.
TREATY SHOULD BE RATIFIED
Says There Was No Completely on Part
of This Government in Revolution
Charges Colombia with Greed
All Interests Demand Canal.

Washington, Jan. 4-President Roose.
velt's special message to congress on the
subject of the Panama canal treaty treats
largely of the Panama rebellion. the in
cidents leading up to It and the part of
the United States In 1t.
lie refers to the previous legislation au-
thorizing the president to conclude q
treaty with Colombia for the building of
the canal. and II after a reasonable lapse
OF time II was found impossible to secure
the necessary territory from Colombia to
revert to the Nicaraguan route for the
construction Of the canal The later
alternative, he says. Is now unnecessary,
IS the control OF the necessary territory
at Panama has been secured. Referring
TO the rejection of the treaty with Co.
iombia by that nation he says:
This act marked the climax Of the eff
Tort on the part OF the United States to
secure. so far as legislation was con-
cerned, an interoceanic canal across the
isthmus. The effort to secure a treaty
for this purpose with one of the Central
American republics did not stand on the
same footing with the effort to secure q
treaty under any ordinary conditions.
Under the Hay-P auncefote treaty II
was explicitly provided that the United
States should control, police and protect
the canal which was to be built, keeping
1t open for the vessels of all nations on
equal terms. The United States thus as
sumed the position of guarantor OF the
canal and OF Its peaceful use by all the
world. The guaranty included as n mat
ter OF course the building OF the canal.
The enterprise was recognized as re-
spending to an international need; and II
would be the veries: travesty on right and
4 iaa 70 . he 1,,t, t,,
session OF the isthmus as having the right
ito close the gates of intercourse on the
great highways Of the weird. and justify
the act by the pretension that these ave-
nues OF trade and travel belong to them
and that they choose to shut them
Position of United States.
when this government submitted to
Colombia the Hay-Herran treaty three
things were, therefore, already settled:
Zone was that the canal should be
built. The time for delay, the time for
permitting the attempt 10 be made by
private enterprise, the time for permitting
any government Of anti-social spirit and
of imperfect development 10 bar the work,
was past The United States had assumed
In connection with the canal certain re-
possibilities not only to its own people,
lively demanded that there should no
longer be delay in beginning the work:
'Second-While II was settled that the |
canal should be built without unnecessary |
or improper delay, it was no less clear
~ shown TO be our purpose to deal not |
merely in a spirit of justice but In spirit |
OF. generosity with. the people through |
whose land we might build II. The Hay
Herran treaty, II 1t erred at all, erred in |
the direction Of an over-generosty to-
WARDS the Colombian government. In our
anxiety to be fair We had gone 10 the very
verge in yielding to a weak nations de-
mands what that nation was heip!essly
unable TO enforce from us against our
will. The only criticisms made upon the
administration for the terms Of the Hay
Herran treaty were for having granted TOO
much TO Colombia, not for failure TO grant
enough Neither in the congress nor in
the public press, at the time that this
treaty was formulated, was there COM
'laint that 1t did not IN the fullest and
amp!est manner guarantee TO Colombia
everything that she could by any color Of
tile demand.
''Tha, the canal itself was eagerly de.
handed by the people of the locality
through which II was to pass, and that
he people of this locality no less eagerly
onged for its construction under Amer
can control. are shown by the unanim-
ty of action in the new Panama repub-
&c. Furthermore. Colombia, after having
'ejected the treaty in spite of our pro-
ests and warnings when 1t was in her
,ower to accept 1t, has since shown the
Utmost eagerness to accept the same
realty II only the status quo could be re-
stored One OF the men standing highest
n the official circles of Colombia. on Mo-
ster at Bogota, saying that II the gov
rnment of the United States would land
roops to preserve Colombian sovereignty
md the transit. the Colombian govern
" virtue of vested constitutional author
ty, when public order Is disturbed,
would approve by decree the ratifica-
ion of the canal treaty as signed or.
~. -. -.
refers. [wouldl call extra session OF the :
ongress-with new and friendly mem
ers-next May TO approve the treaty !
LAYING these facts IN view. there Is no !
I the United States proposed n treaty c
Yhich was not merely just. but generous {
D Colombia, which our people regarded
s erring. If at all. on the side of over J
ght by the people of the immediate
,caHty through which the canal was to G
ass, who were most concerned as to the !
ew order of things. and which the Co. I
,mbian authorities now recognize as be- '
Is so good that they are willing to prom V
e its unconditional ratification II only 0
e will desert those who have shown
lemselves our friends and restore 10
hose who have shown themselves un- n
'iendly the power TO undo what they did. n
pass by the question as to what assur-
nee We have that they would now keep s
ieir pledge and not again refuse to D
,r of course, | will not for one moment n
scuss the possibility of the United 7
tates committing an act OF such base Is
ess as to abandon the new republic Of n
anama. n
"Third.-Flnally the congress definitely ii
titled where the canal was to be built. r
was provided that treaty should be II
ade for building the canal across the O
thmus of Panama; and II, after reason Z,
Die time, II proved impossible to secure O
lch treaty, that then we should go to v
icaragua. The treaty has been made: X
II IL needs no argument to show that a
lie intent Of the congress was TO insure nj
canal across Panama and that whether b
e republic granting the title was called "
ew Granada, Colombia or Panama mat
red not one whit. AS events turned e.
IT, the question of reasonable time did ID
II enter into the matter at all. AL II
ough, as the months went by, II be- 81
me increasingly improbable that the
,lombian congress would ratify the n
eaty or take steps which would be u
n for | i