Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-02-19
AMERICAN DELAY is TO BLAME
LATIN COUNTRY is STILL DE-
MANDlNG SETTLEMENT OF
CLAIMS BY ARBITRATION
PANAMA CANAL IS THE CAUSE
LITTLE GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH
AMERICA THINKS 1T HAS
BEEN MIsTREATED

was made today in the itinerary OIL
Sacratarv of State Knox's trip to
Central America because of the Col
ombian minister's letter OF protest
The department will await word direct
from the Bogota government before
altering it's plans. Some intimatlon
either diplomatically confirming OF
repudiating the actions of its repre-
sentative in Washington is expected
within the next "a hours. No action
Of any KIND in the matter is possible
before tomorrow.
The letter incident brought out
statement today by Representative
Rainey of Illinois, author OF resoiu-
tion to submit Colombia's damage
claims to arbitration, in which he de-
nounced the methods used by the
United States to acquire the Panama
canal zone.
lo.sss sssss;.s;; ssss sssss. .s said,
fensible conduct for nearly ten years !,
in refusing Colombia the arbitration
she has requested"
The Panama incident, which has
been the subject of committee lnves
tigation. was denounced by Mr.. Raj
ney as 1.-The blacklist page in our nls-
tory as a nation" He charged that
the revolution was engineered by
"New York promoter with the sane
tion and aid of President Roosevelt |
and the state department.
Profound disappointment on recelv-
ing intimations that Secretary Knox
did not contemplate giving COLOMBIA
anv assurance of the ultimate arbi-
tration of her claims against the
limited States, was generally ascrIb-
ed today as the reason for the express
sion from Senior Pedro Mel Ospina
that a visit by Mr.. Knox to his
country at the present time would
be "inopportune.'
It developed today that when Senor
Ospina first read the White House
announcement week ago stating that
President Taft directed the secretary
of state to visit the countries border
ing on the Caribbean sea, he hailed
it with unconcealed enthusiasm. lnl
+ a statement of comment on the Knox
trip, prepared at that time but not
made public until today, the Colon
bian minister foresaw possible re
cognition by the United States of the
demands of Colombia for arbitration
of the differences growing out Of the
partition of Panama and the acquisf
tion by this government of the Canal
zone strip.
"If Mr.. Knox, as / sincererS ssope,
wrote Senior Ospina at the time, '.is
now fully cognizant of all the facts iI1
which the claims Of Colombia rest, II
have no doubt that his visit to my
country will be fruitful. for he will
find that the popular feeling which !
at present prevails there as in most
all South American countries with
regard to the United States was main
1y caused by the manner in which
the traditional ally of the United
States, was treated in 1903 and 1904
in connection with the severance Of
Panama, and there having been so
far no equitable settlement of Colon
bias claims growing out of that con
duct.
All good Colombians are heartily
desirous that such feeling there, as
elsewhere in South America, be ap-
peased. The sooner the better; it is
never too late to do right. Colombia
does not ask that her contentious be
accepted at her assertion She has
simply demanded for the last eight
years that her claims be arbitrated so
that, whatever the result of that AZ !