Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-02
Senator Hitchcock Of Ne
braska Accuses This
Country Of lnciting Revolk
to Secure Canal Site.
INSISTS CLAIMS
SHOULD BE SETTLED
Declares Highest Govern
ment Officials Aaided the
Plans of Capitalists Who
Controlled French Co.

Washington. D. c., March 1.-The
conspiracy which resulted in the dis
| memberment OF the Colombian re-
public occurred In the United States
with the approval of the highest United
States officials. and the spoliation was
largely in the interest of a commission
of, influential capitalists who controlled
the French Panama Canal Co." decar-
ed Senator Hitchcock Of Nebraska in
the senate today. Mr.. Hitchcock was
speaking in support of his resolution
calling upon the president for the COM
plete correspondence with Colombia In
connection with the canal. From this he
said. he expects tho people will know,
whether we are honest and just, and
whether the time has not come when
we should act the part of decency, II
not generosity, towards Colombia
! The senator assailed the Washing
ton government course and referred to
what he said was blunt declaration OF
ex-President Roosevelt in a speech re-
Gently delivered in California, that "he
i took the canal zone" DIX. Il
1T is not possible" he said. ITO lock
Iup in official archives the sensational
and disgraceful record OF our treat
merit of Colombia. our breach OF sol
emf, treaty, our instigation Of nm In
surrection;a our snolation Of weak,
sister republic
Not Too Lats to Settle Claim.
1t was too late to restore Panama to
Colombia. he declared. because the
United States title to the Panama canal
and, through the Influence of the Unit
ed States the existence of the Panamu
republic were settled for all time by
international agreement. He believed
L ..rkl< 49,
1 done until the canal controversy had
been reopened and Colombia's claims
against this government for damages
j had been settled by diplomatic ar
lrangement or through arbitration.
i THE American people know con-
4 tinued Senator Hitchcock, that Presi-
dent Roosevelt cut short all negotia-
tions with Colombia for possession Of
the canal strip and at the psychological
moment ordered the Nashville Of our
d American navy to Colon, arriving
there November 2. On November 2 q
4 Colombian gunboat arrived with troops
for garrison duty at Panama and at
that time our American officers had
reported everything quiet on the is
thmus and that Colombia was In in-s
disputable control Of the PROVINCE
High officials in Washington wers
frantic for news as to the revolution
and the next day, while REPRESENTS
"a
restraining the troops which Colombil
had sent to preserve order and to down
any insurrectiOn. that ridiculous come
Iopera revolution occurred in the town
of Panama. few miles away.
"The American people know that II
the 500 troops of Colombia had been
lpermitted to reach the town Of Panama
there would have been no revolution.
This was done Notwithstanding
solemn treaty Of peace and friendship
existing between the United States
and Colombias sovereignty on the
i Panama isthmus in return for certain
rights and privileges which the United
States had secured there.
"The pretense for all this was that
n Colombia had refused to accept United
States terms as to the Panama canal
We were proposing to buy from the
Cromwell and other New York finan-
ciers. their rights to the Panama canal.
Whatever rights they had came from
Colombia. Our representatives drew up
a treaty under which the United States
was to buy the company and secure
rights in the canal strip needed to per-
. feet its title. Either government had a
right to reject the treaty. 1t was ma
turally ratified by the United States.
but Colombia finally rejected 1t be-
cause it had no power to surrender
sovereignty over the strip without some
amendment 10 It's COIlstllutiuii. ~Oioui-
, bia was absolutely within her rights.
Senator Hitchcock referred to the
pending arbitration treaty as likely
to lead to entanglements with Great
Britain and said he would like to know
. why some of these associations that
are spending Andrew Carnegie's money
!. and some Of these orators talking for
arbitration under his pay do not advo-
, cate arbitration of this claim of our
, sister republic"
| Bristow Would Gust Stephenson.
Insisting that any act of corruption
that contributes to nomination In the
senatorial primary is just as culpable
as il it occurs in election by legisla-
lture. Senator Bristow of Kansas today
urged the senate to reject the majority
report of the committee on privileges
and elections generating Senator
!, Stephenson OF Wisconsin of the charge
that corrupt practices were employed
2 in securing his election.
] sT believe" said Senator Bristow
, "the evidence shows that corrupt meth
! ods and practices were used; that Mr..
. Stephenson and his managers not