The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-12-22
HOW WE GOT IT
One Feature Of the so-caIled
Panama Canal Scandal
THAT NEEDS PROBING

| THAT NEEUS PRUB1tV6
The Louisville Courier-JournaI Dis
cuses the Republic Of Panama,
How it Was Formed and Ameri-
can Participation in the Event OH
the Isthmus at the Time.
The Louisville Courier-Journal
says the story of how the United
States came into possession Of the
Panama canal ought to be of interest
to all readers. 1t is neither SO tech
nical nor so complicated, as to put
any strain upon the popular mind.
On the contrary, it is perfectly sim
pie.
The New French Company having
acquired for twelve millions the
rights of the Old French Company
and sold these to the United States
for forty millions, a treaty between
the United States and the republic
of Columbia was all that was need
ed to confirm the deal. Mr.. Hay
was our Secretary of State. Mr..
Herran was the Minister of Colum-
bia at Washington. They made a
treaty known as the Hay-Herran
treaty which, promptly ratified by
our Senate, was sent to Bogota to
be ratified by Columbia. This done
a stock-jobbing scheme, begun in
Paris and successfully exploited IN
Washington, would be completed,
vastly enriching its promoters, Mr..
Edward Lampre, Mr.. w. N. Crom-
we'll and Mr.. Phillips Bunau Verilla
representing a blind d-pool of these.
Being a blind-pool, with it's head
quarters abroad, it will not be possi-
BILE for the American Congress to get
at the bottom of the facts.
But, mark the sequel.
The "act to authorize the construc-
ton o2the canal connecting the wa
ters of the Atlantic and Pacific
ocean," approved June 2S, 1902,
authorized the president to obtain
"by treaty"-and in no other way,
control of such territory from Co.
llumbia," as might be necessary for
that purpose; and it proved also
that If he should be unable to do
so within a reasonable time" and
upon reasonable TERMS" he should
then proceed to acquire the neces-
sary territory from Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. This act, known as the
Spooner Act, appropriated ten mil
lion dollars to be used by the pres
ident toward the project contem-
plated by either route" Let it be
borne in mind that this was the
bill which authorized him "to pay
for the property Of the New Pana-
ma Canal Company forty million dol
lars" when he "shall have obtained
by treaty the necessary territory
from Columbia"
OF course it did not contemplate
any arrangement with Panama di-
rect, but was based on the likeli-
hood that the treaty authorized by
it, signed by Messrs. Herran and
Hay, and ratified by the senate on
March II, 1908, would be ratified
by Columbia. The act did not au-
thorize the president to employ the
navy of the United tSates to "pre-
vent the landing Of Columbian
troops within fifty miles of Pana-
ma" which he subsequently did, OF
to commit any other act hostile to
Columbia. 1t did not authorize him
under any circumstances to wage
war, but required him, in case OF
failure to come to terms with Colum-
! bia, to seucre another route for the
canal.
In October, 1903, Columbia, act
ing strictly within her rights, re-
jected the Hay-Herran treaty. The
work done by Messrs. Lampre, Crom-
we'll and Bunau Varilla, was about
to be wrecked in port, as 1t were.
Then the first overt act in the Pan
anna revolution" was performed b.
| the administration at Washington
and not upon the IsthmIs of Pana-
ma. It was in the direct interest of
the New Panama Canal Company
On November 2, 1903, the gunboat
Nashville reached Colon, in the De-
partment of Panama, Republic OF
Columbia, having been ordered there
by our government; and on the same
day an order was sent from the
Navy Department at Washington to
the Nashville, the Boston and the
Dixie, also in those waters, contain
ing these instructions:
Prevent landing of any armed
force with hostile intent at any point
within fifty miles of Panama. Gov
ernment forces reported approach
ing the Isthmus in vessels. Prevent
landing, if in your judgment land
ing would precipitate conflict"
This meant war with the "gov-
ernment forces" of Columbia, If 1t
meant anything. From this point
things went forward at lively pace
At 2:40 p. m, the very next day
November 8. 1908, the assistant Sec
retary Of State cabled from Washing
| ton 70 tho nnnc,l nonnrnl nf the