The St. Louis Republic., 1904-01-27
It@VIWftIN dTII WITHOUT TPUf.
WANTS To KNOW IF TREATY
IS TINCTURED WITH DISHONOE,

If We have. then ! can vote to ratify
| this treaty without hesitation. But. If we
have not. aye. if there is a weil-groundetl
doubt about it. then we should pause long
enough to satisfy ourselves on that point
before going beyond the possibility of re-
| treat. If the treaty is tinctured with dis
honor by our fault. want to know it be-
fore I act and that ! may act intelligently
! in the light of the truth. ,.-.
''But If any man in high position ever
the President of the Republic exercisine
great power and clothed with great re.
sponsfbilities. shall rush. ill-advised il
may be. or irnpuisvely, and with toe
strenuous zeal. into sensational and
spectacular performances which oversteI
the bounds of his authority or which tend
to discredt the good faith and good name
of our Government. l believe that Sena-
tors exercising Independence with digni-
ty, should rise above party environment
and uphold the true American standard of
national justice and honor.
I'm that spirit l offered the resolution
now before the Senate and in that spirit
l propose to discuss it.
Il want to get this matter fairly be-
fore the Senate. For some inexplicable
reason the present administration has
resolved upon having canal over the
Panama route or to have no canal at
all. I do not disparage the value of a
canal across the Isthmus of Panama ;
that it would be of incalculable value to
our people / do not question. But equally
sure am l that the Nicaragua route
would be in every way infinitely prefer
able to that across Panama.
Up to the passage Of the so-called
Spooner act, the overwhelming public
sentiment of the country had settled in
approval upon the Nicaragua route. That
sentiment was voiced IN the Hepburn
BILL authorizing the construction of the
Nicaragua Canal. which passed the House
of Representatives January .. 1892 by
an almost unanimous vote The pas
sage of that bill through the House was
but the crystallization of a well-defined
public sentiment.
But just then. when the sky seemed to
be clearing and the way becoming easy
to speedy beginning and completion of
the enterprise. q magic and potent hand
was thrust forth from a shadow some
where and wrought a sudden change-a
change as significant as it was sudden
ADMINISTRATION SUDDENLY
INFATUATED WITH PANAMA.
You know what happened. You know
how the Isthmian Canal Commission
changed front and recommended the
Panama route. after having twice IN
dorsed the Nicaragua route as the bet
ter; and you know the House of Rerre-
sentatives was driven to the wall and
compelled to accept the Panama route
as first choice or take nothing at all. The
administration and its co,Insellors seem
TO nave become suddenly infatuated with
the Panama route-to have become NOS
sessed OF an acute, consuming passion for
ft-and to have resolved unalterably that
the canal should be constructed there
Without looking for a solution of tho
mystery. the facts of which We are
coSnizant warrant the statement that tbe
administration. from the passage of the
Spooner act to this day has had but one
fixed, definite. unalterable purpose to con-
struct at Panama or not at all
What are the things that give to our
part in the Panama revolution sinister
aspect? To begin with. while the Hav-
Herran treaty was pending Secretary
Hay sent some remarkable comn,nica-
tions to Bogota. In his message In Com
sresS of January the President said.
That there might be nothing omitted.
Secretary Hay, through the Minister at
Rosota. repeatedly warned Colombia that
grave consequences might follow from her
rejection of the treaty.
This is strange language for one sover-
eisn to address to another. 1t did net
tend to conciliate. but to exasperate.
Would the Secretary of State have dared
to address a communication of that kind
to any first-class Power?
'I do not care to express Just what
think of this example of Rooseveltian
diplomacy. / will only say that. l can
take no pride in seeing my country strut
before the world like staggering bully
on the stage.