The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-05
We HOLD The WAY,
BUILD THE CANAL
CONTINUED from First Page.)


o. Shinss. and which the Colombian au-
tlor;ties now recognize as being so good
That they are wiling to promise its I'M
conditional ratification If only We VIII
desert those who have shown themselves
cur friends and restore to those who have
shown themselves unfriendly the power
to uado what they did. L pass by the
question as to what assurance We have
mat they would now keep their pledge
and not again refuse to ratify the treaty
if they had the power; for OF course.
will not for one moment discuss the
pa.sibilitv of the United States commit
ing an act of such baseness as to aban-
con the new Republic of Panama.
Third Finally the Congress definite.
settled where the canal was to be built
il was provided that a treaty should be
made for building the canal across the
isthmus of Panama; and IT, after rea
scnabie time, it proved impossible to Sc
cure such treaty, that tnen we should
10 10 Nicaragua. The treaty has been
made for it needs no argument TO show
that the intent of the Congress was to
insure q canal across Panama. and that
whether the republic granting the title
was called New Granada, Colombia. or
Panama mattered not one whit AS events
time" did not enter into the matter at
'an. Although. as the months went by.
il became increasingly improbable that
the Colombian Congress would ratify the
treaty or take steps which would be equiv
alent thereto, yet all chance for such ac-
ton on their part did not vanish until the
Congress closed at the end of October;
and within three days thereafter the revo-
lGticn in Panama had broken out. Pan
anna became an independent State. and
tho control of the territory necessary
for building the canal then became OBJ
taineble. The condition under which
alone we could have gone to Nicaragua
thereby became impossible OF fulillment.
If the pending treaty with Panama should
rot be ratified by the Senate this would
not alter the fact that we could not go
10 Nicaragua. The Congress has decided
the route. and there is no alternative I'M
der existing legislation.
When in August it began to appear
probable that the Colombian Legislature
would not ratify the treaty it became IN
cumbent upon me to consider well what
the situation was and to be ready to
advise the Congress as to what were the
various alternatives of action open to us
There were several possibilities One was
that Colombia would at the last moment
sec the unwisdom of her position. That
there might be nothing omitted, Secretary
Hay through the minister at Bogota,
repeatedly warned Colombia that grave
consequences might follow from her re-
lection OF the treaty. Although it was
constantly diminishing chance, yet the
possibility of ratification did not wholly
PASS away until the close of the session
CT the Colombian Congress.
second alternative was that by the
close of the session on the last day OF
October, without the ratification of the
treaty by Colombia and without any, steps
taken by Panama, the American Congress
on assembling carly in November would
be- confronted with situation in which
there had been failure to come to terms
as 10 building the canal along the Pair
anna route, and yet there had not been
lapse of a reasonable time-using the
word reasonable in any proper SENSE
such as would justify the administration
going to the Nicaragua route. This sit
uation seemed on the whole the most
likely, and as a matter of fact had made
the original draft of my message to the
Congress with a view to its existence.
IL was the opinion OF eminent fnterna
tional iurists that in view of the fact
that the great design OF our guarantee
under the treaty Of 1886 was to dedicate
the Isthmus TO the purposes of interoceanic
transit, and above all to secure the con-
structicn of an interoceanio canal, Colon
bia could not under existing conditions
refuse to enter into proper arrangement
with the United States to that end, with
out violating the spirit and substantially
repudlating the obligations of treaty the
full benefits of which she had enjoyed
for over fifty years. Ny intention was
to consult the Congress as to whether
under such circumstances it would not be
proper 10 announce that the canal was
to be dug forthwith: that We would give
the terms that we had offered and no
others: and that If such terms were not
agreed to we would enter into an arrange
ment with Panama direct or take what
other steps were needful in order to begin
the enterprise.
A third possibility was that the people
OF the Isthmus, who had formerly con-
stituted an Independent State, and who
until recently were united to Colombia
only by a loose tie of federal relation
ship. might take the protection of their
own vital interests into their own hands
recssert their former rights, declare their
independence upon just grounds, and es-
tablsh government competent and will
ing to do its snare in this great work
for civilization. This third possibility
i what actually occurred. Everyone knew
that it was a possibility. but it was not
until towards the end of October that 1t
appeared to be an imminent probability.
Although the administration. of course.
had special means of knowledge. no such
means were necessary in order to appre-
ciate the possibility, and toward the end
the likelihood. of such a revolutionary
outbreak and of its success It was a mat
ter of common notoriety. Quotations
from the daily papers could be indef
nitely multiplied to show this state of al
fairs: a very few will suffice. From
Costa RIGA on August 81 special was
sent to the Washington Post, running
as follows:
San Jose. Costa Rica,, August 81.
Travellers from Panama report the Is
thmus alive with fires of new revolu-
ton. 1t is inspired, it is believed, byl
men who, in Panama and Colon, have
H..