The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-10-06
PANAMAiANS COMMEND WISDOM
OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.
Democratic Charge that the Chief Ex-
ecutive Was hasty, Rented by Re-
cent Developments in the Isthmian


weeks ago, and even recently, many of
the leading Democratic newspapers in
the United States have asserted that
Panama was demonstrating against the
administration of the canal zone as or
.dered by the President, and that an inn
perialistic policy was being pursued by
him in his treatment of the Panamaians.
The Democratic critics took advantage of
state of local unrest in Panama and
a protest on its part against the inter
probation of the treaty at the hands OF
the canal commission as an evidence that
the President was treating the Panama
ians with autocratic sway.
What are the facts? 1t seems that
when the President gave his orders in
June last to Gen. Davis, as Governor of
the zone, to organize. the strip controlled
by the United States, the President en-
deavored in every way to act in strict
accordance with the wording of the
treaty, and for the best interests of
Panama as well as the zone. 1t happen
ed, however, that CERTAIN GROUP
OF POLITICIANS IN PANAMA
WHO HELD NO OFFICES, AND
WHO ARE THE OUTS LIKE THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE
UNITED STATES, WE'RE LOOKING
FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
TROUBLE. Without consulting care
fully the treaty, they Immediately made
a severe attack ON the United States gov
eminent and the President, proclaiming
in manifestos and in their newspapers
that the Presidents orders to Governor
Davis were against the spirit and letter
of no ho ho rH
ing hagrantly the rights and interests of
Panama, thus crushing out its indepen-
dence! They agitated their position so Wig
orously that they not only aroused con-
siderable element of the Panama popula-
ton, BUT PROVIDED THE BACK
GROUND FOR SENSATIONAL
NEWSPAPER STORIES TO BE
SENT TO THE UNITED STATES.
Ne Cause for the Furry.
At the moment when the situation was
somewhat critical in Panama, the new
American minister, John Barrett, arriv-
ed on the scene with special instructions
from the President to demonstrate to
the Panama government and people that
the President was determined that NO
STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN, IN
VOLVING THE RELA 0NS OF
PANAMA PROPER AND THE
CANAL ZONE, WHICH WERE NOT
CONSISTENT WITH THE TREATY
AND WITH THE TRUE INTER
ESTS OF BOTH PANAMA AND
minister had Gained the excitement to
a great extent by his assurances of fair
dealing and after he had given the Pan
amaians abundant opportunity to file
with him all the complaints they had in
mind, he showed them. in a respectful
but diplomatic way, that THE VERY
POINTS ON WHICH THEY so Sc
VERELY CRITICISED PRESIDENT
ROOSEVELT HAD ALREADY.
BACK IN JANUARY OF THIS
YEAR, BEEN EXPLICITLY En-
planned BY THEIR OWN ENVOY
PLENIPOTENTIAR MIR. BUNAU-
VARILLA, IN HIS STATEMENT TO
SECRETARY HAY OF HIS INTER
PROBATION OF THE TREATY. In
other words, the minister proved 10 the
Panama government and people that
their own representative, Mr.. Bunau-
Varilla. many months before, had, ON
| their behalf, given the United States alb
solute control of the two ports at the
respective entrances of the canal, THUS
COMPLETELY DISARMING THE
CONTENTIOUS OF THE CRITICS
OF THE PRESIDENT that, in es-
tablishing these ports by his orders to
Governor Davis, he had disregarded the
sovereignty and rights of the Panama
government In addition ito this, the
minister also explained to them that in
view of the great responsibility which
the United States owed to the rest of
the world in constructing such gigantic
waterway, there could be no possible d.
vision. of authority, and that the United
States had already, by liberal gift of
ten million dollars, paid for those very
sovereign rights which they now ques-
toned. If they had not agreed to this
arrangement, they might never have got
the canal, and they would probably have
| lost their independence.
President Was Right.
What now is the result? In COMPARE
son with the situation a few weeks ago
when the editorials in the local news
papers, the discussions in the public
plazas, and the kilograms to the Demo
cratic papers IN the United States, all
criticised the President and said that
he was acting arbitrarily, WE NOW.
SEE THE LEADING MEN, NOT
ONLY OF THE GOVERNMENT
PARTY BUT OF THE OPPOSITION.
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE
PRESIDENT is RIGHT; we hear peo-
pie in the plazas and public meetings
commenting the United States; we note
the editorials in the Panama press pray
ing for the election of President
Roosevelt. and at banquet given on
Sept. in the American legation by
Minister Barrett in honor of the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, this latter official.
Don Tomas. Orias, one of the ablest and
most influential men in Panama, toasted
in eloquent terms the health of President
Roosevelt and expressed the earnest
wish, on behalf of his government and
his people, that THE PRESIDENT
| WOULD BE TRIUMPHANTLY
ELECTED IN NOVEMBER, SAYING
THAT THE BEST INTERESTS OF
PANAMA AS WE'LL AS THOSE OF
THE T1NTTEn STATEC &C TNUnT VI