The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-09

the shedding of the precious blood of
thousands of our loved Ones we fought
for the right to secede and live in peace,
by the sword the life of a half million of
our l2ved ones was sacrificed TO decide
we had not that right. We bowed to
the decree, and have sworn eternal 10y
atty to our conquered desires, and the
maintenance of a greater and more pow
erful Union. Suppose Spain should come
again. even with no protectorate promise
to us and wanted to make a treaty with
Us to build the great proposed Florida
canal, and we rejected it no matter on
what grounds, and Florida said, II want
that canal, and will rebel and if you
will back me up, SPAN, l will set
up an independent government and will
treat with you and you shall have the
canal rights for $10,0Oo,000 Spain
should say, THAT is all right, we have
made up our mind, Miss Florida, you
shall be free" And Spain would say
to us as we have said to Colombia,
Americans, you must stay off Florida's
soil Our imretuous President would
have to be chained to the columns of the
White House to keep him from calling
for his Rough Riders and charging into
the Spanish camp before the ink that
wrote the notice was dry. Is Florida any
more a sacred part of the makeup of
America than Panama is to Colombia?
Can you conceive when that portion of
/ her territory contains what is being
adopted as the route for the greatest high
way of commerce known to the world is
in her possession, that she looks on it as
less valuable. If Florida was the great
isthmus and belonged to America, and
it was across her that the world depend
ed for the shortening of the route of its
commerce, would she not consider it a
gem of rare and extreme value? Then
can Colombia if she has any of the blood
OF Bolivar in her, look with less interest
on her advantageous State, Panama?
Panama has never petitioned the Amerl-
can Congress to protect her from the
inhumanity OF Il Weylers oppression, has
never asked for her independence be-
cause Colombia did not treat her with
consideration. Senator Simmons, and no
other man, has shown that more than a
half dozen men participa ted in the battle
for Panama's independence. l believe l
can consistently say there are but few
men in the South who have worked more
zealously and hoped to live long enough
to see the blessings of the isthmian canal
completed reality and dispensed to our
blessed Southland, than 1 have, but 1
am not convinced that the great Ameri
can heart, that the great Democratic
heart that is the embodiment of patriot
ism and the perpetuation of the Consti-
tuition of our fathers and the Declaration
of independence, that is like the Bible
Book Of inspiration, chat should last
as long as time lasts) is going on record
e =. Il,
which is only the handmade of imperial
ism. Under the blessings of just God
that has rehabilitated us from the raw
ages OF cruel war, we are prospecting
and expanding today, and we have lived
all these many years without the canal,
and far better bad we wait and other
hundred years than bow down to the
principles OF overcoming weak ncighbor
by might power and strength, for the
| purpose, neither of civilization, Chris
tianity. patriotism or liberty, but for the
benefits of commercialism, unclothed with
any part of the mantle of justice. The
Senator's able speech only clarifies the
air and shows we are, if we follow our
impetuous Presidents lead, departing
from all that was sacred to our fathers
that followed Washington to defend the
pediency, commercialism and imperialism
and spoilsnE VIII Colombia fight five
fail TO pay her/the price she demands?
which will equal twice over the price of
the Nicaragua Canal before we will obtain
the desired end? If any of the patriotism
of Bolivar still lives in that land, she will
fight until the blood OF her last man is
shed, until Panama or this country
makes reparation for the disreputable
manner in which she has been robbed
And as l have said before, though we
win the route though we win the treaty
though we throttle our consciences to
persuade ourselves we are doing a right
eous and a just act, l believe l am nos
afraid with the report oft he Commission
of both routes before me to say tina:
there is not man in Congress today that
will live to sec the completion of the
Panama Canal, because the route
though shorter, is frought with destruc-
ton to human life and with the echo
throughout the nation of France and the
robbed and devastated homes Of millions
OF her poor and starving peasants, who
contributed their all to it, crying for
justice. This nation has no reason, no
grounds on which to fear either her fu
ture progress or her ability to choose
route for the isthmian canal and build it.
without bringing a shadow of reflection
on her grand and patriotic history, and
her true people would rather wait one
hundred years than have her grand ban
ner of liberty dragged and soiled further
in the low grooves of imperialism and
commercialism, that Lincoln warned her
people would be the case when corpora
tions and wealth became installed in the
high places and sought to place capital
above labor in the structure of this gov
eminent.