Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-25

And If the usurpation of the Isthmus
in its channelizable portion should be
added to these encrOachments, the en-
pire of American commerce in its
strictly useful or mercantile sense
would fall into the hands of the only
nation that the United States can con-
slider as a badly disposed rival 1t
would be perfectly superfluous to mem
ton the political consequences that
would be entailed upon America.
This dominion or ascendency would be
equally ruinous to the commerce of the
United States and to the nationality of
the Spanish American republics, most
direful Tor the causes of democracy in
the New World and a constant cause
Of disturbance of the public peace i'll
this our continent.
From these facts and general con-
siderations may be inferred the urgent
necessity in which the United States
are of interposing their moral influence
and even their material strength be-
tween the weakness of the new repub-
lies and the ambitious views of the
commercial nations of Europe x
This end is simply and naturally to be
obtained by STIMULATING in favor of the
tfllittt t'l1iltS At lOldI repeal OF the
dfferential duties as a compensation for
the obligation they imposed upon them
selves of guaranteeing the legitimate
and complete or integral possession of
those portions of territory that the
universal mercantile interests require
to be free and open to all nations.
When treaty containing such 4
stipulation shall exist between New
Granada and the United States, and it
could be completed and perfected by Il
subsequent and supplementary conven-
ton, in which the transit of the inter-
oceanic passage should be arranged
and its permanent neutrality con-
firmed, half the plans of Great Britain
would Of themselves fail and it would
no longer be possible for her to en-
crOach upon the Isthmus.
He said that he assumed that the
United States would in the proposed
treaty:
Guarantee to New Granada the 18th
nus or at least rs much Of it rs was
! required for the construction of a canal
| or railroad upon the most favorable
| route; and moreover that it was i'm
portant that this guarantee should ap-
pear in the treaty as II condition for
| the right of way and the abolition Of
the discriminating differential duties,
| otherwise New Granada would be
| obliged to grant the same privileges
uncon1itionally to England.
| And he appealed to the declaration OF
the Monroe Doctrine, reiterated by
President Polk to the Congress of 1Si5-
46, as the basis Of his request.
| Upon this appeal the treaty Of Dec.
-, 1916. between the United States ana
| New Granada was made and signed
| in behalf of Colombia by the Secretary
| Mallarno whose words l have quoted.
The tnirty-fifth article of the treaty
contained the following provision:
| The Government of New Granada
| guarantees to the Government of the
| United States that the right of way OF
transit across the Isthmus Of Panama
upon any modes Of communication
| that now exist, or that may be hereaf-
| ter constructed, shall be open and free
| to the Government and citizens of the
| United States And. in order to
secure to themselves the tranquil and
constant enjoyment of these advan-
tages. and as an especial compensation
for the said advantages and for the
| favorS they have acquired by the Attn.
| 9TH ana 9th articles of this treaty, thu
i United States guarantee positively and
cffiCaci0usly to New Granada by the
present stipulation the perfect neutral
ity of the before mentioned 1sthmus
with the view that the free transit
| from the one 70 the other sea may not
be interrupted or embarrassed in any
1 f,,ty, yy-hi1p this trpltv pVi.tS
and in consequence the United States
also guarantee in the same manner the
rights of sovereignty and property
which New Granada has and possesses
over tie said territory.
In transmitting this treaty to the
Senate on the 10th of February. 1S47,
President Polk made these observa-
tons:
| First-Thc treaty does not propose to
! guarantee a territory to Il foreign ma
ton in which the United States will
have no common interest with that ma =
ton. On the contrary, we are more
deeply and directly interested in the
subject of this guarantee than the New
| Granada herself or any other country.
| SecOnd-The guarantee does not eX-
tend to the territories Of New Grana-
dn generally but is confined to the
single province of the Isthmus of Pan
anna. where we shall acquire. by the
treaty, n common and coeXtensiVe
right of passage with herself.
Third-It will constitute no alliance
for any political object. but for n pure
ly commercial purpose in which all the
navigating nations of the world have
| u common interest
You will perceive that in this trans
action New Granada recognized the
| subordinatiOn of her sovereignty to the
worlds easement of passage by rail
road or by canal. ana experimenting
that other nations might seek to eXer-
| else that right through the destl uction
of her sovereignty and the appropria-
ton of her territory, she procured the
United States to assume the response
| bility of protecting her against such
| treatment. The United States as
sumed that burden and by way of con-
sideratiOn:
| First-The United States received an
express grant Of the right of way
which President Polk described as con-