Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-07

accomplishment of this object the gov
eminent of the United States had for
years directed its diplomacy. 1t occu-
pied place in the instructions to our
delegates to the Panama congress dur
ing the administration of John Quincy
Adams. 1t formed the subject of a
resolution of the senate in 1885, and
of the house of Representatives in
1883. In 1876 it's Importance had. be-
come still more apparent by reason
of the Mexican war. If the treaty of
rs 46s did not in terms bind new Ora
mazda to grant reasonable concessions
for the construction of means of ina
teroeeanic communication, il was only
because it was not imagined that such
concessions would ever be withheld,
As 1t was expressly agreed that the
United States in consideration Of its
onerous guarantee of New Granadian
sovereignty, should possess the right
OF free and open transit on any modes
of communication that might be con-
structed, the obvious intent of the
treaty rendered 1t unnecessary, il not
supernuous, in terms to stipulate that
permission for the construction of such
modes of communication should not be
denied.
This Governments Duty.
Long before the conclusion of the
Hay Herran treaty the course Of
events had shown that a canal to con-
meet the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
must be built by the United States
or not at all. Experience had demon
strated that private enterprise was
utterly inadequate for the purpose;
and fixed policy, declared by the Uni
teu states on many memorable occa-
siofis, and supported by the pracH-
cilly unanimous voice of American
opinion. had rendered 1t morally i'm
possible that the work should be
undertaken by European powers, eth
er singly or in combination. Such
were the universally recognized con-
ditions on which the legislation of
congress was based and on which the
late negotiations with Colombia were
begun and concluded. Nevertheless,
When the well considered agreement
was rejected by Colombia and the
revolution On the isthmus ensued, one
of Colombia's first acts was to i'm
woke the intervention Of the United
States; nor does her invitation appear
to have been confined to this govern
ment alone. BY a telegram from Mr..
Beaupre, our minister at Bogota, on
the 7th of November last, we were
informed that General Reyes would
soon leave Panama invested with full
powers; that he had telegraphed
the president of Mexico to ask the
5GNSh W liiC SJillICu SoltilSSs dlO
all countries represented at the Pan
American conference ito aid Colon
sbia to preserve her integrity" and
that he had requested that the gov
eminent of the United States should
meanwhile preserve the neu-
,trality and transit Of the
tsthnltIs" and Should "f1ot recog-
nize the new government" In an
other telegram from Mr. Beupre, which
cant lntor~ 81, N ,se,,x
eminent was. asked whether it would
take action ITO maintain Colombian
right and sovereignty on the isthfnus
in accordance with article IS COY the
treaty OF 1845" In case the Colombian
government should be "entirely unable
to suppress the secession movement
there" Here was a direct solicitation
to the United States to Intervene fol
the purpose of suppressing, contrar.
to the treaty OF 1886 as this govern.
| ment has uniformly construed it, q
new revolt against Colombias author
ity brought about by her own refusal
to permit the fulfillment of the great
design for which that treaty was
made. 1t was under these circum-
stances that the United States, instead
of using it's forces to destroy those
who sought to make the engagements
OF the treaty a reality, recognized then
| as the proper custodians of the sover-
eighty of the isthmus.
Canal is Necessity.
This recognition was, in the second
place, further justified by the high
est, considerations of our national in
| terests and safety. In all the, range
Of our, International relations, I dc
not hesitate to affirm that there is
| nothing Of great@ Or more pressing
Importance than the construction oil
an interoceanic canal. Long acknow-
lodged to be essential to our CONNER
cial development, 1t has become, as
| the result OF the recent extension OF
our territorial dominion, more than evei
essentiol to our national self defense
In transmitting to the senate the trea.
| ty of 1886, President Polk pointed out
as the principal reason for it's ratifi.
| cation that the passage of the isthmus
which 1t was designed to secure
would relieve us from long and
dangerous navigation of more than 81
900 miles around Cape Horn, ana rem
der our communication with our owf
possessions on the northwest coast Of
America comparatively easy and
speedy" The events of the past five
years have given to this consideration
| an Importance UNNECESSARILY greater
than it possessed In 1916. In the light
OF our present situation, the establish.
IneIlL OIL easy ana speedy COmmunlCa-
ton by sea between the Atlantic ant
| Pacific presents itself not simply as
| something to be desired, but as an OBJ
| ject to be positively and promptly at.
tanned. Reasons of convenience have
| been superseded by reasons of vita
necessity, which do not admit of in.
definite delays.
To such delays the rejection by Col.
ombia Of the Hay-Herran treaty di.
rectly exposed US. AS proof of this
fact need only refer to the program
outlined in the report of the ma jority
Of the Panama canal committee, reat
in the Colombian senate on the 14tt
of October last. In this report, which
| recommended that the discussion OF
a law to authorize the government tt
enter upon new negotiations should BIZ
| indefinitely postponed it is proposed
that the consideration of the subjec
should be deferred till October 81
| 1904, when the next Colombian con.
gress should have met in ordinary SEES
sion. BY that time. as the report goe!
on to say, the extension Of time grant
ed to the New Panama Canal compan,
by treaty in 1893 would have expired
and the new congress would be in /;
position to take up the question
| whether the company had not, in spit,
l of further. extensions that had beer
! granted by legislative acts, forfeited al
! its property and rights. when tina
/ sfirnn ,.rivaSD tba ropnrt eli nj II