Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-09-03
THE PANAMA CANAL.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NO CRED
,TFoR PROPOSED WATERWAY.
Its Declarations Are IsoorYect In ~
L.east Two Particulars = Strensous
Policy Advocated In PistferA On
which Buchanan Made HE Rscs.

Ths Democratic platform undertakes
10 make the party the guardian Of na-
tional and international honor BY attack
ing the Administrations Panama Canal
| policy. The platform says:
"our party having long and earnestly sd
yocsted the construction Of an inter-
oceanic canal for the purposes ef national
and with foreign nations. fager tss
early completion Of the isthmian canal
But, while making this declaration and
accepting the results as an accomplished
and irreverEible fact. We cannot too forci-
bly, express our aisapproval Of the meth
eds by which. In disregard of tse ussees
and obligations Of International law sad
treaty obligations. the canal route has beea
acquired, or too soieInniy record our bops
that this precedent Of defiant diplomacy
may never be used against es to our aa-
initiation and injury
If the Democratic party has ever sd-
rocated the construction of an isthrniaa
canal its advocacy has been purely aca-
dcmic. No Democratic administrators
has ever taken a step or lifted fager IA
that direction
Democratic Platform of 1850.
As TO the question OF methods the
party Is on record In favor Of the most
strenuous policy for the establishment.
and maintenance Of is.hmian transit
The Democratic platform Of 1856. On
which Jane. Buchanan vas nominated,
contained the following:
Resolved. That the great highway
which nature as well a. the assent Of
maintenance. has marked out for fres
cornmunlea ton between the Atlantic and
Pactne oceans, constitutes one of the mos,
important achievements realized By the
spirtt Of modern times. In the E1cszquer-
able energy Of onr peepls: and that re-
snlt would be secured by a timely ane
s<Fr Of he
have the right 10 claim over II: and 70
power earth should be suffered tn ina~
ference with relations that may sutt eur
policy to establish between our govern
ment and the governments Of ths States
within whose conlnians II Les; us can ua-
pondersnce In the adjustment Of AL sueS
tIonx arising oct OF IL
When the resolution was adopted the
question of an isthmian canal vas not
being agitated. as it never was in any
practical way by the Democratic party.
The resolution refers to the maintenance
Of overland isthmian transit which had
been interrupted by Nicaragua under 4
pretenss that her sovereignty WAS being
invaded The resolution virtually assercs
the paramount right of the United States
10 maintain and control the transit route.
which was an important part Of con-
II " III S3AAA 49, acAAAkSe 2~y
and all comers-
Buchanan's Message.
In. his annual message of ISIS Prsz$
dent Buchanan said the trInsit across
the isthmus was "a highway vhich
must be open TO the world" and that
sthe commerce of other nations Is not
to stand still and awsit the adjustment
Of such petty coufruversies as those
which NICARAGUA had raised The
government Of the United States expect
no more than this he added and th<y
will not be satisfied with less
These were brave and true utterances.
but no Democratic administration ever
did anything to make them good. Still
less did the Democratic party ever az
tempt TO apply them to the construction
Of an intercceanic canal Ii was isft
for q Republican administration TO do
that President Roosevelt's Panama
Canal policy has moved steadily and
firmly towards assuring the construction
Of the canal. and his methods have NOT
savored Of 4 deficient diplomacy as much
as did those advocated by the Demo
cratic party in 1856