Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-25

entered the Granadan confederation
| When that confederation was broken IL,
| into Venezuela. Ecuador ana New Ora
| NADIA in ls52. Panama remained with New
| Granada, ana 50 continued until the veal
| 1910. when she again became Independent
and remained a separate sovereignty unit
IS Sh" then returned to New Grana ia
| and remained a part of that country I'm
til 1879. when by amendment in the CON
Sttution these provisions went into eff
| feet:
Article I. The territory which comprise.
the provinces of the lSthmus of Panama
| to wit, Panama. Ezutro. Veragu2S ant
! Chiriqui, form sovereign. federal, in.
| teGral part Of New Granada under the
name of the state of Panama.
| Article III. The State CT Panama is
subject TO that Of New Granada in tn
| matters which are here mentioned:
| ]. All matters concerning foreign rela-
| tons.
:. Organization ana service Of the resu-
lar army and of the marines.
). Federal finances.
1. Natura lization OF foreigners
o. Official weights, balances and meas
ures
Article ". In all other matters of leg
islation ard administration. the State Of
Panama shall Iegislate freely in the man
ner ii considers proper in accordance with
Inc rules of practice of its own Constitu-
ton.
Since that time. now nearly fifty years
ago. the State of Panama has never vol
unfairly surrendered her sovereignty.
The people of Panama Were the real
owners of the canal route; it was hecause
their fathers Gwc!t III the land. because
they won their independence from Spain
because they organized Il civil society
there. that it was not to he tIea ted as
one of the waste places OF the earth
They owned that part of the earth's sur
face lust as much as the State of New
ork owns the Erie Canal When the
sovereign State Of Panama confedarated
itself with the other states OF Colombia
under the Constitution OF lSti. it did not
part with its title or its substantial
rights but constituted The Federal Gov
eminent its trustee for the representa-
ton of its rights in all foreign relations
and imposed upon that Government the
duty of projecting them. The trustee was
fathcss to its trust. it repudiated its OBJ
legations without consent OF the true own
er; it seized by the strong hand of mill
tary power the rights which it was bound
to protect; Colombia itself broke the
bonds Of union and destroyed its right TO
represent the owner of the soil. The
question for the United States was. Shall
we take this treaty from the true owner
or shall We take it from the faithless
trustee. and for that purpose third time
put back the yoke of foreign domino ton
upon the neck of Panama by the request
of that Government which has tried to
play toward us the part OF the highway
man. There WAS no provision OF our
treaty with Colombia which required us
to answer to her call for our guarantee
solely to foreign aggression. There was
no rule OF intNrna t!onal law which re-
CURED to recognize the wrongs of
Panama or the Justice of her cause for
international law does not concern itself
with the internal affairs of states. But |
put il to the conscience of the American
people who are passing Judgment upon
the action OF their Government, whether
the decision of our President and SecTe-
tary of Stat" ana Senate was not q
righteous decision.
by all the principles Of Justice among
men ana among nations that we have
learned from our fathers and all peoples
and all Governments should maintain, the
revolutioniSts i'll Panama were right. the
people Of Panama were entitled to be free
again. the isthmus was theirs and they
were entitled to govern ii, and it would
have been u shameful thing for the gov
eminent of the United States to return
them again to Servitude.
1t is hardly necessary to say now that
our Government had no part in deviSing
fomcntiE2 or bringing about the revolu-
ton on the Isthmus Of Panama. President
Roosevelt. said in his message to Con-
gress of Jan. A. 1904:
] hesitate to refer to the injurious in
situations which have been made of com
plicity by this government in the reVolu-
tionary movement in Panama. They are
as destitute of foundation as Of propriety.
The only excuse for my mentioning them
is the fear lest unthinling persons might
mistake for acquieScence the silence Of
l
therefore, that no one connected with this
Government had any part in preparing,
melting or encouraging the late revolution
on the Isthmus of Panama. and that save
from the reports of our naval and mill
tary officers. given above, no one con-
nected with this Government had any pre-
vious knowledge of the revolution except
such as was accessible to any person of
ordinary intelligence who read the news
papers and kept up certain acquaintance
with public affairs.
The people of the United States, without
distinction of party will give to that
statement their unqueStioning belief.
All the world know that there would be
rising of the people of Panama If the
Colombian Congress adjourned without
approving the treaty, as it did adjourn on
the 31st of October. The newspapers Of
the United States were filled with state
ments to that effect, and our State and
Navy Departments could not fail to be
| aware of it, They took the same steps
they had always taken under similar cir
cumstances: to have naval vessels pres
ent To keep the transit open and protect
American life and property. II any crit
ciSm is to be made upon their course, 1t Is
that there was too little rather than too
much provision and preparation. lhere
was no naval vessel of the United states
at the city of Panama, ana there Were no
armed forces of the United states there
when the rising occurred. There was no
small vessel at Colon, when was aDie 70
land a force of forty-tMo marines ana
blueJa ckets; that was the entire force
which the United States had on the
lsthmus at the time OF the reVoiutioh.