The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-27

years before was the proper position,
and that the United States would be
derelict in its duty if it permitted Col
ombia to prevent the building of the
Panama canal / was prepared, if
necessary, to submit to Congress
recommendation that we should pro
coed with the work, in spite of Col
ombia's opposition, and indeed had
prepared a rough draft of message
to that effect, when events on the
isthmus took such shape as to change
the problem.
"The people of Panama now found
themselves in position in which
their interests were identical with the
interests Of the United States; for the
government of Colombia, with elabor-
ate care, and with a short-sightedness
equal to its iniquity, had followed out
to it's end the exact policy which rem
dered it morally impossible as well
as morally improper for the United
States to continue to exercise its pow
er in the interest of Colombia, and
against its own interest and the in
terest Of Panama. There was no need
of any outsider to excite revolution in
Panama. There were dozens of lead
ers on the isthmus already doing their
best to excite revolution. 1t was not
a case of lighting a fuse that would
fire a mine-there were dozens of
such fuses being lit all the time. II
was simply a case of it's ceasing to be
the duty of the United States to stamp
on these fuses, or longer to act in the
interest of those who had become the
open and malignant foes of the United
States-and of civilization and of the
world at large
Colombian Opposition.
After detailing the various steps
taken by Colombia to oppose the
treaty, Mr.. Roosevelt says:
Acting in view of all these facts,
| sent various naval vessels to the
isthmus. The orders to the American
naval officers were to maintain free
and uninterrupted transit across the
isthmus, and with that purpose 20
prevent the landing of armed forces
with hostile intent at any point with
in fifty miles of Panama. These or
ders were precisely such as had been
issued again and again in preceding
years-19OO, 1901 and 1902, for in
stance
'They were carried out. Their nee
essity was concmsively shown by the
fact that a body of Colombian troops
had landed at Colon and threatened
reign Of terror, announcing their in
tention of killing all American citizens
in Colon. The prompt action of Cap
tain Hubbard of the gunboat Nash
vile prevented this threat from being
put into effect; he rescued the imper-
lied Americans, and finally persuaded
the Colombia troops to reembark and
peacefully return to Colombia.
eve recognized the republic of Pa
mama, Without firing a shot we pre-
vented a civil war. We promptly ne
gOtiated a treaty under which the ca
nal is now being dug In consequence
Panama has for eight years enjoyed
degree of peace and prosperity which |
it had never before enjoyed during
its four centuries of troubled eXis-- !
ence, Be it remembered that unless 1 |
had acted exactly as l did act there
would now be no Panama canal. 1t is
folly to assert devotion to an end, and
at the same time to condemn the only
means by which the end can be
achieved.
Every man who has at any stage
opposed or condemned the action ac-
tually taken in acquiring the right to
dig the canal has really been the OBJ
pOnent of every effort that could ever
have been made for accomplishing
that work. They are not straightfor- !
ward or sincere unless they announce !
frankly that their criticism of meth !
DDS is merely a mask, and that at bot /.
tom what they are really criticising is
having the canal dug at all.
mot only was the course followed
as regards Panama's right in every
detail and at every point, but there !.
could have been no variation from it's
course except for the worse. We not
only did what was technically justifi-
able, but we did what was demanded /
by every ethical consideration, nation
al and international. We did our duty !
to the world; we did our duty to the |
people of Panama; we did our duty by
ourselves. We did harm to no one
save as harm is done to a bandit by
a policeman who deprives him of his
chance to blackmail.
"The United States has many honor
able chapters in it's history. but no