Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-01-06

for further apprehension of injury to Amer
lean lives or property: that | relanded an
armed force because of the failure Of Col
Torres to carry out his agreement to with
draw and announced intention of return
ing, and that my attitude throughout was
strictly neutral as between the two parties
my only purpose being to protect the lives
and property of American citizens and to
preserve the free and uninterrupted transit
- ''' (signed) JOHN HUBBARD.
Commander, Z. S. Navy, Commanding
Commenting on this communication
President Roosevelt says:
Americans Not Well Protected.
This plain official account of the occur
rences of November 4. shows that, instead
of there Ia wing been too much provision BY
the American government for the main
tcnance Of order and the protection Of life
and property on the isthmus, the orders
for the movement of the American war
ships had been too long delayed; so long
III fact that there were but forty-two
marines, and sailors available 10 land and
protect the lives of American men and
women. 1t was only the GOODNESS and gal
lantry with which this little band of men
wearing the American uniform faced ten
times their number of armed foes, bent on
Colombian commander, that prevented a
nurderous catastrophe. At Panama, when
American man-ofwar and no American
troops sailors at Colon. Commander
Hubbard acted with entire impartianty to-
wards both sides, preventing any move
ment, whether by the ColOmbians or the
Panamans, which would tend to produce
bloodshed On November 8 he prevented
a body of the revolutionists from landing
at Colon. Throughout he behaved in the
most creditable manner. In the New York
Evening Post, under date Of Panama, De-
cember g, there Is an article from spe-
cial correspondent, when sets forth in de-
tai! the unbearable oppression of the Co
lombian government in Panama. In this
article is an interesting interview with a
native Panaman, which runs In part as fol-
lows:
I'VE looked upon the building of
the canal as 4 matter of life death to
us. We wanted that because it meant
with the United States in control of It,
peace and prosperity for us. President
MarroQuin appointed iSthmian to be
governor Of Panama; and we looked upol
that as of happy augury. Soon we heard
that the canal treaty was not likely to be
approved at Bogota; next we heard that
our isthmian governor Obaldia, who had
scarcely assumed power, was TO be super
seeded by q soldier from Bogota..
Notwithstanding all that Colombia has
drained US of in the way of revenues she
did not bridge for Il single river, nor
make Il single roadway, nor erect single
college where our children could be educat-
ed; nor do anything at all to advance our
them, and the town of Panama was in joy
Not a protest was made, except the shots
fired from the Colombian gunboat Bogota
which killed one Chinese lying in his bed
We were willing to encounter the Colon
bian troops at Colon and fight it out; but
the commander Of the United States cruise
Nashville forbade Superintendent Shaler 10
allow the railroad to transport troops for
either party That Is our story.
Prevented a Battle
call especial attention to the concluding
portion of this interview which states the
willingness of the Panama people to fight
Commander Hubbard to permit them TO use
the railroad and therefore to get into a po-
sition where the fight could take place. It
thus clearly appears that the fact thai
there was no bl0odShed on the iSthmus was
directly oue-and only due-to the prompt
and firm enforcement by the United States
of Its traditional policy. During the past
forty years revolutions ana attempts at
revolution have succeeded one another with
monotonous regularity on the iSthmus, and
again and again United States sailors and
landed in this instance and under similar
instructions TO protect the transit. One 81
these revolutions resulted in three years OF
warfare; and the aggregate of bloodsbed
and misery caused by them has been meal
culable. The fact that in this last revolu-
ton not q life was lost, save that of the
man killed by the shells of the Colombian
gunboat, and no property destroyed, was
due TO the action which [ have described.
We, in effect policed the isthmus in the in
t2rest of its Inhabitants and of our own IA
rional needs and for the good Of the en-
tire civilized world. Failure to act as the
administration acted would have meant
great waste of life. great suffering, great
destruction of property all Of which was
avoided by the frmness and prudence With
which Commander Hubbard carried out his
orders and prevented either party from at
lacking the other. Our action was for the
peace both Of Colombia and Of Panama.
1t is earnestly to be hoped that there will
be no unwise conduct on our part which
may encourage Colombia to embark on a
war which can not result in her regainng
control Of the iSthmus, but which may
cause much bloodshed and suffering.
The President says that everything the
administration has done in the matter
has been warranted by precedent and
conditions. He declares that the only
criticism of the administration policy
in the canal matter prior to the revolu-
ton was that too big price was to be
paid to Colombia.