The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1908-06-12
Say That United States Will Intervene if tht
Coming Presidential Election is Conducted
by Fraud. United States Cannot AL
low DishE est Election...Amador
Denie! ! That There Is Any
Int. !. Of unfairness

be avoided. I venture to suggest to
your excellency, therefore, that in
view of the charges which have been
made, the wisest course for your gov
ernment to take is to give into the
hands of person admittedly impair
tial as between Senor Arias and
Senor Obaldia, the administration Of
the department having control of the
election machinery"
Mr.. Taft included in his letter a
dispatch he received from President
Roosevelt, as follows:
Roosevelt's Message
"You are authorized to say to
President Amador that the govern
ment of the United States will con-
slider any attempt at election Of a
successor by fraudulent method or
methods which deny to large part
of the people to vote, constitutes
disturbance of public order which
under Panama's constitution requir-
es Intervention, and this government
will not permit Panama to pass into
the hands Of anyone so elected. The
failure which you describe to comply
with laws assuring to the people of
Panama opportunity to have their
names entered into the registry of
voters, appears in advance to be suf-
ficient to invalidate the elections,
and If facts are as they have been
represented to you, wrong already
done must be redressed and fair reg
istry lists made up. In case we find
occasion for intervention, it will be
necessary for this government to
consider what steps it, would take
for redress Of the wrong done and
prevent REPETITION in the future
Mmador Enters Denial
The first answer to this commune
cation received by Taft from Presi-
dent Amador was denial Of any
fraudulent election and refusal to
take any of the steps suggested.
Subsequently an agreement was
reached between the Panama auth
critics and the American minister
and Commissioners Goethals and
Blackburn together with general
counsel Of the commission by which
Panama agreed to create a commits
sion of electoral inquiry to inyesti-
gate the complaints of all parties
and under which the United States
was to join in inquiry through any
persons appointed by it with a right
to examine and cross-examine all
witnesses concerning past, present
and future proceedings and with a
right to inspect and copy all inscrip-
tions on the registration lists and
to attend all sessions Of registration,
and election juries.
On May 18th the commissioners
were appointed and went to the vari-
GUS places of registration in the dis
tricts. Panama authorities consented
that the registration should proceed
for ten days from the 18th to the
s25th Of May and this was telegraph
ed officially all over he country. Sub
sequently three governors known to
be in favor OF Obaldia, the opponent
Of Arias, were removed from office
by the president, because, as he In
formed Governor Blackburn, he did
not propose to have anybody in Of
flee opposed to the government. The
other four govefhors are Arias men,
The gvernment has decreased by ell
even electoral votes which under the
law may be cast by Colon for presi-
dent Colon being understood to be
an Obaldia district and has increased
by five the electoral representation
from the province OF Los Santos
understood to be province likely tc
vote In favor of Arias.
No opinion was expressed at the
war department whether these clr-
5cumstances were leading to fraud
requiring Intervention. It was said
that the government could do moth
ing but await the event and then
sum up the evidence and reach g
conclusion.