Newport weekly independent., 1904-01-08
Reasons for Ratincation.

OHA hdtiOtidl interests ana Slfety. | zation."
 Reasons for Ratification.
 l He reviews these reasons at considerable
 length and justifies the speedy recognition on either and all of them, He refers 10 prsSedenfs to show that treaties conciuded easr masn one nation are binding upon the suc-
 t;rst furo "ltn VI New Granaca was transferred nrst 10 Colombia and now to Panama Of
 tn second reason he says:
 anis recognition was. in the second
 pilace, further Justified by the highest con-
 si9eratlons of our national interests and salety. Tn all the range of our interna-
 s ss,onai relations, do not hesitate to af- nrm that there is nothing of greater or more more pressing importance than the con- slIuctlon of an interoceanic canal Long acknoewledged to be essential to cur com the result of the recent extension of our
 IerTitorlal dominion. more than ever es-
 fnntlal 1n tba io n.pt pt national self.defense.
 ssuap9lisnment of easy and speedy com
 munlcation by sea between the Atlantic a ana n the Pacific presents itself not simply
 as something to be desired, but as an ob- Jecl 10 De positively and promptly att
 .aineo. Reasons of convenience have been
 super nuhp3erseded by reasons of vital necessity.
 when do not admit of indefinite delays"
 In the same connection he charges Co.,
 ,oinela 10 oti9 with attempting to so delay tho ratihcatlon of any canal treaty as to
 ony to secars tha sen m position not
 eompens,ation , by this government, but to
 secure the S4O,0o0000 promised the Panama
 riahts nahIs eempany Ta1, for Its franchise and
 Der S1, 1904, the franchise of the Panama company would have expired, and the
 toiomplan government be in a position
 to seize It's property and rights on the istnmus, and then be in a position to de-
 mand of the United States the payment
 tp; tp tnat government of both sums. In
 ha e nxrc.
 Such is the scheme to which 1t was proposed that the United States should
 pc invited to become a party. The con- struction of the canal was to be rele- gated to the indefinite future, while Co.,
 iombia was, by reason of her own delay.
 to De placed in the more advantageous
 pensation to be paid by the United States
 for the privilege of completing the canal.
 but also the $40,000,009 authorized by the
 act of 1902 to be paid for the property of
 the New Panama Canal company That
 the attempt to carry out this scheme
 would have brought Colombia into con not be doubted; nor could the United States have counted upon immunity from the consequences of the attempt even
 apart from the indefinite delays to which the construction of the canal was to be subjected. On the first appearance of
 danger to Colombia. this government in order to give effect to the guarantees of the treaty of 1S46; and all this in sup port Of plan which, while character ized in it's first stage by the wanton dis
 regard of our own highest interests, was fitly to end in further injury to the cit izens of friendly nation, whose enor- nous losses in their generous efforts to
 pierce the isthmus have become a mat ter of history
 Of the third reason for speedy recog- milton the president says in part:
 Tn the third place, 1 confidently main- tain that the recognition of the republic of Panama was an act Justified by the interests of collective civilization.. If ever
 government could be said to have re- ,, ceived mandate from civilization to effect an object the accomplishment of
 wn,cn nt% Was tn demanded na., in the interest of
 position with regard to the interoceanic
 canal. Since our purpose to build the
 Sana eanai cn was fIa definitely announced, there or approval and encouragement, in which even Colombia herself at one time par ticipated and to general assurances were added specific acts and declarations In order that no obstacle might stand in our way, Great Britain renounced important
 rights under the Clayton Bulwer Urea ty
 and agreed to it's abrogaton, receiving in return nothing but our honorable pledge to build the canal and protect it as an open highway.
 Justified by Collective Civilization. That our position as the mandatary of civilization has been by no means mis- conceived Is shown by the promptitude with which the powers have, one after another, followed our lead in recognizing Panama as an independent state Our acton in recognizing the new republic has been followed by like recognition on the part of France, Germany, Denmark.
 Russia, Sweden and Norway, Nicaragua, Peru. China, Cuba, Great Britain, Italy' Costa Rica, Japan and Austria Hungary.
 In view of the manifold considerations of treaty right and obligation, of national interest and safety, and of collective ciy- iltzation, by winch our governmf- Tl --~-
 constrained con, strained to act; l am at ss
 can discern in the recognition .s.rl pubic of Panama only a general ap- proval Of the principle of revolution by
 whicn q given government IS overturned
 from another. Only the amplest justi- ncatlon can warrant revolutionary
 movement of either kind. But there is
 no nxed rule which can be applied to all
 such movements Each case must he
 judged on it's own merits. There have been many revolutionary movements many movements for the dismemberment
 Of countries. which were evil, tried by any standard. But in my opinion no dis
 interested and fair minded observer ac- quAinted with the circumstances can fail to feel that Panama had the amplest iIs- tihcation for separation from Colombia
 under the conditions existing and more
 over. that it's action was in the highest degree beneficial to the interests of the entire civilized world by securing inc Immediate opportunity for, the building people of the isthmus, and as I firmly
 believe of the adjacent parts of Central and South America. will be greatly bene- fited by the building of the canal and the fine: and hand in hand with the os benetiS lsS to them will go the benefit to us and to mankind. By our prompt and decisive action, not only have our interests and those of the world at large been con
 a