Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-07
PRESIDENT TELLS WHY CANAL
TREATY SHOULD BE RATIFIED.
sP. CIAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
Says the Question Now is Not One OF
Panama's independence But of An
lnteroceanic Canal for the Use and
Benefit of America.

Washington, D. c., Jan. 4.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt, in special message
communicated to congress today, gives
his reasons for the stand he stakes
with regard to the treaty providing for
a Panama canal The President treats
the subject .exhaustively, going di-
rectly to the root of the matter, and
producing convincing arguments in IA
vor of the passage of the treaty The
message follows:
To the senate and the house OF rep
resentatives:
lay before the congress for its in
formation statement of my action up
to this time in executing the act en-
titled Gan act to provide for the con-
struction of a canal connecting the wa
tiers Of the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans" approved June %, 1902.
81. 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 miles wide across the
isthmus Of Panama. 1t was further
provided that Should the President
be unable to obtain for the United
States satisfactory title to the prop
erty of the new Panama Canal com
pany and the control of the necessary
territory of the republic of Colombia
= = within reasonable time and upon
reasonable terms then the President"
should endeavor to provide for canal
by the Nicaragua route. The language
quoted defines with exactness and pre-
cision what was to be done, and what
Is 60 IL Il "a
President was authorized to go to the
Nicaragua route only if within a rea-
sonable time he could not obtain CON
troll 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 alternative.
This Nations Position.
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 Sc
cure treaty for this purpose with one
of the Central American republics did
not stand on the the same footing with
the effort to secure a treaty under the
ordinary conditions. The proper po-
ssition for the United States to assume
in reference to this canal and there
fore to the governments of the isthmus,
had been clearly set forth by Secre-
tary Cass in 1858. In my annual mes
sage have already quoted what Sec
rotary Cass said; but repeat the quo
tation, here, because the principle it
states is fundamental:
While the rights of sovereignty of
the states occupying this region Gen
trail America) should always be re-
spected, we shall expect that these
rights be exercised in spirit befitt-
ing the occasion and the wants. and
circumstances that have arisen. Sow
ereignty has it's duties as well as it's
rights, and none of these local govern
ments, even if administered with
more regard to the just demands of
other nations than they have been,
would be permitted, in spirit of east
ern isolation. to close the gates of in
tercourse on the great highways of the
world, and Justify the act by the pre-
tension that these avenues of trade
and travel belong to them and that
they choose to shut them, or, what is
almost equivalent, to cucumber them
with such unjust relations as would
prevent their general use.''
Principle Holds Good.
The principle thus enunciated by
Secretary Cass was sound then and it
is sound now. The United States has
taken position that no other govern
ment 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 SEN
ate of the United States in executive
session, with only some three votes
dissenting, passed resolution as fol-
lows:
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 in
terests of the United States and as a
menace to their welfare"
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 mater OF course,
the building of the canal The enter
prise was recognized as responding to
an international need and it would be
the veriest travesty on right and JUS
tice to treat the governments in poses
sion of the isthmus as having the right
in the language of Mr.. Cass, "to close
the gates of intercourse on the great
highways of the world and justify the
act by the pretension that these av-
.enues of trade and travel belong to
them and that they choose to shut
them"
Three Things Settled.
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