The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-04

New Panama Canal company could be
confscated.
Such is the scheme to which it was
proposed that the United States should
| be invited to become a party. The con-
struction of the canal was to be rele-
gated to 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
completing the canal, but alSAthe forty
millions authorized by the act oil lSOz
to be paid for the property of the New
Panama Canal company. That the at
tempt 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 immunity
from the consequences of the attempt,
even apart from the indefinite delays
to which the construction of the canal
was to be subjected. On the hrst ap-
pearance of danger to Colombia, TINS
government would have been summon
ed to interpose, in order to give effect
to the guarantees of the treaty OF 1885,
and all this in support of plan WINCH
while characterized in its first stage
| by the Wanton disregard of our own
highest interests, was fifty to end in
further injury to the citizens OF
friendly nation, whose enormous losses
| in their generous efforts to pierce the
Isthnus have become a matter OF ms
tory
In the third place, confidently main
| tain that the recognition of the repub-
| lie of Panama was an act Jusuneu by
/ the interests Of collective civilization.
If ever government could be said to
have received a mandate from clVll1Za-
| ton to effect an object the accomplish
ment of which was demanded IN the IN
terest of mankind, the United States
/ ar6 To q
| interoceanic canal. Since our purpose
/ to build the canal was definitely an
nounced, there have come from all
quarters assurances OF approval ana
encouragement, in which even Colombia
herself at one time participated; and to
general assurances were added speclhc
acts and declarations. In order that no
obstacle might stand in our way, Great
| Britain renowned important rights un-
| der the Clayton-Bulwer treaty and
agreed to it's abrogation, receiving in
return nothing but our honorable pledge
to build the canal and protect it as an
| open highway. 1t was in view of this
pledge. and of the proposed enactment
by the congress of the United States of
legislation to give it immediate effect,
that the second Pan-American confer
ence. at the City of Mexico, on January
%. 1902, adopted the following resolu-
ton:
The republics assembled at the interna-
tional conference of Mexico applaud the
purpose of the United States government
to construct an interoceanic canal and
acknowledge that this work Will not only
be worthy of the greatness OF the Amer
| lean people, but also in the highest sense
q work of civilization, and to the greatest
degree beneficial to the development OF
commerce between the American states
and other countries of the world.
Among those who signed this reso-
luton on behalf of their respective gov
ernments was General Reyes, the dele
gate of Colombia. Little could it have
been foreseen that two years later the
Colombian government, led astray by
false allurements of selfish advantage,
and forgetful alike of its international
obligations and of the duties and re-
sponsibilities of sovereignty, would
thwart the efforts of the United States
to enter upon and complete a work
which the nations of America. re-echO-
ing the sentiment of the nations of
Europe had pronounced to be not only
worthy of the greatness of the Ameri-
can people" but also lin the highest
sense a work of civilization"
Our Action Endorsed.
That our position as the mandatory of
civilization has been by no means mis-
conceived is shown by the prOmptitude
with which the powers have, one after
another followed our lead in recognizing
Panama an independent state. Our
action in recognizing the new republic
has been followed by like recognition on
the part of France, Germany, Denmark,
Russia, Sweden and Norway, Mica
ragua, Peru. China, Cuba Great Brit
ain, Italy, Costa Rica, Japan, and Aus
| tria-Hungary.
/ lions of treaty right and obligation, of
| national interest and safety, and of
/ collective civilization, by which our
| government was constrained to act, l
am at a loss to comprehend the atti-
tude of those who can discern in the
recognition of the republic of Panama
only a general apDroval of the prin-
ciple of revolution" by which a given
| government is overturned or one pOr-
! ton of a country separated from an
other Only the amplest justification
can warrant a revolutionary movement
| Of either kind. But there is no fixed
rule which can be applied to all such
/ movements. Each case must be judged
on its own merits. There have been
many revolutionary movements, many
/ movements for the diSmem berment of
countries, which were evil, tried by any
standard. But in my opinion no disinter-
ested and fair-minded observer ac-
| quainted with the circumstances can
] fail to feel that Panama had the am
pleSt justification for separation from
/ Colombia under the conditions existing,
and, moreover that its action was in
/ the highest degree beneficial to the in
| terests of the entire civilized world by
securing the immediate opportunity for
| the building of the interoceanic canal.
| 1t would be we'll for those who are pes
SimiStic as to our action in peacefully
recognizing the republic OF Panama,
while we lawfully protected the transit
| from invasion and disturbance. to re-
call what has been done in Cuba, where
we interviewed even by force on general
grounds of national interest and duty.
/ When we interfered it was freely
DrOpnesied that we intended to keep
| Cuba and administer it for our own in
| terests. The result has demonstrated
! in singularly conclusive fashion the fall
| sity of these prophecies. Cuba is now
| an independent republic. We governed
Lit ~HYDE