Richmond planet., 1904-01-09
MESSAGE ON
PANAMA CANAL
The President Explains and Defends
His Course on Isthmus.
NICARAGUA OUT OF QUESTION

reconvened President Roosevelt sent a
message on the subject of the Isthmian
canal. In part it is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
l lay before the congress for its infor-
nation statement of my action up to
this time in executing the act entitled
An act to provide for the construction
of a canal connecting the waters of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans, approved
June 2S 1902
BY the said act the presideht was au-
thorized to secure for the United States
the property of the Panama Canal COM
pany and the perpetual control of strip
six miles wide across the ikthmus of
Panama. 1t was further provided that
should the president be unable to OBJ
tain for the United States a satisfactory
title to the property of the New Panama
Canal company and the control of the
necessary territory of the republic OF
Colombia within q reasonable
time and upon reasonable tcrm9 then
the president should endeavor to pro-
vide for canal by the Nicaragua route.
The language quoted defines with exact
ness and precision what was 90 be done
and what as a matter or fact has been
done The president was authorized to
go to the Nicaragua route only il within
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 il is no
longer possible under existing legislation
to go to the Nicaragua route as an alter
native.
The president then says this sct marked
the climax of the United StdteS to Sc
cure a canal across the isthmuS. and then
quotes resolution passed by Congress in
1889 when France proposed u aid the
French Panama company TO construct
the canal. The resolution 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-
tion or 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 10 the just
rights and interests of the United States
and as a menace to their welfare.
When the 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
government OF anti-Social spirit and of
imperfect development TO bar the work
was past
Sccond-While il was settled that the
canal should be built without unncccs-
sary or Improper delay. IL WAS 40 less
clearly shown to -bc our purpose TO deal
not merely i'm n spirit of Justice, but in a
spirit OF generosity with the people
through whose land we might build IT,
The Hay-Herran treaty, if il erred at all
erred i'm the direction OF an ovcrgeneros-
ity toward the Colombian government
In our anxiety to be fair we had gone TO
the very verge of yielding to weak ma
tions demands what that nation was
helplessly unable to enforce from US
against our will. The only criticisms
made upon the administration for the
terms of the Hay-Ierran treaty were for
having granted too much for Colombia
not for failure to grant enough. Neither
In the congress nor in the public press at
the time that this treaty was formulated
was there complaint that 1t did not In the
fullest and amplest manner guarantee To
Colombia everything that she could by
any color of title demand.
Then follows Colombia's reasons for
rejecting the treaty. owing to relinquish-
ment of Sovereignty" which the presi.
dent claims is a Misrepresentation OF
facts. as the treaty preserved Colombia's
sovereignty over the tract 1t is also
shown that after the revolution had
taken place Colombian officials offered 10
ratify the treaty and relinquish sover-
eighty over the canal strip If the United
States would place Colombia in control
of Panama
Third-Finally the congress definitely
settled where the canal was to be built
1t was provided that treaty should be
made for building the canal across the
isthmus of Panama, and If after rea-
sonaSie time it proved Impossible to Sc
cure such treaty, that then we should go
to Nicaragua. The treaty has been made
for 1t 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, Colombia or Panama mat
tered not one whit Although, as the
months went by, 1t became increasingly
improbable that the Colombian congress
would ratify the treaty or take steps
which would be equivalent thereto, vet
all chance for such action on their part
did not vanish until the congress closed
at the end of October, and within three
days thereafter the revolution in Panama
had broken out. Panama became an in
dependent state and the control of the
territory necessary for building the canal
then became obtainable. The condition
under which alone we could have gone to
Nicaragua thereby became impossible CT
fulfillment. If the pending treaty with
Panama should not be ratified by the
senate, this would not alter the fact that
We could not so to Nicaragua. The con-
gresS has decided the route. and there is
no alternative under eXiXStine legislation
The president here tells of the start OF
the Panama revolution. and quotes inter
Views with travellers and many news
paper articles. showing the dissatisfac-
ton on the isthmus at the rejection o!
the treaty. The articles said that before
the Colombian congress adjourned the
people were securing arms and ammuni-
ton and were making arrangements to
declare their independence. Continuing
the president says:
Suffice 1t to say that II was notorious
that revolutionary trouble of a serious
nature was impending upon the isthmus
But II was not necessary to rely exclu-
Sively upon such general means of infor-
nation. On October Is Commander Hub
bard of the navy notified the navy de-
partment that though things were ouiet