The Nome nugget., 1904-02-24
CANAL TREATIES OF THE PAST.

The signing of the treaty by which the
United States will secure the right of way
across the isthmus practically assures the
building of this important waterway, that is
to say if men and money can build it. A
history of the various treaties negotiated
between the United States and various
Spanish American countries is interesting,
and it is here given:
In 1916 our rights on the lower isthmus
were definitely stated in the treaty with
New Grenada This gave us control of
transit and practically of any canal to be
constructed In 1850 we consented in the
Clayton Bulwer treaty to Joint control of
the Nicaragua route.
In 1855, while Panama was independent,
President Pierce's canal policy called for a
strip across the isthmus twenty miles wide,
which was to be regarded as a free zone
under the control and protection of the
United States.
President Buchanan chung to the idea of
American control at Panama. President
Lincoln, despite the civil war, asserted our
rights at Panama and to protect our inter
ests in Nicaragua advocated the purchase
of ,000, 900 acres of land and the establish
ing thereon of colony of American ne
groes.
President johnson and his secretary of
state, William H. Seward, defined their
canal policy in a treaty negotiated with Co.
lombia, in which it was provided that a
strip of territory across Panama twenty
miles wide should be set apart for canal
to be constructed and controlled by the
United States.
This was in January 1869 A year later
President Grant and his secretary of state,
Hamilton Fish, negotiated a similar treaty,
when the conservatives in Colombia insisted
on amendments in favor of a Joint prOtec
torate. Mr. Fish protested, but the treaty
was amended and was rejected by the
United States senate. 1t thus appears that
the Colombian conservatives dealt with US
in 1870 as they did thirty three years later.
With the Colombian conservatives in
power, President Grant turned to Mica
ragua. The Grant policy eliminated in the
Zavala treaty of 1884, negotiated in Ar
thurs administration. This gave the United
States a fee-simple title to "a canal strip
across Nicaragua and complete control of
canal and strip, the United States to protect
the integrity of Nicaragua. The Clayton
Bulwer treaty stood in the way, and the
senate failed to ratify.
President Cleveland was opposed to the
''acquisitiOn of new and distant territory or
to the incorporation of remote interests
with our own and refused to reSubmit the
Zavala treaty to the senate.
President Harrison returned to the canal
policy of Grant President Mckinley went
further and secured the abrogation of the
Clayton Bulwer treaty and the conclusion
of favorable treaty with Nicaragua. The
way was then open for a canal under Amer
| lean control on the Nicaragua route.
Then the Panama scheme was revived,
and after much delay favorable treaty was
negotiated with Colombia, but only to be re-
jected by the conservatives of the Colon
bian congress, as was the treaty of 1870
The secession of Panama from the
United States of Colombia, and it's declara-
ton of independence, have been followed
by the signing of treaty with the Panama
republic which gives the United States of
America sovereign control of the canal
route.