The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-05


private enterprise was utterly made
quate for the purpose; and fixed pol
icy, declared by the United States on
many memorable occasions, and sup
ported by the practically unanimous
voice of American opinion, had rem
dered it morally impossible that the
work should be undertaken by Euro
pean Powers, either singly or in COM
bination. Such were the universally
| recognized conditions on which the
legislation of. the Congress was based,
! and on which the late negotiations with
| Colombia were begun and concluded.
| Nevertheless, when the we'll considered
| agreement was rejected by Colombia
| and the revolution on the isthmus en-
sued, one of Colombia's first acts was
to invoke the Intervention of the Unit
ed States; nor does her invitation ap-
pear to have been confined to this gov
ernment alone. By a telegram from
| Mr.. Beaupre, our minister at Bogota,
of the, 7th of November, last we were
informed that Gen. Reyes would soon
leave Panama invested with full pow
ers; that he had telegraphed the Pres
| ident of Mexico to ask the government
of the United States and all countries
represented at the Pan-American Con-
ference ito aid Colombia to preserve
her integrity" and that he had re-
queSted that the government of the
United States should meanwhile pre-
serve the neutrality and transit of the
isthmus" and should mot recognize the
new government" In another telegram
from Mr.. Beaupre, which was sent
later in the day, this government was
asked whether it would take action
to maintain Colombian right and SOW
ereignty on the isthmus in accordance
with Article 35 (of) the treaty of 1S46"
in case the Colombian government
should be entirely unable TO suppress
the secession movement there" Here
was a direct solicitation to the United
States to intervene for the purpose of
Suppressing, contrary to the treaty of
1886 as this government has uniformly
construed it, a new revolt against Co
lombia's authority brought about by
her own refusal to permit the fulfill
ment of the great design for which
that treaty was made. 1t was under
these circumstances that the United
| States instead of using it's forces to
destroy those who sought to make the
enga gements of the treaty a reality,
| recognized them as the proper custo-
dams of the sovereignty of the 18TH
mus.
own Interests Justified 1t.
This recognition was, in the second
place, further justified by the highest
| CONSIDERATIONS OIL our national interests
| and safety. In all the range of our in
! ternationai relations, do not hesitate
to affirm that there is nothing of
greater or more pressing importance
| than the construction of an inter-
| oceanic canal. Long acknowledged to
! be essential to our commercial deVel-
| Opment, it has become, as the result
! of the recent extension of our terri
torial dominion, more than ever es-
| 81 4 e
| transmitting to the Senate the treaty
| of 1916, President Polk pointed out as
! the principal reason for it's ratification
| that the passage of the isthmus, which
| it was designed to secure, would re-
| lieve us from a long and dangerous
/ navigation of more than 5000 miles
around Cape Horn, and render our
communication with our own possess
| sions on the northwest coast of Ameri-
ca comparatively easy and speedy"
! The events of the past five years have
given to this consideration an impor-
tance immeasurably greater than it
| possessed in 1916. In the light of our
! present situation, the establishment of
easy and speedy communication by sea
| between the Atlantic and the Pacific
! presents itself not simply as something
to be desired, but as an object to be
| positively and promptly attained. Rea-
| SOILS Oh convenience nave Deen super
! seded by reasons of vital necessity,
which do not admit of indefinite de-
lays.
To such delays the rejection by Co
| lombia of the Hay-Herran treaty di-
rectly exposed us. AS proof of this
| fact 1 need only refer to the pro-
! gramme outlined in the report of the
majority of the Panama Canal Com
mittee read in the Colombian Senate
| Of nak L. -
report, which recommended that the
discussion of a law to authorize the
| government to enter upon new nego-
! tiations should be Indefinitely post
poned, it is proposed that the con-
| sideration of the subject should be de-
ferred till Oct. 81, 1904 when the next
Colombian Congress should have met
| in ordinary session. By that time, as
| the report goes on TO say, the extern
sion of time granted to the New Pan
anna Canal Company by treaty in 1898
would have expired, and the new Con-
| gress would be in position to take
| up the question whether the company
| had not in spite of further extensions
| that had been granted by legislative
acts, forfeited all its property and
rights. when that time arrives" the
report significantly declares, "the re-
| public. without any impeachment, will
]
more clear, more definite, and more
/ advantageous possession, both legally
1 and materially" The naked meaning
of this report is that Colombia pro-
! posed to wait until, by the enforcement
| of a forfeiture repugnant to the ideas
| of justice which obtain in every civil
lied nation, the property and rights of
! the New Panama Canal Company
/ could be confiscated.
Invited to Become a Party.
Such is the scheme to which it was
proposed that the. United States should
! be invited to become a party. The
| construction of the canal was to be re-
! legated 10 the indefinite future. while
! Colombia was, by reason of her own
! delay, to be placed in the more ad-
vantageous" position of claiming not
! merely the compensation to be paid by
| the United States for the privilege of
1 completing the canal but also the for
! ty millions authorized by the act of
1902 to be paid for the property of the
! New Panama Canal Company That
the attempt to carry out this scheme
would have brought Colombia into
conflict with the government of France
can not be doubted; nor could the
United States have counted upon i'm
munity from the consequences of the
attempt. even apart from the indefi-
mite delays to which the construction
of the canal was to be subjected. On
the first appearance of danger to CO.
lOrnbia this government would have
been summoned to interpose, in order
to give effect to the guarantees of the