The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-22
THE PRESIDENTS DISREGARD OF
LAW

| me part the President played In the
Panama revolution is being brought
into the presidential campaign not for
the purpose of undoing anything that
has been done in connection with the
Panama canal. but, as Senator Gull
berson of Texas said, in his speech
at Carnegie Hall. New York on
| Thursday night, to show the Presi-
dents CONTEMPT Of all legal restraint
and his Unsuitable passion for personal
and arbitrary government" and there
fore his unfitness for the high office
for which he is a candidate.
| The inference from what the Presi-
dent has said in his public utterances
! is that he had nothing whatever to do
with the Panama revolution There
| has always been a strong suspicion,
| however, that he knew that the rev.
olution was contemplated. and that IN
some way he let it be understood that
| if Panama seeded from Colombia the
United States would see to it that the
Panamaians were not interfered with.
What gave strong color to this was
the Presidents order that no troops
of Colombia should be permitted to ap-
proach within fifty miles of the coast
| Of Panama. This order OF course was
| based upon alleged treaty obligations
to prevent interference with the traffic
of the Panama Railway.
Until Senator Culberson delivered his
speech on Thursday night, however,
there was no evidence. so far as the
public knew. that the President had
information that the Panamaians con-
templated seeding. Senator Culber-
son read a letter from him to DR.. AL
bert Shaw, the editor of the Review of
Reviews. In this letter. which was
dated Oct. 10, 1903, the President says:
Il cast aside the proposition made at
this time to foment the secession of
Panama. Whatever governments can
do the United States cannot go into
securing, by any such underhand
means, the secession. Privately,
freely say to you that should be de-
lighted if Panama were an Independent
state, or if it made itself so at this
moment, but for me to say so publicly
would amount to an instigation of a
revolt, and, therefore, 1 cannot say it,"
He didn't say so politically, but didn't
he say as much to parties who were
interested in making a sale of the PAN
anna Canal Companys property to
the United States? Was that not
enough to lead them to believe that
he would. If necessary, put a strained
construction on the treaty of 1916. and
prevent the revolutionists from being
interfered with by Colombia, notwith-
standing the fact that Colombia was
a friendly nation?
And it looks as if we might have
trouble with the Panamaians from time
to time. They seem to be acting upon
the idea that our government was a
partner to some extent in their revolt,
and that they have not got as much
out of the revolution as they expected,
or as they think they can get. There
fore they are becoming restless and
are showing signs of disposition to
make trouble on the isthmus. Accord
ing to our dispatches yesterday q new
battalion of marines will be sent there
to be ready for any emergency that
may arise. and to hold in check the
disgruntled elements. Mr.. Taft, the
Secretary of War. will visit Panama
Immediately after the election, with
the view of adjusting the troubles
which have cropped out, and which
NAV assume proportions serious enough
to interfere. for time. with work on
the canal.
The country accepted the Presidents
course In the Panama matter without
much criticism Of it because of the
very general desire to have the canal
constructed as soon as possible. but it
is doubtful If it didn't feel that Mr..
Roosevelt was a dangerous man to
have in the White House. The Panama
matter and other matters ought to
awaken the people to the fact, if they
have not. that Mr.. Roosevelt has but
little respect for the constitutional linn
itations of his office. and that he is
likely at any time to do things calcu-
lated to get the country into trouble
or that will make precedents danger
Gus to the stability of our institutions.
1t is better to have a man like Judge
Parker in the White House, a man
who has a profound respect for the
constitution, than a man like Mr..
Roosevelt. who has passion for per-
sonal and arbitrary government.