Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-08-31
THE PANAMA CANAL.
DEMOCRACY NO CRED
1T FOR PROPOSED WATERWAY.
Its Declarations Are Incorrect in at
Least Two Particulars Strenuous
Policy Advocated in Platform on
Which Buchanan Made HE Race.

The Democratic platform undertakes
to make the party the guardian Of ma
tlonal and international honor by attack
ing the administrations Panama Canal
policy. The platform says:
our party having long and earnestly adj
Vocated the construction Of an inter
oceanic canal for the purposes OF national
ueIense and commerce between the States
ana with foreign nations. we favor the
early completion Of the isthmian canal
But, while making this declaration and
accepting the results as an accomplished
and irreversibe fact, we cannot too forci-
bly, express our disapproval of the meth
DDS by which, in disregard of the usages
treaty obligations, the canal route has been
acquired, or too solemnly record our hope
that this precedent of defiant diplomacy
may never be used against US to our hui
initiation and injury.
II the Democratic party has ever adj
vocated the construction of an isthmian
canal its advocacy has been purely aca-
donnie No Democratic administration
has ever taken a step or lifted finger in
that direction.
Democratic Platform of 1856.
AS to the question of methods the
party is ON record in favor of the most
strenuous policy for the establishment
and maintenance Of istImian transit.
which James Buchanan was nominated,
contained the following:
Resolved. That the great highway
which nature. as well the assent Of
States most Immediately interested in its
maintenance, has marked out for free
communication between the Atlantic and
racine oceans, constitutes Of the most
important achievements realized by the
spirit Of modern times in the unconQuer-
able energy Of our people; and that re-
suit would be secured by timely and
efficient exertion of the control which
have the right to claim over it; and no
power Oh earth should be suffered to i'm
pede or clog its progress by any Inter
ference with relations that may suit our
policy to. establish between our govern
ment and the governments f.sthe States
within whose dominions it lies; we can TN
der no circumstances surrender our pre-
ponderance in the adjustment of all Ques-
lions arising out of 1t.
When the resolution was adopted the
question of an isthnIian canal was not
being agitated, as it never was Ill any
practical way by the Democratic party.
The resolution refers to the maintenance
of overland. isthman transit. which had
been interrupted by Nicaragua under a
pretense that her sovereignty was being
invaded: The resolution virtually asserts
the paramount right of the United States
to maintain and control the transit route,
which was an important part Of COM
munication with California, against any
and all corners.
Buchanan's Message.
In his annual message OF 1893 Presl-
dent Buchanan said the transit across
the isthmus was IA highway which
must be open to the world, and that
'the commerce Of other nations is not
to stand still and await the adjustment
of such petty controversies" as those
which Nicaragua had raised. The
government of the United States expect
no more than this he added, and they
will not be satisfied with less.
These were brave and true utterances,
but no Democratic administration ever
did anything to make them good: Still
less did the Democratic party ever at
tempt to apply them to the construction
of an interoceanic canal. 1t was lett
for Republican administration to DO
that. President Roosevelt's Panama
Canal policy has moved steadily ana
firmly towards assuring the construction
of the canal, and his methods have not
savored of deficient diplomacy as much
as did those advocated by the Demo
cratic party in 1856.