Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1904-01-13

- E'f.t'' 1II(
!, Saent to show. that the intent Of tht
Congress was to- insure a canal acros!
Panama, and that whether the republic
granting the title was called New
Granada, Colombia, or Panama mat
tered not one whit. AS events turned
out, the question of reasonable time
did not enter into the matter at all
Although, as the months went by, il
became increasingly improbable thai
the: Colombi bian Congress would ratifS
the treaty or take steps which would
be equivalent thereto, yet all chances
for such action on their part did not
vanish until the Congress closed al
the; end Of October; and within three
days thereafter the revolution In Pan
anna had broken out. Panama became
an independent state, and the control
Of the territory necessary for building
the canal then became obtainable. The
condition under which alone We could
have gOnesto N Nicaragsa thereby be
came impossible or fulfillment. If the
| pending treaty with Panama should
not be ratified by the Senate this would
not alter the fact that we could not go
! to Nicaragua The Congress has de-
cided the route, and there is no alter
native under existing legislation.
When in August it began to appear
probable that the Colombian 'Legisla--
ture would not ratlfy the treaty it be-
came incumbent upon me to consider
-, IA IN
ready to advises 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 see the an
wisdom of her position. That there
might be nothing omitted, Secretary
Hay, throughsthe minister at Bogota,
repeatedly warned Colombia that grave
consequences might follow from her
reiectionaof the treaty. .sAlthoughsit was
constantly diminishing chance, yet
the possibility of ratification did not
wholly pass away until the close OF the
session Of the Colombian Congress.
A 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 early. in No
vember would be confronted with
sitlation in which there:had been a
failure to come to terms; as to building
the canal along the Panama route, and
YET there. had not BEEN a lapse OF
reasonable tine--using thedword rea-
sotable in any properssense SUCH as
would justify the Administration going
to. the sNicarauga route. This situation
seem edsonr the whole the most likely
and assasmatter Of fact. I had made
the original draft of my Message to
the Congress with view to Its ex-
istcnce.
In view Of all these facts directed
the Navy Department to issue instruc-
tions such as would insure our hav-
ing ships within easy reach OF the Is
thn,us in the event Of need arising.
Orders were given on October ~ to
the Boston to proceed to San Juan
del Sur, Nicaragua; to the Dixie to
prepare to sail from League Island;
and to the Atlanta to proceed to-
Guantanamo. 'On October so the
Nashville was ordered to proceed to
Colon. On November when, the
Colombian Congress having adjourn
ed,Sit was evident that the outbreak
was immIpents sJ and :whsaait vas an:
erea5iy -. ...1..--,s-l55c,ng VIZ
mean bloodshed and disorder, the 60.
:Iomhian troops having been embarked
ION. vessels, the following instrucuons
swere sent to. the-comnanders OF 'ne
Boston, Nashville and Dixie:
q s-sa
In the. third place, confidently
maintain that the recognition OF the
Republic of Panama was an act lus.,-
fed by the interests of collective CIVIL
ization. II ever government could De
said 20 have received mandate from
civilization to effect an object the &C.
complishment of which was demanded
in the interest Of mankind, the United
States hold that position with respect
to the interoceanic canal. Since our
purpose to build the canal was .oenhlte-
iv announced, there have come, from
all uuarters assurances of approval anu
encoura cement, in which even Coioln-
bia herself at one time participated
and to general assurances were aouec
specific acts and declarations. IN OF
der that no obstacle might stanu IN
our way, Great Britain renouncea I'M
po1rtant rights under the Clayton-bui-
wer treaty, and agreed to its aDroga-
tion receiving in return nothing Dut
our honorable pledge to build the ca
nal and protect it as an open highway:
II was in view Of this pledge, and OF
tha nronosed enactment by the Con-
aress of the United States OF =leglsla,
t;on Fl to give it immediate effect, ina,
the second Pan congress oa o.
the City of Mexico. on January 90
1902, adopted the following .resoiution
.The republics assembled at the In
.ternational Conference Of Mexico ap'
1laud the purpose of the United States
government to-, construct an lhtetoSs; ~ :;
anic canal, and acknowledge that tnh ,i.
work will not only be worthy oi III, III,
greatness Of the American people; Du
also in the highest sense WORK OF s, CIV
iliIation, and to the grea1est oes :
I.enefcial to the DEVELOPMENT OF CON
niercc between the American ,a sIa's' e
and the other countries OF the Worio'
Among#those who signed isoct this reS9 g
lntion on behalf of their respectIv
governments er was General Reyes. :, TN !
delegate of Colombia. Little ,coula
have M been seen that two years later later III d,
Colombian government. !ed astray " y,
false allurements of selfish advantage 9
and forgetful alike OF its internatlona ia
obi obligations and ,of the duties and ,, re
s5onslbilities of sovereignty, :, Sta4e %oqe'
ti,wart the efforts of the Unitea STAY :,
to To- " enter upon and complete a ,oopo Mor,
which the nations of America, IeschO
inr y M the i sentiments Of the nations Q
Europe. had pronounced to De not Oh ~,
g worthy OF the greatness of the Amer l ~
can people" but also in the h'sneS
sense "a work of civilization.
In conclusion let me repeat that tn tn
onestion @ actually before this govern
nuent'i peent is not that of the recognition 9
Fan, Panama as an independent repuoli'