New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-01
GENERAL REYESs REPORT.

There is some "uncommonly interesting read
ing" In the report which General Reyes has
made TO the Colombian government upon his
! diplomatic mission TO this country, a trans.a.
/ ton Of some salient features Of which we print
| in another column of this mornings Tribune.
! We suppose that not even the most rabid ma
| ligner Of our governments conduct IN Panama
| will challenge General Reyess knowledge Of
the subject or his devotion to Colombian inter-
ests. What he says about the Colombian blum
dering and obstruction which led to the Panama
revolution is not new. 1t has all been said be-
fore, again and again, In these columns; but in
coming from such source 1t is invested with a
certain novelty, and with an authority which
some might not be willing to concede 10 an
| American newspaper-or to an American states
man.
What then does General Reyes tell his gov
eminent and his countrymen? In brief that
| what happened in Panama was chiefly their
own fault. Colombia made, he says, Il serious
mistake in the manner of her negotiation with
the United States for the construction of canal
at Panama. Instead of SO eagerly soliciting
| this country to enter into treaty, she should
| have stood pat" and awaited American offers
| Still more serious, he continues, was the mis-
| take in SO loosely authorizing the canal com
| pany to transfer its interests to the United
States. Colombia should have kept that mat
| ter within her own grip so as to have been able
to dictate her own terms and so have got more
cash out Of the bargain. Upon those points we
may have no hesitation in agreeing with Gen
eral Reyes. Colombia did act foolishly. She
permitted her eagerness to secure canal at
Panama to run away with her business dis
erection. But surely the United States was
under no obligation TO correct her blunders for
her or to tell her she was not asking enough for
the canal or sufficiently safeguarding her own
interests.
The United States did, indeed, 90 to an I'M
commonly generous extreme We have General
Reyess own testimony to that effect He ad.
mits that the United States in the Hay-Herran
treaty granted to Colombia much more COM
pensaton than the Colombian government had
asked; after which the Colombian government
demanded still more and rejected the treatv
| because the United States would not grant n,
| IL Is gratifying to see that General Reeves an.
! preclates the extraordinary character of thst
| conduct OF his government, and does not ven+
ure to protest against the description of n
| as unlawful extortion. Briefly stated Colombia
eagerly begged the United States to, construct a
canal on certain terms; the United States agreed
to do so on more generous terms than those
Colombia had asked, and then Colombia refused
to complete the bargain unless the United States
would give still more generous terms No
wonder that this clear sighted Colombian States.
man frankly admits, and tells his countrymen
that "tne United States might well obtain the
public opinion Of the world in considering as
ian indisputable fact that the obstinacy of our
"(Colombi6n) government was the only real OBJ
"stacle TO the construction Of canal" No
| wonder that, he adds in conclusion, the great
majority Of the nations of the world have
united without hesitation in sanctoning what
has been done by the United States in Panama
Possibly there may still be some who. throngb
1acdonai spite or even less credltabe motives
VIII persist in being more Colombian than tbe
President Of Colombia. Rational men of ali
parties viii regard General Reyess strong and
authoritative words convincing eorrobora
ton of what has been said upon the subject bv
the President Of the United States and his nd
visers. and es an added yindicaion of the course