The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-07


fully informed"
The Colombian gunboat Bogota be-
gan to shell the city of Panama, with
the result of killing one Chinaman.
The consul general was directed to no
tify her to stop firing. Meanwhile. on
November 4, Commander Hubbard no
titled the department that he had
landed a force to protect the lives and
property of American citizens against
the threats of the Colombion soldiery.
Before any step whatever had been
taken by the United States troops to
restore order, the commander of the
newly lanued Colombian troops had III
dulged in wanton and violent threats
against American citizens, which Gre
ated serious apprehension. AS Com
mander Hubbard reported in his let
ter of November 5, this officer and his
troops practically began war against
the United States, and only the for
bearance and GOODNESS of our officers
prevented bloodshed.
In his letter of November 8 Com
mander Hubbard sets forth the facts
more in detail.
This plain official account OF the oc-
currences of November shows that,
instead of there having been too much
provision by the American govern
ment for the maintenance of order and
property on the isthmus, the order for
the movement of the American War
ships had been too long delayed; so
long, in fact, that there were but for
ty-two marines and sailors available
to land and protect the lives OF Amer
lean men and women. 1t was only the
GOODNESS and gallantry with which this
little band of men wearing the Ameri.
can uniform faced ten times their
number of armed foes, bent on carry
ing out the atrocious threat of the
Colombian commander, that prevented
a murderous catastrophe. At Panama,
when the revolution broke out, there
was no American man-of-war and no
American troops or sailors. At Co.
lon, Commander Hubbard acted with
entire impartiality toward both sides,
preventing any movement, whether
by the Colombians or the Panamans,
which would tend to produce blood
shed. On November 9 he prevented
body of the revolutionists from
landing at Colon. Throughout he be.
haved in the most creditable manner.
In The New York Evening Post, un.
der date of Panama, December 8:
there is an article from special cor
respondent which sets forth in detail
the unbearable oppression Of the Co
lombian government in Panama.
I call especial attention to the con-
cluding portion of this interview
which states the willingness of the
Panama people to fight the Colombian
troops and the refusal OF Commander
Hubbard to permit them to use the
railroad and therefore to get into po-
sition where the fight could take
place. It thus clearly appears that
the fact that there was no bloodshed
on the isthmus was directly due-and
only due-to the prompt and firm en-
forcement by the United Sites of its
traditional policy. During the past
forty years revolutions and attempts
at revolution have succeeded one an
other with monotonous regularity on
the isthmus, and again and again Uni.
ted States sailors and marines have
been landed as they were landed in
this instance and under similar in
structions to protect the transit. One
of these revolutions resulted in three
years of warfare; and the aggregate
of bloodshed and misery caused by
them has been incalculable.
The fact that in this last revolution
not life was lost, save that Of the
man killed by the shells Of the Co
lombion gunboat, and no property de-
stroyed, was due to the action which
have described. We, in effect, po-
Iced the isthmus in the interest of its
inhabitants and of our own national
needs, and for the good of the entire
civilized world. Failure to act as the
administration acted would have
meant great waste of life, great suf-
fering, great destruction of property,
all of which was avoided by the firm
ness and prudence with which Com
mander Hubbard carried out his Or
ders and prevented either party from
attacking the other. Our action was
for the peace both Of Colombia and
of Panama. It is earnestly to be hoped
that there will be no unwise conduct
on our part which may encourage CO.
lombia> to embark on war which can
not result IN her regaining control OF
the isthmus, but which may cause
much bloodshed and suffering.
Injurious Insinuations.
hesitate to refer to the injurious
insinuations which nave been made of