Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-01-07
Reasons for Ratification.

second, our national interests and safety;
and, third, the interests of collective civili-
cation"
Reasons for Ratification.
He reviews these reasons at considerable
length and justihes the speedy recognition
on either and all of them. He refers to
presidents to show that treaties concluded
with one nation are binding upon the sue
cessors of that nation, thus the treaty Of
1876 with New Granada was transferred
first to Colombia and now to Panama. OF
tn second reason he says:
This recognition was, in the second
place, further justified by the highest con-
siderations of our national interests and
safety. In all the range of our interna-
tional relations, l do not hesitate to al
firm that there Is nothing of greater or
more pressing Importance than the con-
struction Of an interoceanic canal. Long
acknowledged to be essential to our COM
mercial development, 1t has become, as
the result of the recent extension of our
territorial dominion, more IMAM ever eS-
sential to our national self-defense. . 3. {
In the light of our present situation, the
establishment of easy and speedy COM
munication by sea between the Atlantic
and the Pacific presents itself not simply
as something to be desired, but as an OBJ
ject to be positively and promptly at
tanned. Reasons of convenience have been
superseded by reasons of vital necessity,
which. do not admit of indefinite delays
In the same connection he charges Co.
lombia with attempting to so delay the
ratification of any canal treaty as TO
place that government in a position not
only to secure the $40, 000,0 900 offered it as
compensation by this government, but to
secure the s4o,0 10000 promised the Panama
Canal company for it's franchise and
rights as well. By waiting until Octo-
Der 81, 1904, the franchise OF the Panama
company would have expired, n the
Colombian government be in a position
to seize its property n rights on the
isthmus, and then be in a position to de-
mand of the United States the payment
to hat government of both sums. In
this connection he says:
Such Is the scheme to which 1t was
proposed hat 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 Co.
lombia was, by reason of her W delay,
to be placed in the more advantageous
position of claiming not merely the COM
pensation to be paid by the United States
but also the $40, 100000 authorized by the
act of 1902 to be paid for the property of
the New Panama Canal company. That
the attempt to carry out this scheme
would have brought Colombia into con-
f1ict 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 first appearance Of
danger to Colombia, this eovc"G 'oNt
would have been summoned to interpose.
of the treaty of 1886: and all this in sup
port of a plan which. while o'7o~r~4 =
lied in its first stage by the wanton dis
regard of our own highest interest," VS.
liens of a friendly nation, whose enor-
nous losses in their generous efforts to
pierce the isthmus have become a mat
ter of history"
Of the third reason for speedy recog-
milton the president says in part:
I'm the third place. | confidently main
tain that the recognition of the republic
of Panama wa an act justified by the
interests of collective civilization. If ever
a government could be said TO have re-
ceived a mandate from civilization to
effect an object the accomplishment Of
which was demanded in the interest of
mankind, the United States holds that
position with regard to the inter0ceanic
canal. Since our purpose to build the
canal was definitely announced, there
have come from all quarters assurances
of approval and encouragement, In which
even Colombia herself at one time par
ticipated; and to, general assurances were
added specific acts and declarations. In
order that no obstacle might stand in our
way, Great Britain renowned important
rights under the Clayton-Bulwer treaty
and agreed to its ~abrogation. receiving in
return nothing but our honorable pledge
to build the canal n protect it as an
open highway.
justified by Collective Civilization
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 as an independent state. Our
action in recognizing the new republic
has been followed by like recognition on
the part of France, Germany, Denmark.
P1ccin Guo1pn and NnrutuN h,,....4nn
Peru, China, Cuba, Great Britain, Italy,
Costa Rica, Japan and Austria Hungary.
In view of the manifold considerations
of treaty right and obligation, of national
interest and safety, and of collective CIV
ilizatlon, by which our government was
constrained to act, 1 am at q loss ia
comprehend the attitude of those who
can discern in the recognition of the re-
prevail of the principle of revolution by
which a given government Is overturned
or one portion of a country separated
from another. Only the amplest justi-
movement Of either kind. But there is
no iXed rule which can be applied to all
such movements. Each case must be
judged on it's own merits. There nave
peen many revolutionary movements,
many movements for the dismemberment
of countries. which were evil, tried by
any standard. But in my opinion no dis
interested and fair minded observer &C.
ludhilltu Will Tie ClICuflSldHCeS Cdl ldli
to feel that Panama had the amplest JUS
LITIGATION for separation from Colombia
under the conditions existing, and, more
over. that it's action was in the highest
degree beneficial to the interests of the
entire civilized world by securing the
immediate opportunity for the building
of the interoceanic canal. . y The
people of the isthmus, and as | firmly
believe of the adjacent parts of Central
n South America, will be greatly bene-
fitted by the building of the canal and the
guarantee of peace and order along its
line; and hand in hand with the benefit
to them will go the benefit to us and to
mankind. BY our prompt and doc : v,
action, not only have our interests and
those Of the world at large been con-
served, but we nave forestalled compi1-
cations which We're likely to be fruitful
in loss to ourselves, and in bloodshed and
suffering to the people of the isthmus.
Instead Of using our forces, as we
were invited by Colombia to do, for tho
twofold purpose of defeating our own
rights and interests and the interests ~
the civilized world, and of compelling the
| submission of the people of the isthmus