The free press. (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1898-19??, 1904-01-08
President Roosevelt Presents Case
Fully to Congress.
REASONS ARE GIVEN FOR ACTION
The President Shows Why the lnde-
pendence of Panama Was Recog-
pizsd-The Matter Fully Discussed.

Washington, Special.-The Presl.
dent sent the following message
to Congress at 1890 Monday on the
Panama Treaty:
To the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives:
| lay before the Congress for its In
formation a statement of my action
ton I'D to this time in executing the
act entitled "An act to provide for the
construction of a canal connecting he
waters of the Atlantic and Paclhc
oceans" approved June %, 1902.
By the said act the President was
authorized to secure for the United
States the property Of the Panama
Canal Company and the perpetual
control of a strip miles wide across
the Isthmus of Panama. 1t was further
provided that should the President be
unable to obain for the United States
a satisfactory title to the property OF
the New Panama Canal Company and
the control of the necessary territory
of the republic of Colombia with
In a reasonable time and upon reason
able terms, then the President should
endeavor to provide for canal by the
Nicaragua route. The language quoted
defines with exactness and precision
what was to be done, and what as
matter of fact has been done. Inc
President was authorized to go to the
Nicaragua route only if within a rea-
sonable time he could not obtain con
troll of the necessary territory of the
Republic of Colombia" This control
has now been obtained; the provision
of the act has been complied with; II
is no longer possible under existing
legislation to 90 TO the Nicaragua
route as an alternative.
This act marked the climax of the
effort on the part Of the United States
to secure, so far as legislation was
concerned, an interoceanic canal
across the Isthmus. The effort to Sc
cure treaty for this purpose with one
of the Central American republics did
not stand on the same footing Wlththe
effort to secure a treaty under any or
binary conditions. The proper position
for the United States to assume In re-
ference to this canal, and therefore to
the governments of the 1sthmus, had
been clearly set forth by Secretary
Cass in 1858. In my Annual Message
| have already quoted what Secretary
Cass said; but | repeat the quotation
here, because the principle it states is
fundamentals:
While the rights Of sovereignty OF
the states occupying this region Cen
trail America) should always be re-
spected, we shall expect that these
rights be exercised in spirit BETTING
the occasion and the wants and cir
cumstances that have arisen. Sever
eighty has it's duties as we'll as it's
rights, and none of these local govern
ments, even if administered with more
regard to the just demands OF other
nations than they have been, would
be permitted, in a spirit Of Eastern
isolation, to close the gates of inter-
course on the reat highways of the
world, and justify the act by the pre-
tension hat these avenues of trade and
travel belong to them and that they
choose to shut them, or, what is al
most equivalent, to cucumber them
with such unjust relations as would
prevent their general use"
The principle thus enunciated by
Secretary Cass was sound then and is
sound now. The United States has
taken the position that no other Gov
eminent is to build the canal In 1889
when France proposed to come to the
aid of the French Panama Company
by guaranteeing their bonds, the Sen
ate of the United States in executive
session, with only some three votes
dissenting, passed a resolution as FOL
lows: