Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1904-01-07
PRESIDENT TELLS
PANAMA HISTORY
Special Message to Congress
Defends Course OF the
Administration,
DID NOT FORCE MATTERS
no Aid Was Given TO the Revolution,
and on the Other Hand This
Country Only Followed Its
Traditional Policy.
DID NOT FORCE MATTERS


: Washington, Jan. 5.-The presiden
has sent a special message to con
gress. setting forth the fun details o
the history of the United states rela
: lions to the Panama revolution. II
substance the messass SAYS!
; To the Senate and House Of Reptesenta
tives lay before the cong es Tor u
information Il statement OF my ;tctiul y
10 This time in executing the act "htltel
AN act to provide for the construction .
a canal connecting the waters OF lae y.
antic and Pacific oceans approved jun
IS, 1902
the president was authorized to secur
the property of the Panama Canal coi:i
paly and perpetual control of Il strip -,
r.i!es wide across the isthnus; Ii was pro
vided that Should the president be uh
able TO obtain u satisfactory due TO th'
property OF the New Panama compan,
and the territory of the Republic OF 60
lombia within l reasonable tiin'
and upon reasonable terms then The pres
dent should endeavor to pfeyiGe for !
canal by the Nicaragua route The plS 81
dent was authorized TO 90 TO the Mica
rasua route III he could rot obtain tertitor,
of Colombia. This has been obtained: tn
act has been complied win; 1t Is no lcngel
possible to go to Nicaragua.
his act marked the climax of the et
fort to secure an interoceanic canal. In'
mad been clearly set forth by Secretary
Cass in 1888. Secretary C:Ss said:
While the rights of sovereignty OF tht
states occupying this region tGentfa
.America) should always be respected, We
SHAH expect that these rights be eXereiset
IN a spirit betting the occasion and tlc
wants and circumstances that have arisen
Sovereignty has Its duties MS We'll as its
rights, and none of these LEGAL govern
.ncnts, even if administered with more
regard TO the just demands OF other ma
lions than they haze been, would be per-
IL
close the gates of intercourse on the great
highways of the world, and justify the
act by the ptetcnsion that these avenues
of trade aud travel belong 20 them and
that they choose to shut them. or, what is
almost equivalent. to cucumber them with
such unjust relations as would prevent
their general use.
The principle was sound then and is nov
The L nitcd States has taken tie position
that no other government is TO build the
canal. In 1889. VIXEN France proposed Ia
aid the French company by guaranteeing
bonds, the senate passed q resolution as
follows
t THAT the United states viii look with
serious concern aud disapnrcval upon any
connection OF amy European government
with the construction or control OF any
or across Central America, and must re-
gard any such connection or control as
injurious to the just rights and interests
of the United States and as IL menace TO
their welfare
l-nder the !ay-Paunccfote treaty it was
explicitly provided that the United states
should control. police and protect the
( canal, Keeping ii open for all nations ON
equal terms. When this government sub
milted 10 Colombia the iay-iierran treaty
Three Things were, therefore. already sell
tied. ono WAS that The canal should be
buiit. Second. or purpose TO deal in
justice aud generosity with the people
through whose land we might build it,
The iiay-lierian treaty if it erred erred
in the direction of over-Goneroslty towards
Colombia 1t has been stated that CO.
.cinbia objected to stiprla;ions, that they
involved a accomplishment of her "sov-
ereisnty:" but in the light Of what has
taken place, this objection must be an
af;erth2ught. In reality, the treaty, ac-
kn2wleised, c,oiliirmcd ana preserved her
5s,sNereignty: The exercise By the United
states, subject to the local sovereign. of q
substantial control over the canal and the
iinmedatcIy adjacent territory has been
fundamental part of any Arrangement,
Colombia never minated that the re-
quirement by the Emitted States of control
over the canal strip would render unat-
ti'inable the construction of canal. nor
were we advised, when legislation Of 1862
was pending. that the terms would render
iegotia'1onS With Colombia impracticabie
the neutrality OF the canal with less con-
troll than was stipulated for In the I!ay-
lleiran treaty. refusal to grant such
degree of control WAS NECESSARILY a rcfii-
sal to make any practicable treaty q all
Such refusal therefore squareiy raised the
question whether Colombia was entitled
across the sthnus
That the canal was eagerly demand
ed by the people Of the locality through
which 1t was to pass. is shown BY theunar-
ilnityin the Panama republic. Furthermore
colombia, after havius rejected the treaty
when it was ia her power to accept it, has
since shown the uti ST caserness 10 ac-
eent The same One of the mon si;lnaine
highest in Colombia. ON Nov~ubc. g. adj
dressed the American minister. sewing
mat i the United Sates would preserve
Colombian sovereignty Colombia would
declare martial Law; and. ~ virtue OF
vested constitutional authority, when pub
lie order is disturbed (would) approve by
decree the ratilieatioa OF the canal treaty
vs. signed; or, IL tho government of the
'thited states prefers, CWoul,D call extra
session of the congress-with new and
friendly members next May to approve
the treaty" ! pass by the question as to
what assurance we have that they would
NOW Keep their pledge.
Third. Finally congress settled tho canal
WAS to be across the sthmtis of Panama:
and If. after reasonable time, ii proved
impossible to secure such treaty we Should
go TO Nicaragua. The treaty has been
made. for the intent of congress was to
insure a canal across Panama. and wheth-
er the republic granting the title was
called Sew Granada Colombia o. Panama
natlefgd not. Althongh 1t became i'm
probable that Colombia would ratfy tho
treaty. yer all chance for such action did
net vanish until the congress closed at the
end of October: ard within three days
broken out. Panama became an indepana-
ent state. and the territory necessary be-
came obtanabl@. The condition under
which alone we could have gone TO Mic
araSua thereby became Impossible % fu-
iilnle1t. If the pending treaty with Pan
ANA should not be ratified by the sonata.
liils would not alter the Fact that we could
not 80 to Nicaragua. Congress has de-
ciaed the route. aud there Is no ;.tt :nativr.
When IN August il began TO appear
probable that the Colombian legislature
would not ratify the treaty. there were
several possibilities. one was that Co.
lombla would at the last moment see the
lnwisdom of her position. Secretary Hay
repeatedly warned Colombia that grave
consequences might follow rejection Of
the treaty.
\ second alternative was situation in
winch there had been failure to come To
terms us to building the canal along the
Panama route, and yet there had not been
Il lapse OF reasonable tme-using the
word reasonable in any proper sense-such
as would Justify going to Nicaragua. This
sltuatloh seemed most likely, and had
made the draft of my message with Il View
To its existence.
1t was the opinion of eminent nterna-
iional lurists that Colombia could not re-
luse 70 enter into Il proper arrangement
with the United States. without Violating
ana regulating treaty the full benefits
OF winch size had enjoyed fifty years. My
intention was tn consult congress ms to
whether III would not be procnr to :lsl-
hounce that the canal was To he d;s forth
with: that we would give the terms we
mad oHered and 10 others: and That II &iirh
terms We're not agreed to we would enter
into an arrangement with Panama direct
OF take other steps to begin.