The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-05

( washington, January 4-The message
of President Roosevelt which was sub
mitted to congress today was as follows:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
ttives.
] lay before the congress for its infor-
alton a statement of my action up to
BIS time in executing the act entitled
An act to provide for the construction
"a canal connecting the waters of the
;ntic and Pacific oceans" approved
HE %, 1902.
by the said act the President was au-
horized to secure for the United States
he property of the Panama Canal COM
5any and the perpetual control OF a strip
six miles wide across the 1sthmus OF
Panama 1t was further provided that
f'should the President be unable to obtain
for the United States satisfactory title
to the property of the new Panama Canal
company and the control of the necessary
territory of the republic of Colombia
within a reasonable time ana
upon reasonable terms, then the Presi-
rent should endeavor to provide for a
Sanal by the Nicaragua route The
language quoted defines with exactness
and precision what was to be done, and
what as a matter of fact has been done.
lrhe President was authorized to go to
The Nicaragua route only if within rea-
5ouable time he could not obtain control
of the necessary territory of the republic
of Colombia This control has now
been obtained; the provision of the act
has been complied with it is no longer
possible under existing legislation to go
to the Nicaragua route as an alterna-
tive.
Marked the Climax.
This act marked the climax of the eff
- H. ri .1 fncs N n
secure so far as legislation was con-
eerned, an interoceanic canal across the
ssthmus. The effort to secure a treaty
for this purpose with one of the Central
: American republics did not stand on the
same footing with the effort to secure a
treaty under any ordinary conditions.
The proper position for the United States
to assume in reference to this canal and
therefore to the governments of the
isthmus, had been clearly set forth by
Secretary Cass in 1865 In my annual
message l have already quoted what Ses-
rotary Cass said; but l repeat the quo
tation here, because the principle it
states is fundamental:
while the rights of sovereignty of the
estates occupying this region Central
sAmerica) should always be respected,
awe shall expect that these rights be ex-
fercised in a spirit betting the occasion
4 ana the WdHIS anu tHtuiISldiIto tilob
have arisen. Sovereignty has its duties
as well as it's rights, and none of these
local governments, even If administered
with more regard to the just demands
-es other nations than they have been,
would be permitted In a spirit of eastern
isolation, to close the gates of intercourse
on the great highways of the world, and
justify the act by the pretension that
these avenues of trade and travel belong
- oh 10 CHI #
them, or, what is almost equivalent, to
cucumber them with such unjust rela-
lions as would prevent their general use"
Principle Was Sound.
The principle thus enunciated by Sec
rotary Cass was sound then and 1t is
sound now. The United States has taken
the position that no other government
is to build the canal. In 1850. when
France proposed to come to the aid of
the French Panama company by guaran-
teeing their bonds, the senate of the
United States in executive session, with
only some three votes dissenting, passed
a resolution as follows:
That the government of the United
States will look with serious concern and
disapproval upon any connection of any
European government with the construc-
ton of control of any ship canal across
the Isthmus of Darien or across Central
America, and must regard any such con-
nection or control as injurious to the just
rights and interests of the United States
and as a menace to their welfare
Under the ay-Paunceforte traty 1t was
explicitly provided that the United
States should control, police. and pro-
-tect the canal which was to be built,
keeping it open for the vessels of all
.snations on equal terms. The United
States thus assumed the position of guar
antor of the canal and Of its peaceful use
by all the world. The guaranty included
as a matter Of course the building of the
canal The enterprise was recognized as
responding to an International need; and
It would be the veriest travesty on right
and justice to treat the governments in
possession Of the isthmus as having the
right. in the language Of Mr.. Cass. ito
close the gates of intercourse on the great
highways of the world, and justly the
act by the pretension that these avenues
of trade and travel belong to them and
that they choose to shut them"
When this government submitted to Co
lombia the Hay-Herran treaty three
Things were, therefore, already settled.
One was that the canal should be built.
The time for delay the time for permit
ting the attempt to be made by private
enterprise. the time for permitting any
nperfect development to bar the work,
as past The United States had assumed
connection with the canal certain re-
disabilities not only to its own people,
to the civilized world which imper-
Vely demanded that there should no
iger be delay in beginning the work.
second, while it was settled that the
NAL should be built without unneces-
ary or improper delay, It was no less
early shown to be our purpose to deal
ct merely in spirit of Justice but In
= spirit OF generosity with the people
.hrough whose land we might build 1t.
lie Hay-Herran treaty, If it erred at all,
,kred in the direction Of an over-gener-
Eity towards the Colombian government.
our anxiety to be fair we had gone to
Ne very verge in yielding to weak
Xttion's demands what that nation was
Esp1ess1y unable to enforce from us
E~inst our will. The only criticisms made