The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-10
WHY ROOSEVELT OBJECTS.

which the United States should never
put out to arbitration, Quite disin
genuously he omitted to include in those
principles the one thing that evidently
lay heaviest upon his mind. We refer
to the action of the United States in
segregating Panama from the United
States of Colombia, and preventing the
national government of that republic
from recovering the seeding State
We apprehend that this matter was
undoubtedly uppermost in Col. Roose-
velt S mind, because the whole matter
was brought TO public attention during
the month of August in very strong
paper printed in The Independent, Col.
Roosevelt 8 connection with that mat
ter was expressed by himself last
March in his address at the University
of California in the following words
| am Interested in the Panama canal
because I started II. II l had followed
,raditional: conservative methods !
would have submitted a dignifed state
paper of probably two hundred pages 10
Congress, and the debate on II would
have been going on yet: but took the
while the debate goes on, the canal goes
on,
Prior to that time Col. Roosevelt had
stated the facts to be, as they actually
were, that he had the support of Con.
gress throughout, and that he did not
act save with that support. Colon
bia claimed that it was piece of in
ternational buccaneering; and that
country has ever since been trying to
get the case before The Hague tri-
bunal for arbitration, on the claim that
the United States should make repara
and for the loss OF the further sum
money for the detaching of Panama,
and for the loss of the very large sum
which Colombia expected to get by the
forfeiture of the French concession.
And besides detaching Panama from CO.
lombia, the United States stepped in
just long enough prior to the lapse Of
the French franchise from Colombia to
keep that franchise alive. and paid to
S40,000,000 for the canal franchise
tools, implements, work done. and all
connected with it. The detachment of
Panama from Colombia made rIain sail
ing for the United States in proceeding
with the canal. If Colombian sover.
eighty had been recognized, there would
have been all sorts Of opposition and
obstacles put in the way. Colombia
had 70 10 al
ing of the building of the canal This
refusal was in effect selfish refusal
based on the expectation that the
French company would fail. that the
United States could be stood off and
on the lapse Of the franchise Colon.
bla would enter upon the canal prop
erty, seize everything in sight, and the
$40 100000 which The United States was
willing to pay to the Frenchmcn would
then have TO be paid to the United
States of Colombia; or perhaps even
more would have been cxacted. The
Sl0 100000 was paid to Panama, which
Colombia claims should have been paid
TO herself
Here, then, is very pretty case all
ready for The Hague arbitration if the
United States will agree to arbitrate,
But, back of the arbitration PROPOSE
tion, there is further peril TO the
Roosevelt regime that the inner story
OF the Panama secession and canal pur-
chase may come out. 1t will be remem-
oered that the indianapolis News and
the New York World printed some very
vivid stories about colusion, graft, and
of money in connection
with that $4o,o00,000 purchase from the
French canal company. Mr.. Roosevelt.
who was then President, insisted upon
libel suits against those pa
pers, which suits, of course, were dis
missed as soon as the Federal Judges
got TO them, being absolutely illegal,
and IN every way untenable. But the
inner story of that transaction. only
partly told by these two newspapers.
has never yet been fully told.
The probability that it would be fully
told If this case ever came TO arbitra
Nioh IL upuDbitSs WHAT alarmed fTPS-
Ideut Roosevelt. and melted his fierce
blast against the unreserved arbitra
ton treaty. And yet he absolutely
failed to mention this case among those
which he declared the United States
could never in honor arbitrate. The
slyness Of him in holding this back
when this was evidently the prompting
motive Of his opposition as a ground
for assailinR President Taft merely in
iicates that he was eager TO assail Taft
any way. and availed himself of this
because 1t was a convenient ground
from which the attack could he made.
But that the Panama. Colombia case was
what set Col. Roosevelt off on this ar.
treaty there can be no doubt
IN the mind of any one who reads the
presentation made in The Independent,
and the specific, pointed allusions made
to President Roosevelt in that presenta.
tion. His declaration quoted above is
made the text of that article. and all
"