River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-11-03
LATEST BOOM FRANC.
DEMOCRATS ATTEMPT TO Dis
CREDIT THE PRESIDENT.
Letter in Regard TO the Acquisition
of the Panama Strip That Reflects
Much Credit on the Chief Executive
Cry Of "UucIean" Should Stop. 70

Nothing could more sharply emphasize
the poverty in initiative of the Demo
cratic party and its utter failure to com
Drehend the temper Of the American peo-
pie at the opening Of the twentieth CEN
fury than the attempt to discredit our
acquisition Of the right to dig the Pan
ANA canal Having failed to make any
impression on the popular mind along
other lines, Senator Culberson of Texas
was pushed to the front in New York
last Thursday night to spring a sensa-
tional attack on President Roosevelt for
his alleged revolutionary course in this
matter.
Although the subject has been thor
oughly threshed out in Congress and the
public prints, and the seal Of legislative
approval put upon the course of the adj
ministration by the ratification Of the
treaty with Panama, and the appropr1a-
ton and payment Of $50,OOO,OO to the
republic of Panama and for the acquire
ment of the rights and works of the
Panama Canal Company, the Senator
from Texas had the hardihoOd once more
to assail the honor and good faith Of the
administrations acts in the premises.
Without producing one scintilla of new
evidence he flashed a private letter writ
ten by President Roosevelt over year
ago to his personal friend, DIR. Albert
Shaw, editor of The Review of Reviews,
before the eyes of his audience to JUS
tify the accusation that the President
contemplated building the canal across
the isthmus, treaty or no treaty, which
would have necessitated taking posses
sion Of the canal zone by force.
Neither New Nor True.
Like every other sensation sprung in
this campaign, what was new in Senator
Culbers0n's exposure was immaterial
and what was material was neither new
nor true. The letter, about which Sen
ator Culberson made such an ado as a
carefully suppressed piece Of evidence
OF the Presd ent's intention to do by force
what was subsequently achieved openly
and legally, was made public by DR..
Shaw nearly a year ago with the Presi-
dents consent. AS it is characteristic
of Theodore Roosevelt's frankness, both
In public and private correspondence, it
is itself the best possible refutation of
the charge that he actually contemplate
ed resort to any Indirect or improper
means to bring about the contamination
we all desred-the building of the inter
oceanic canal, it is herewith presented in
full:
Copy
Personal
White House, Washington, Oct. 10, 1903.
MY Dear DR.. Shaw: ] inclose you, purely
Tor your own information, copy of let
ter Of Sept. 5, from our minister to Co
Iornbia. l think it might interest you to
see that there was absolutely not the
slightest chance Of securing by treaty any
Hoo to I1n
alternatives were to go to Nicaragua,
against the advice Of the great majority OF
competent engineerS-some OF the most
competent saying that we had better have
no canal at this time than go Thereon
else to take the territory by force without
any attempt at getting treaty. cast
aside the proposition made at this time to
foment the secession Of Panama. What
ever other governments can do, the United
States can not go into the securing by such
underhand means the ceSsion Privately, l
freely say to you that should be denghted
IL Panama were an Independent state, or,
If 1t made itself so at THIS moment, but for
me to say so publicly would amount to an
lnstigaton of a revolt, and therefore | can
not saw il. With great regards, sincerely
yours THEODORE ROOSEF ELL.
The more of such private letters the
Democrats can produce out of their ar
senals of exploded campaign fakes the
better for Theodore Roosevelt. 1t is a
lem to a friend. 1t tells him of the
failure to deal with Colombia; of the
alternatives OF trying the Nicaragua
route-pronounced impracticable by com
potent engineers-or taking the Panama
territory without a treaty; of the rejec-
tion of any proposition to foment the
secession of Panama.
Jealous of the Couutry's Honor.
1t also gives an instructive glimpse of
how jealous the President was of the
honor of the United States in dealing
with what would have been an irresisti-
BILE temptation to other governments and
clearly shows how he refrained from Civ
ing any public expression to thoughts
which would have been an inStigation to
the revolt.
Theodore Roosevelt is master of his
impulses, just as he is master of his acts
and words. He refrained from tanning
the revolt by single breath.
That revolt came without any hint or
pressure from Washington. The United
States joined with Europe in recognizing
the revolutionary government of Panama.
Then came the treaty, the acquisition of
the rights to build the canal and finally
this declaration of the convention at st.
Louis:
The Democracy, when entrusted with the
power, will construct the Panama Canal
speedily, honestly and economically, there
by giving to our people what Democrats
have always contended fora great inter-
oceanic canal of transportation, and broader
and less trammeled trade relations with the
other peoples of the world.
Now, it is scarcely credible that the
Democrats, however much they may ia
vor an isthmian canal, would consent to
dig it under a fraudulent, illegal and dis
reputable title. If Colombia has been
wronged by the United States it is our
duty to right that wrong by restoring to
her, not only the title to the canal strip
across the isthmus, but the sovereignty
over the whole republic of Panama.
Moreover, if Senator Culberson and
his fellow anti-imperiahsts do not SLAM
der their country the United States owes
q greater duty to itself than it owes to
Colombia to undo the act of dishonor
they accuse it of perpetrating for its own
purposes of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
The possession of the canal strip was
acquired honorably or dishonorably, by
legitimate legal means or by corrupt, tor
tuous and fraudulent methods. The par
ty which believes that there was any
thing sinister. underhand or crooked
about the attainment of the American
wish tO huiId fhe canal rud vDuId still