Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-04

the isthmus very resbectfuny.
es co@nander u g. HsuS. d comnanainx
The Secretary OF the Navy.
Washington. D.3CI
Our Neutrality.
This plain official asaount Of the occur
rences of November H. shows that, instead
of there having bee9stoo much provision
by the American government for the main
tenance of order andfthe protection of life
and property on the Iisthmus. the orders
for the movement of the. American warships
had been too long delayed: SO long. In
fact, that there were but forty-two ma
rines and sailors available to land and pro-
tect the lives of American men and wo-
men. 1t was only the GOODNESS and gal
lantry with which this little band Of men
wearing the American uniform faced ten
times their number of armed foes. bent on
carrying out the atrocious threat Of the
Colombian commander, that prevented
murderous catastrophe At Panama, when
the revolution broke out, there was no
American man-of-war and no American
troops or sailors. At Colon, Commander
Hubbard acted with entire impartiality
tOWdi I'D DOei Siueo, preventing oily AAAS'S-
ment, whether by the Colombians or the
Panamans, which would tend to produce
bloodshed. On November he prevented
body of the revolutionists from landing at
Colon. Throughout he behaved in the most
creditable. manner. In the New York Even
ing Post under date. Of Panama, Decem-
Der 8, there is article from a special
correspondent, which sets forth in detail
the unbearable oppression of the Colon
bian government in Panama. In this article
is an interesting interview with native
Panaman, which runs in part as follows:
We looked upon the building Of
the canal as matter of life or death to us.
We wanted that because it meant, with the
United States in control of it, peace and
prosperity for u.s.. President Marroquin ap-
pointed an isthmian- to be governor of Pana-
ma; and we looked upon that as of happy
augury. Soon we heard that the canal
treaty was not likely to be approved at
Bosota; next we heard that our isthmian
governor. Obaldia. who h2d scracely as
sumed power, Was to be superseded by
soldier from Bogota.
Notwithstanding all that Colombia has
drained us of in the way of revenues, she
did not bridge for US single river, nor
make single roadway, nor erect single
college where our children could be educat-
ed, nor do anything at all to advance our
industries. Well, when the new
them, and the town of Panama was in joy.
Not a protest was made except the shots
fired from the Colombian gunboat Bogota,
which killed one Chinese lying in his bed.
We We're willing to encounter the Colon
bian troops at Colon and fight it out; but
the commander of the United States cruiser
Nashville forbade Superintendent Shaler to
allow the railroad to transport troops for
either party. That is our story.
1 call especial attention to the conclud-
ing portion of this interview which states
the willingness of the Panama people to
fight the Colombian troops and the refusal
of Commander Hubbard to permit them to
use the railroad and therefore to get into
position where the fight could take place.
1t thus clearly appears that the fact that
there was no bloodshed on the Isthmus
was directly due-and only due-to the
prompt and firm enforcement by the United
States of it's traditional policy. During the
past forty years revolutions and attempts
at revolution have ,succeeded one another
with monotonous regularity on the 1sthmus.
and again and again United States sailors
and marines have been landed as they were
landed in this INSTANCE and under similar
instructions to protect the transit One of
these revolutions resulted in, three years of
warfare; and the aggregate Of bloodshed
anu ullSely IduSSSs ny thNah Aeio oSSi "a
calculable. The fact that in this last revo-
luton not life was lost, save that of the
man killed by the shells of the Colombian
gunboat, and no property; destroyed. was
due to the action which 1 have described.
We, in effect. polieed the Isthmus III the
interest of it's inhabitants and of our own
national needs and for the good of the
entire civilized world. Failure to act as
the Administration acted would have meant
great waste of life, great suffering, great
destruction of property; all of which was
avoided by the firmness and prudence with
which Commander Hubbard carried out his
orders and prevented either party from at
lacking the other. Our action was for the
peace of both Colombia and of Panama.
1t is earnestly to be hoped that there will
be no unwise conduct on our part which
may encourage Colombia to embark on
war which can not result in her regaining
control of the Isthmus, but which may
cause much bloOdshed and suffering.
Vigorous Denial of Completely.
I hesitate to refer to the injurious insnu-
ations which have been made of completely
by this Government in the revolutionary
movement in Panama. They are as desti-
tute of foundation of propriety. The
only excuse for my mentioning them is the
fear lest unthinking persons might mis-
take for acquiescence the silence of mere
self-respect. 1 think proper to say, there
fore, that one connected with this Gov
eminent had any part in preparing, melting
or encouraging the late revolution on the
lsthmus of Panama, and that save from the
reports of our military and naval officers
given above, no one connected with this
Government had any previous knowledge
OF the revolution except such as was Access
sible to any person of ordinary intelligence
who read the newspapers and kept I'D a
current acquaintance with public affairs
BY the unanimous action of its people
without the firing of a shot-wfth a una
nlmity hardly before recorded in any similar
I case-the people of Par anna declared them
selves an Independent Republic Their
recognition by this Government was based
upon state of facts in no way dependent
Tor its justification upon our action in ordi-
| nary cases. l have not denied, nor do 1
wish TO deny either the validity or the
propriety of the general rule that new
state should not be recognized as inde-