New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-19

SN NSi'aih lntimatton that IL was near
at manu- came from Secretary Taft himself 1t
was mace III MS speech at the great banquet
given TO him and his party by tho Panaman
government at the Grand f,e,+-., Hotel on FRI
cay evening last-a banouet nv the way which
in its appointments and geperel conduct was
highly enjoyable. and would have been credit
able to city of greater size and more opulent
resources thah Panama There was much APP
pause "heh. at the very beginning OF his
speech ne Salo that Justice had not been done
10 tAe people and &c the country OF Panama
His reference evidently was to the popular esti-
mate OF the character and resources of the
isthmus' DO not know whether any Of his
hearers misinterprcted Il as g. confession that
Panama mad not been justly dealt with under
the treaty with the United states-something
which he certainly did not say and did not
mean If any did think that they were speed
fly corrected. for the sneaker went on to refer
directly to the negotiations as having led to a
point at which there was every reason to expect
a solution of all difficulties which would be hon.
orable TO both countries alike There was no
mint or any retrocession. even Of consdera-
ZION or retrocession, from the existing treaty,
and certainly nothing resembling American
mea culpa. But the Panamens again greeted
his declaration with applause which bore no re-
senblance to mere perfunctoriness. Nor was
that all. Again the Secretary referred in even
stronger terms than before to the imperative
necessity Of ordered and stable government and
to cessation from revolutionary movements.
Stability of government" he said, "is abso-
lutely impossible unless there is implanted in
the breasts of all your people who take part IN
the government voters a profound respect
for the laws and constitution which you your
selves have founded" AT that there again
applause The Secretary continued: You
must have a government IN which the minority
shall enjoy equal rights with the majority.
government in which the minority. upon the
election by the majority. retires from the Dor
ders OF the country in exile, only TO await the
result OF the next successful revolution, is not
government at all It is tyranny. You can
have despotism complete by majority of
the people as by man, and unless you
spect the rights OF each individual in your
munity you will have government worth the
supporting" That was plain talk. I do no
injustice to Panama when I say-in view of
the experience OF neighborng South and Cen
trail American states. and in view Of recent
incident IN Panama itself to which I have
already Teferred-that it was salutary talk.
Best OF all, II was not unwelcome talk. but 1t
was applauded and cheered three times in the
last four sentences which I have quoted. with
as much sPontaneity and manifest earnestness
OF approval as were shown for the vehement and
torrential eloquence OF the VicePresident, DR..
Pablo Arosemena. which preceded it. or to the
rhetorical periods of Or. Belsarlo Porras, the
opposition leader, which followed It, Addt-
tional and very practical emphasis was given
tc this same point by Mr.. William Nelson Cron-
well-of all men persona gratisstma In Panama
when in his tactful speech at the same ban
Duet he referred to the perfect security which
New York afforded TO the $6,0O0o00 which
Panama had invested there. and then demanded
that in return Panama should give equal secur-
ity TO the $500 100000 which the United States
proposed to invest in the isthmian canal
It was thus made known at this memorable
banquet that the agreement was in sight and
was practically assured, and that it was an
honorable lust and mutually satisfactory agree
ment. The next evening. at the smaller dinner
given TO Secretary Taft at the American Lega-
ton, it was known that the agreement had
actually been concluded and the executive order
had been issued 4 delightful interlude oc-
Cured on Sunday in the form of an excursion
to the Pearl Islands. given by the Panaman
government to the American visitors and two
or three hundred representative Panamans'
upon which there was little talk Of anything so
serious as politics diplomacy. though II be-
came generally known that the business OF the
mission was. in Yankee parlance. All over
except the shouting. We returned from the
Pearl Islands on Sunday evening to find a
newspaper extra had been printed for gra-
tuitous distribution, giving the full text of the
executive order. And then tonight came the
shouting, By word of mouth and by placaTds
nosted all over the city the people Of Panama
were summoned TO the Cathedral Plaza to pay a
tribute of respect TO Secretary Taft They
came Estimates OF their number vary. But
they filed nearly all the space from the Canal
Building. at the one end, to the Bishops palace
az the other and from the Grand Central Hotel,
on the one side, to the Cathedral, on the other.
The aristocracy and the rabble. rich and poor,
white and black. Conservative and Liberal, were
all there. Upon the decorated and Illuminated
balcony Of the hotel were the President ana
other high officials Of the republic Secretary
Taft and his party and various representative
men and women of Panama. A brief introduce
ton WAS given by the popular Alcalde. who
has held office ten years and IS a candidate for
ten wears more, and seems likely 70 get them.
Then DR. Pablo Arosemena reused the enthusl-
esrn of the throng with another Of his passion
ate orattons in which the words flowed so
swiftly that even the trained Panaman ear was
+ared 10 catch them all. Finally Secretary Taft
arose. his stalwart figure dominating the whole
scaoe and his resonant voice reaching to tho
fsrthest confines of the square. II was his last
speech to the people Of Panama, and MS pest
r+ic,Iarlv was It the most forcible Of all upon
+be noint TO which 1 have most referred. the
necessity for orderly. constitutional government
IN the new republic Speaking in the very place
IN which the revolutionary junta of thirteen
months before had been organized. he began his
address by congratulating the people upon the
facts that that junta did not establish a dicta-
torship. but opened the way to a constitutions
government elected by the people, and that IN