The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-04


A little while back the people OF
Panama were our friends. They couldn't
say enough in praise of US. Now they
are talking bitterly of us and are
threatening TO haul us into the Hague
Court.
Why this sudden change in the SEN
timent of the Panamans in regard to
us? What have we done to them that
they should want to haul us into the
Court of Nations? The cause of the
trouble is the Dingfey tariff That
tariff is also the cause of trouble in
this country. 1t is calculated to cause
trouble wherever it's bad effects are
felt.
In our treaty with Panama the
Panamans ceded to us a strip of coun-
try on either side of the line of the
projected canal. This strip is now
known as the canal zone. Within it's
borders the laws of the United States
are in force. among them the Dingley
tariff law. When the Panamans coded
the strip they didn't take into consld-
GRAFTON that law. 1t may be they had
never heard of it. They have news
papers, but their newspapers doubtless
found mosquitoes and yellow fever
more interesting subjects of discussion
than the tariff schedules of this coun-
try.
The Panamans expected to reap rich
harvests from duties on the importa-
lions from the United States for canal
purposes-for machinery and food sup
plies for canal laborers. They had no
idea the United States would have
ports Of their own in the coded zone.
They expected that all importations
would be through their ports. They
made great mistake. That, probably
was because they were new at diplo-
macy.
But the United States knew what
they were about. 1t is true they paid
Panama S10,00O,00O for the concession
and other things, but they proposed
to get that money back by saving the
duties on their importations into
Panama
The Panamans only lately discover
ed that they wouldn't get any revenues
from these importations. and also that
their merchants wouldn't be able to
do any business in the canal zone. And
why? Simply because the zone being
United States territory no duties would
be paid on supplies imported for the
canal and canal laborers. The i'm
portations, they found out, wouldn't
pass through the Panama custom
houses, but would be landed at ports
established in the canal zone. That
discovery caused CONSERVATION among
them. But they hadn't at that time
understood fully the effect the Dingley
tariff would have. They were not kept
long in doubt on that point, however.
They were told the Dingley tariff was
in force and that no goods would be
admitted into the zone, except on the
payment of the Dingley tariff. That
was practically an announcement that
the Panamans wouldn't have a chance
to do business in the canal zone, where,
virtually, all the business is done.
1t is not to be wondered at that the
FdndHldnS are indignant. and are
charging that they were tricked into
making a treaty SO hostile to their in q.
terests. 1t may be that if they appeal
to The Hague tribunal they will get
some relief, but the chances are they
will not. 1t really looks as if they
were so eager to get the $1O.OOO,O00 for
the canal strip that they FASTENED the
ratification of the treaty, fearing it
wouldn't be ratified if they scanned it
too closely or objected to any part of
it. Now they see that if they had
insisted upon duties on importations
for canal purposes they, in all prob
ability, would have obtained more
than $10.OOOOOO.