Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-01-06
PANAMA DISCUSSED
President Roosevelt Tells Con.
gress the Causes Of Our
Action Down There.
COURSE VIGOROUSLY DEFENDED
lsthmus Policed by United States in
Interests of Its Inhabitants and
Good of Civilized World.

sentatives:
I lay before the congress for its in
formation a statement of my action
up to this time in executing the act
entitled IAN act to provide for the
construction of canal connecting the
waters Of the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans" approved June %, 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 a strip six miles wide across
the Isthmus of Panama. 1t was fur
Their provided that should the presi-
dent 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 and upon reasonable terms, then
the president should endeavOr to pro-
vide for a canal by the Nicaragua
route. The language quoted defines
with exactness and precision what was
to be done, and what as matter of
fact has been done. The president
was authorized to go to the Nicaragua
route only If within a reasonable 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 legisla
ton to 90 to the Nicaragua route as
an alternative.
Climax of the Effort.
This act marked the climax of the
effort on the part of the United States
to secure, so far as legislation was
concerned, an interoceanic canal across
the isthmus. 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 treaty under any
ordinary conditions. The proper pO-
sition for the United States to assume
in reference to this canal, and there
fore to the governments of the 18TH
mus, had been clearly set forth by
Secretary Cass in 1858.
The principle thus enunciated by
Secretary Cass was sound then and it
is sound now. The United States has
taken the position that no other gov
eminent is to build the canal. In 1889,
when France proposed to come to the
aid of the French Panama company by
guaranteeing their bonds, the Senate
of the United States in executive ses-
sion, with only some three votes dis
senting, 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
construction or control of any ship
canal across the Isthmus of Darien or
across Central America, and must re-
gard any such connection or control as
injurious to the just rights and inter
ests of the United States and as a
menace TO their welfare"
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty.
Under the Hay-Pauncefote treaty It
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
nations on equal terms. The United
States thus assumed the position Of
guarantor of the canal and of its peace
full use by all the world. The guar
anty included as a matter of course the
building of the canal. The enterprise
was recognized as responding to an in
ternational need; and 1t would be the
veriest travesty on right and justice to
treat the governments I'm possession OF
the isthmus as having the right in the
language of Mr.. ,Cass, ito close the
gates of intercourse on the great high
ways of the world, and justify 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
Colombia 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 permitting the attempt to be made
by private enterprise, the time for per-
hitting any government of anti-social
spirit and of imperfect development
TO bar the work, was past. The United
States had assumed in connection with
the canal certain responsibilities not
only to its own people, but to the
civilized world, which imperatively de-
manded that there should no longer be
delay in beginning the work.
Second. While it was settled that
the canal should be built without I'M
necessary or improper delay, 1t was no
less clearly shown to be our purpose
10 deal not merely in spirit of JUS
tice but in a spirit of generosity with
the people through whose land we
might build 1t. The Hay-Herrar
treaty, if 1t erred at all, erred In the
direction Of an generosity to-
wards the Colombian government. In
our anxiety to be fair we had gone
% the very verge in yielding to weak
nations demands what that nation
was heIplessly unable to enforce from
IS against our will. The only critic
SIMS made upon the administration for
he terms of the Hay-Herran treaty
we're for having granted too much to