Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1904-01-13
SPECIAL PANAMA MESSAGE,

Justice, but In q spirit Of generosity
with the people through whose lanG
we might build 1.-THE Eay-HerraI
treaty, if it erred at all, erred in the
direction Of an er-generosity to
wards the Colombian government. II
our anxiety to be fair we had fgone tt
the very verge in yielding to a weaE
nations demands what the nation was
helplsssly. Unable to enforce. from us
against our WILL The only criticism
made upon the administration for the
Eterns of the Hay-Herran treaty wore
for having granted too much to Colon
b!a, not for failure to. grant enough
Neither in the Congress nor in the
public pnesIi, at the time that this
treAty. was formulated. were here com.
plants, that it did not in the fullest
and amplest manner guarantee to Co,
lombia everything that she could by
any color of title demand.
Norris the fact to be lost sight Of
that. the rejected, treaty; while gener:
ously responding to the pecuniary de-
mandS CT Colombia, in other respects
merely provided for the construction
of the canal in conformity with the ex-
pressed reuuirementsao of thes act of
Congress of June %, 1902. BY that act,
as heretofore quoted, the President
was authorized to acquire from Co
lombia. for the purposes of the canal
perpetual control" Of Ascertain strip
of land and it was expressly required
that the control" thus to be obtained
shoul include jurisdiction" to make
police and sanitary regulatins .and to
establish such judicial tribunals as
might be agreed upon their enforce
ment. These We're conditions prece-
dent prescribed by the Congress; and
for their ful6llment suitable stipula-
tions were embodied in the treaty. It
has been stated in public prints that
Colombia objected to, these stfpula-
tions, on the ground that they involv
ed reliQuishment of her sovereign
ty;" but in the light Of what has.
taken. place, this alleged objection
mustThe considered as an after
thought. InSreality. the treaty, in
stead OF requiring cession of Colon
bias sovereignty over he canal: strip,
expressly acknowledged, confirmed,
and preserved her sovereignty over
it. The treatysip this respect simply
proceeded on the lines on which all
tie negotiations leadingup tothe pres
ent situation have been conducted. In
those negotiations the exercise by the
United States, subject to the para
mount rights of the local sovereign,
Of z substantial control over the canal
and the Immediately adjacent terrific
ry, has been treated as a tundamcnt-
III part CT any arrangement that might
be made.'sIt has formed ans sessentiaL
feature for@alI OUR Dianss SneE
cessity is fIlgIecogn ed afArs fhes ssHays]
Pauncefote estreaty Fhe. Congress, sin |
providing that such, control 2sh ouIds be \
secured, adopted no new. pripciple, !
but only incorporates III it 1egisla:
ton, the importance and propriety
CT which sWeTesuniyersally recognized.
During all he years, fanegotigs
and disealsss preeedea con-:
s:sssas sssonss eEsa / j -
quire init tedgsSt StatesAofss
controls Lover the Gcanalss ssstTip Yonids
render IN bles S5hes congtruct tipns
of canaTxSss way of I the q SIsthnusSo
Panama nor we're as sVised durlngs
the months when 1esisl alton sofssl9Qss
was pending .befae the :Goagress,:thats
the terms Witch. it. empoai ied would;
render3negotfations with Colombia
,impractfcable. 1t is plain hat no ma 8
ton could construct and. guarantee
the neutrality.of the canal swith:a less;
degree Of control than was stipulated
for in the Hay-Hcrrar-treaty Are
.fusal to grant such degree of control
was necessarily refusal to make any
practical treaty at all. Such refusal
therefore squarely raised the question
whether Colombia was entitled to bar
the transit of the worlds traffic
across the Isthmus.
That the canal itself was eagerly de-
'Manded by the people Of the locality
through which it was to pass, and that
the people Of this locality no less ca
serly longed for its construction under
American control, are shown by the
unanimity of action in the new Pana-
ma Republic. Furthermore, Colombia,
after having rejected the treaty in
spite of our. protests and warnings
when it v'as in her:power to accept it,
has since shown the utmost eagerness
10 accept the same treaty if only the
status quo could be restored. One of the
men standing highest in the official
circles of Colon bia:s on November 6,
addressed the Amer ran. minister at
Bogota, saying that if the Government
Of the United States would land troops
to preserve Colombian sovereignty and
the transit, the Colombian Government
would declare martial law. and, by
virtue of vested constitutional authori-
! ty, when public order is disturbed
(would) approve by decree the ratifi-
cation of the canal treaty as signed; !;
or, if the Government of the United
States prefers. (woui0 call extra ses-
sion of the Congress-with new and
| friendly members May to ap-
prove the treaty." Having these facts
| in view. there. is no shadow o. ques.
| tion that e:Government of the United
States proposed a treaty which was not
merely just, but generous to Colombia
which our people regarded as erring
lii at all. on the. side. of overgenerosity;
which was hailed with delight by the
people of the: immediate locality
/ through which the canal was TO pass
/ VINO were most concerned as to th'
new order of things, and which tn
sColombian authorities now recognize
as being so good that they are willing
to. promise it's unconditional. ratlhca
| ton if only we will deserl those Whf
have shown themselves our friends ant
| resfor to those who have shown them
selvs unfriendly the power to und'
what they did. pass by the question
as to what assurance we aave tina
4 they would now keep their pledge an
J!net again refuse TO ratify the tiaaty i
! they had the power; for. OF course.
will not. for one moment discuss til
j possibility of the United States com
1 hitting an act of such baseness as t
abandon the new Republic OF Panama
| Third. Finally the Congress definite
i "; settled where the canal was to b
built. It was provided that treat
should be made for building the cana
across the Tsthmus of Panama; and II
4 otter reasonable time it proved lmpcs