The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-05

This plain official account of the oc-
currences Of Nov. 4, shows that, ill
stead of there having been too much
provision by the American government
for the maintenance of order and the
protection of life and property on the
isthmus the orders for the movement
of the American war ships had been
too long delayed; SO long, in fact. that
there were but forty-tWo marines and
sailors available to land and protect
the lives of American men and women.
1t was only the coolness and gallantry
with which this little band of men
wearing the American uniform faced
ten times their number of armed foes,
bent on carrying out the atrocious
threat of the Colombian commander,
that prevented a murderous catas-
trophe. At Panama, when the revolu-
tion broke out, there was no American
man-of-war and no American troops
or sailors. At Colon, Commander Hub
bard acted with entire impartiality to-
wards both sides, preventing any
movement, whether by the Colombians
or the Panamans, which would tend to
produce bloodshed. On Nov. he pre-
vented a body of the revolutionists
from landing at Colon. Throughout he
behaved in the most creditable manner.
In the New York Evening Post, under
date of Panama, Dec. s, there is an
article from d special correspondent,
which sets forth in detail the unbear-
able oppression of the Colombian gov
ernment in Panama. In this article is
an interesting Interview with a Lative
Panaman, which runs in part as fol-
lows:
We looked upon the building
Of the canal as a matter of life or
death to us. We wanted that because it
meant, with the United States in con-
troll of it, peace and prosperity for us.
President Marroquin appointed an
1sthmian to be governor of Panama;
and we looked upon that as of happy
augury. Soon we heard that the canal
treaty was not likely to be approved
at Bogota; next we heard that our
Isthmian governor, Obaldia, who had
scarcely assumed power, was to be
superseded by a soldier from Bogota.
Notwithstanding all that Colombia
has drained us of in the way of reve-
nues, she did not bridge for us a single
river, nor make d single roadway, nor
erect a single college where our chill
dren could be educated, nor do any
thing at all to advance our industries
Well, when the new generals
came we seized them, arrested them.
and the town of Panama was in joy.
Not protest was made, except the
SnOIS nreQ from the Colon bldn gum
boat Bogota, which killed one Chinese
lying in his bed. We were willing to
encounter the Colombian troops at Co
Ion and fight it out; but the commander
of the United States cruiser Nashville
forbade Superintendent Shaler to all
low the railroad to transport troops for
either party. That is our story
l call especial attention to the con-
cluding portion of this interview which
states the Willingness of the Panama
people to night the Colombian troops
and the refusal of Commander Hub
bard to permit them to use the rail-
road and therefore to get into a po-
sition where the fight could take place.
1t thus clearly appears that the fact
that there was no bioodshed on the
istnmus was directly due-and only
due-to the prompI and firm enforce.
lAent by the United States of it's ira.
ditional policy. During the past forty
years revolutions and attempts at rev.
olution have succeeded. one another
with monotonous regularity on the
isthmuS, and again and again United
States sailors and marines have been
landed as they were landed in this in
stance and ur der similar instructions
TO protect the transit. One of these
revolutions resulted in three years of
warfare; and the aggregate of blood
shed and misery caused by them has
been incalculable. The fact that in
this last revolution not a life was lost,
save that of the man killed by the
shells of the Colombian gunboat, and