The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-08-17
IGNORES
REQUESTS OF j. 5.
TO GIVE JUSTICE TO
HAVE BEEN MISTREATED

HAVE BEEN MISTREATED.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-Panama's
attitude in failing to take proper notice
of the maltreatment of American citi-
zens within her borders during the past
two years and half has irritated the
United States Government to the point
.of insisting upon the prompt settle
ment of these cases to the satisfaction
of the State Department.
Apparently reliable testimony show
ing unprovoked assaults and rough
treatment of American citizens. iuclud-
ing naval officers, during the past two
years and half has been presented to
the Panama government, with a view
to obtaining prompt apology, punish
ment of the offenders, compensation
for injury or death and police reform,
but all to no purpose. Only the most
unsatisfactory replies have been re-
ceived from Panama
The attitude of the government OF
the Isthmian republic is inexplicable to
the State Department officials, VINO
have asked nothing more than that
simple justice shall be meted out with
proper reparation for the families of
those who have suffered Manager
Herbert G. Squires has been instructed
to urge mistakenly to satisfy settle
ment of these cases.
While the United States government
has no idea, as far as can be learned,
of intervening in Panama affairs with
a view to maintaining order, yet 1t
clearly has the right to do so should
Panama fail to maintain public order
| in the cities of Panama and Colon and
| in the territories and harbors adjacent
thereto.
This right is given by article of
the treaty of 1903. The disposition of
this government is to give Panama
every opportunity to prove itself equal
to the task of protecting life and prop
erty within its borders, and interven-
ton would be resorted to only as a
! last resort
| On four different occasions Ameri-
cans have suffered at the hands of Pa
namanians, and in none of these cases
has this government been able to OBJ
tain any satisfaction from Panama. One
instance cited was an assault on w. b.
! Warner, an employee of the Isthmian
| Canal Commission, who, it is alleged.
was brutally dubbed and otherwise Sc
verely handled by the Colon police on
December %, 1906
| Several American officers of the
| cruiser Columbia in uniform were ar
rested in Colon on June 1, 1906, with
out sufficient cause it is alleged They
were roughly handled and dubbed and
then thrown into Jail, where they were
left for several hours without proper
medical attention.
The attack it is said, was unprovok-
ed. No steps have been taken by Pa
mama to comply with demand that an
indemnity be paid to the officers, Pa
mama, seemingly, having dsclaimed all
blame in the matter.
Boatswain's Mate Charles Rand was
killed and Joseph Clesik, a sailor of
the cruiser Buffalo, was INJURED as the
result of fight with the Panama po-
lice on September rs, 1908. From the
evidence in this case there appears to
be no doubt, according TO the State
Department, that the two men were
brutally treated by the police, who
dubbed handcuffed and dragged Rand
through the streets, badly wounded. 1t
is further alleged that while he was in
police custody Rand was allotted to lie
suffering and bleeding in the Jail for
more than an hour without medical
attention. Similar treatment is said
to have been given Clesik-
Last May Charles NJ. Abbott, white,
and John Williams, negro, both Ameri-
cans, were killed in a riot, the former
by roiter and the latter by rifle shot
supposed to have been fired by mem
Der of the Colon police force. Neither
of these men it is said, appears to have