The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-20
PEI TER
iii SIDENT
T45Es.FIRsTTlMEs Al CABINET oF-
sFIcER HsRs EVER BEEN
SENT ABROAD
TO IT, A KR EAsTY WITH
IA FoREleN Ro,WER-oPEN
RUPTJR REzAVERTED.
LETTER OUTLINES.
SsENERAL POLICY OF OUR
GOVERNMENT.
lBye PlbItsl7ers PressD

yVASHINGTON, D.. c., Oct. 20
President Roosevelt Instructed Ser
retaTy Of War Taft to make per
sunal visit tosthe Isthmus of Panama
and there toSconfer with the presi
DENT and other officials of the Pana
ma Repnb11c regarding questions aris
ing outSof The possessions of the Uni
ted States Of The Canal zone. The
Secretary VIII leave probably on Mon
day., November 18th, and is directed
to AXE with him such persons as he
s may desire for the purpose of assist.
He8has already selected to
him Minister Oba1dia, Of
The Panama Republic, and William
NeIsonG Cromwell general counsel Of
thes new Panama Canal Company.
The Presidents instructions are
S. ID the foEm8of a letter to Secretary
IN which he outlines the general
policy of the United States govern,
nlent on the isthmus.
sss The determinatio to send ;Secre.
arr aft to Panama was arrived at
tier personal consultation between
the President and the Secretary Of
State, together with Secretary Taft
Despite Minister Barrett's pub1ica
sssst lion that the relations between the
ss;EI 1 United States and the new republic
Panama were Of a most friendly
sscharacter and that the differences
3ssn he anesti6ns OF custom duties
I'M the canal zone were in process of
adi diustment, now develops that the
ssituaucn5h has been most strained
open rupture between the two
countries has been barely averted.
United States has been most bitter,
and hasseven gone SO far as to occa-
sion threats OF dynamiting the canal
and EesoI'ting other violent meth
DDS of expressing the disapprovaf oil
Nthe people at the attitude of the Uni
ted States: ItSwas not until the last
nSdays@t that President Roosevelt be-
came eacquainted with the seriousness
sofs the situationand determined to in
Yestgate the matter for himself. He
requested William Nelson Cromwell, /
;ofsNew Y Yorl, who was for years the
Aof the Panama Canal
Commission, and therefore thorough
SIys acquainted with Panama condi-
w ~Io
ltcuss. the meansSto be adopted to set
ue#the dispute. During the last few
days he President Secretary Taft
and Mr.. Cromwell, have been in fre-
quent conference with the result that
the Presidentsd declded to send the
sSecretarYSt to Panama. In this con-
Enection 1T may lie said, as showing'
the gravity OF the situation, that this
is the first time on record that a.
Cabinet member has been sent abroad
10 negotiate with foreign power.
heSPresident'sE letter follows:
WHITE HOUSE,
ashingtons Oct Is, 1904.
sssssir Executive order of May
~ sI9O4 placed under your imme-
iiate eSsupervision the work of thet
IsthrnIan Canal Commission, both in
hesconstruction#of Of the canal and in
the exercise Of such governmental
powers as it7seemed necessary for the
United States tosexercise under the
treaty with the Republic of Panama
in the canal strip There is ground
for believing that in the execution
of the rights %conferred by the treaty.
the people of Panama have been I'M
duly alarmed at the effect Of the es-
e OF a government on the
canal strip by the commission.
they fear lest the effect
be create out Of part Of their ter ,
ritory competing and Independent
communit ty which shall injuriously
affeet heir iness. reduce their rev. :
snues and dimInish their prestige as. !
aSnation. !,
United States is about to. con-
.arso the people Of the State of Pan !
ma 9 very great benefit by the ex-iE s.
pendi iture Of millions of dollars in
he construction oi he canal Bnt.. =
his Fact must not lind us to the Inn q
,ortances of so |execising the author
ty given us under the treaty with \
sanama5s as to avoid creating any sus- : :
hcWeYer Suniound led of our in s
entIonss as to the ffuture. We have sa
!ot he 81 Iightest intent ION Of estabs n
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