The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-07
FACTS IN PANAMA AFFAIR
Concise Answer in Compliance With
Hoar Resolution Calling for In
formation-United States Not
Party to Fomenting Revc!u-
tion-Only Question is
Whether or Not We
* ShaI Build Canal.

dents message, sent 10 the senate IL
compliance with Senator Hoar's reso,
luton asking for a full statement OF
the Panama matter, are as follows:
lay before the congress for its in
formation a statement of my action
up to- this time in executing the act
entitled can act to provide for the
construction OF q canal connecting the
waters of the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans" approved June rs, 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 con-
troll of strip six miles wide across
the Isthmus of Panama 1t was fur
ther provided that should the presi-
dent be unable to obtain for the Uni
ted States a satisfactory title to the
propery of the republic of Colombia
within reasonable time and
upon reasonable terms, then the pres
ldent should endeavor to provide for
canal by the Nicaragua route"
This act marked the climax of the
effort on the part of the United States
to secure, so far as legislation was
concerned, an interoceanlc canal
across the isthmus.
When this government submitted to
Colombia the Hay-Herran treaty three
things were, therefore, already set
tied.
One was that the canal should be
built The United States had assum-
ed in connection with the canal Ger
tain responsibilities not only to it's
own people, but to the civilized world
which imperatively demanded that
there should no longer be delay in
beginning the work.
Second. While it was settled that
the canal should be built without un-
necessary or improper delay, it was
no less clearly shown to be our pur-
pose to deal not merely in a spirit of
Justice, but in a spirit Of gen.
erosity with the people through
whose land we might build it. The
Hay -Herran treaty, if it erred at all,
erred in the direction Of an over-gen-
erosity toward the Colombian govern
ment. In our anxiety to be fair we
had gone to the very verge in yielding
to weak nations demands what that
nation was helplessly unable to en-
force from US against our will. 1t is
plain that no nation could construct
and guarantee the neutrality of the
canal with a less degree of control
than was stipulated for in the Har-
Herran treaty. A refusal to grant
such degree of control was necessarily
a refusal to make any practicable trea.
ty at all. Such refusal therefore
squarely raised the question whether
Colombia was entitled to bar the tran
sit of the worlds traffic across the
isthmus.
That the canal itself was eagerly
demanded by the people of the local
ity through which it was to pass, and
that the people of this locality no
less eagerly longed for construction
under American control, are shown
by the unanimity of action in the new
Panama republic. Furthermore, Co.
lombia, after having rejected the trea-
ty, in spite of our protests and warn
ings when it was in her power to &C
.cept it, has since shown the utmost
eagerness to accept the same treaty,
il only the status quo could be, re-
stored.
Third. Finally the congress dehn-
itely settled where the canal was to
be built. It was provided that trea
ty should be made for building the
canal across the Isthmus Of Panama;
and If, after reasonable time, it
proved impossible to secure such
treaty. that then we should go to Mica
ragua. The treaty has been made;
for it needs no argument to show
that the intent of the congress was to
insure a canal across Panama, and
that whether the republic granting the
title was called New Granada, Colon
bia, or Panama, mattared not one
whit. AS events turned out, the ques-
ton OF reasonable time" did not en-
tor into the matter at all.
The presidsn; quotes from The
Washington Post, The New York Her
aid and other papers, showing that
feeling of secession was abroad and
strong in Panama during the latter
part of August and early in Septen'
Der.
On November 3 Commander Hub
bard cabled that 400 Colombian troops
from Cartegena had landed at Colon;
that there had been no revolution on
the isthmus, but that the situation
was most critical if the revolutionary
leaders should act. On this same date
the Associated Press in Washington
received bulletin stating that revo'
lutionary outbreak had occurred.