The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-22
PANAMA FORCES
 ROOSEVELT TO
 ACT ON ABUSES
OPEN RUPTURE WfrH
 STATES IS THREATENED.
Rain Fronts the People or fan.a Tkrough Administrators Acss Reforms Demanded--Heport oh Scandals in the Aess CT the Canal COmmission'
 Members May Be
 Dropped.

Members May Be
 Dropped. | e | New York World.
 | Unless the Roosevelt administrator makes important concessions to the Republic of Panama, which 1t helped to | create by the made to-order revoiution of Nov. 2 of last year, serious rup. I ture between the Isthy:ian State and the United States is threatened. Tne | same Panamans who acted in concert with the men alleged to represent the | Roosevelt administration to bring about the revolution are not charging the Roosevelt administration with l gross deception and policies which, they say. promise to pauperize the httie re- public within a short time. Three- l fourths of the revenue and three l fourths of the trade of the republic will be destroyed. 1t is charged. if the Roosevelt administration persists ID building Dingley -tariff wall around the canal strip, establishing it's own postofiices within the canal zone, ab- sorbing the port charges at Colon and Panama and interpreting the canal l treaty in whatever way 1t chooses. | Secretary Taft's Mission. Extraordinary measures nave been taken by the Roosevelt administration to keep secret the state of extreme dis affection which exists in the Panama Republic. It has been persistently de- I nied in Washington that there was any serious trouble there. Yesterday. how ever. President Roosevelt directed Sec | retary of War Taft to visit Panama and straishten out the tang1es which threaten to involve the two countries | in trouble.
 Secretary Taft will be clothed with plenary powers and will be responsible | to the President alone for whatever arrangements he may make. He will not be under the direction of the De- | partment of State and John Barrett the accredited Minister for the United States to Panama, will be simply a spectator of the negotiations, which will follow Secretary Taft's arrival on the Isthmus.
 ] To prevent any unseemly disclosures | prior to election day. Mir. Taft will not leave for the Isthmus until about Mo- | vember 14.
 | The determination to send MT. Taft | was suddenly reached when the Presi- dent learned that if something were not done st once to pacify the incensed citizens of the new republic they might I create some complication that would involve him and injure his chances at 1 the coming election.
 | Wall Street houses, with Washington connections. learned of the Presidents anxiety over Panama matters some time before the official announcement | was made that Secretary Taft had been | directed to visit the Isthmus. Panama merchants in this city, some of whom | helped in the arrangements for the rev. o1ution of last November and who now bitterly resent the administrators policy in the Isthmus, furnished The World with facts which have heretofore been kept secret.
 William Nelson Cromwell attorney | for the French Panama Canal Company, 1 who engineered the sale of It's prop- 1 erty to the United States for $40,0O0, ,000 was summoned to Washington a couple of days ago by the President MT. Cromwell Is now the attorney for the Panama Republic in this country. Effect in Wall Street. | Coincident with the first news in Wall Street of the Presidents anxiety about affairs in Panama. the stock | market. after an extensive period of advancing prices. had its first setback. due to heavy liquidation by important holders of stocks. One of the reports was that the President had been told that the feeling in Panama was so bit- ter that threats had been made of dy- namiting the canal and resorting to other violent measures. Minister Barrett, who has been in this country for a couple of weeks, and | has diligently denied that there was any serious opposition in Panama to the policy of the United States. visited the downtown offices of Panama nier- chants yesterday.
 Four complaints have been lodged with President Roosevelt on behalf of Panama against acts of the United States, as follows:
 1 1. Establishment of absolute s0v- ereignty over the canal strip instead of mere use for canal purposes. | 2. Raising the prOhibitive barrier of the Dingley tariff aronnd the canal zone and treating the Republic of Panama as q foreign nation so far as commerce and trade with the gone are concerned.
 3. Seizure of the ports of Panama and Colon and collection of all port charges from entering and clearing vessels.
 | 4. Establishment of United states 1 pOstOnlces within the canal sOne, thus indicating absolute sovereignty as well as reducing postage rates to the United States to 2 cents while people without the gone must pay cents.
 These conditions are considered in- tolerable to Panama and unless they
 
 without funds to maintain government and her merchants will be ruined.
 Demands of Panama.
 It Is admitted that the acts of the United States Government can be ius- tified by the administration.
 The demands made upon President Roosevelt by Panama are: 1. A reciprocity treaty or some sat- isfactOry modification of the DingIey tariff law.
 permit the new republic to be stripped of its powers and resources.
 2. An equitable division of the port | charges.
 4. withdrawal of the United States pOstOmces.
 5. Relinqulshment of the claim of ab- sOlute sovereignty over the canal zone and curtailmeDt of the United States rights to those originally intended in the treaty.
 The Government of Panama most de- l sires an entirely new treaty. but their | clever political agents in this country have doubts whether, after election, President Roosevelt would be permitted to exercise any further autocratic pow CT and rush his measures through the Senate. They also fear the objections of protected interests and contractors in this country to any form of reel procity,
 The Republic of Panama, according to its merchants. finds itself today strangled. There Is an imaginary line drawn along the canal Ave miles dis tant on either side cutting the coun- l I,a1