The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-11-01
PaNAMA's CAUSE OF COMPLAINT.

Our government does not seem to
find that of the new republic Of Pana-
ma as submissive as it was thought ii
would be when it seeded from CoIom~
bia and set up housekeeping for itself
for the purpose of granting TO the
United States the privilege OF building
a canal across the isthmus. The Pan
anna people seem to think the. United
States is taking too much liberty with
them 1t looks as IL Panama or the
best part of IT. including the cities OF
Colon and Panama. was about to be
annexed, or had already been annexed
and become as much part Of our ma
toin as are the Philippines and Guam
and Porto Rico. The Panamans are
making a vigorous fight over the as
sumption Of authority and the putting
into effect of our laws in the territory
point of view of the citizens of Pana-
ma it does seem that they have just
cause Of complaint. 1t looks like an
outrageous assumption Of jurisdiction
by our government over their terri
tory which was not contemplated by
the men who negotiated and signed
the treaty. The New York World
gives the following as the grounds of
complaint of the Panamans:
Raoul A. Amador, consul-general
for Panama at this port and a son of
President Amador, of the isthmian re-
public, said yesterday that there were
two complaints of the first magnitude
against the United States. The first
was that the port of Panama has Dsen
taken under American contro and adj
ministered actually as an American
port. The second is that the canal
zone, extending five miles on either
side of the canal, has been made
American territory down to the least
particular of administration.
BY an Interpretation of the Hay
Varilla treaty-Dr. Amador IS not able
to say who is responsible for the inter-
pretation-the port of Panama has
been included in the canal grant. Ar
ticle II of the treaty states expressly,
with regard to the granting of the a
IldI ZtIl-- III D1oNIoO Tia IL
cities of Panama and Colon and the
harbors adjacent to said cities, which
are included within the boundaries Of
the zone above described. shall not
be included within this grant"
The port of Panama which used to
be called La Roca is three miles from
the city of Panama and it was I'M
doubtedly the undertaking of the
D--4-z@ NJ paoS4r
said that it would come under the
head Of "harbors adjacent" and there
fore not subject to American control.
That this was also the original I'M
Outstanding of the canal commission
he said is shown by the fact that when
the commission first arrived on the
scene it asked permission of the Pan
anna authorities to take over the quar-
antine regulations of this port.
Not long after. however, Gov. Davis
proclaimed that thereafter all vessels
would enter and clear the port of Pan
una under the authority Of the United
States. At the same time the name of
the port was changed to Ancon. AS a
result of this proclamation the United
States authorities are now collecting
all the port charges at Ancor.
AL aDO1C the same I1IlS d Onlleu
States custom house was established
at Ancon, and Dingley tariff duties
were imposed on all goods imported
into the canal zone through the port
and on merchandise brought n the
zone from other parts Of Panama.
Goods imported into Panama outside
the zone are subject to the Panama
tariff of about Is per cent.
The result of this anomalous tariff
condition, said consul Amador, is that
the Panam merchant doing business
within the canal one becomes. COM
m%ercially speaking, a foreign competi-
tor of the Panama merchant across
the imaginary boundary line. The
former pays but one duty-the Amer
ican-and can undersell in the zone
his brother merchant outside. The
latter pays only the Panama duty,
/ and can undersell the other outside
the zone. If either wants to sell his
goods across the imaginary line he
must pay a second duty.
The natural consequence of this sit
uation, Consul Amador declared, Is not
only direct financial loss, but. owing
to the confusion caused by the two
tariffs. a complete upset of trade con-
conditions.
Consu Amador said he was conf
dent that the vexing questions of the
administration OF the ana zone would
be amicahly settled by Secretary Taft.
THE AN TRIAL.