The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-09-28
The Hay-Pauncefote Pact Now Void
able Owing to Canal Zone Being
American Territory.
Hannis Taylor, the Greatest Author
ity on International Law, Writes
on Interesting Topic.
What a Blessing That Taft's Treaty
of Peace Was Rejected by
the u. S. Senate.

In a recent letter to the Washing
ton Post Hannis Taylor, the greatest
American authority on international
law, thoroughly exposes the duplicity
of these newspaper writer's, who. for
Interior motives, stand ever ready to
take the side of England against their
own country, and says that as far as
the Panama canal is concerned the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty is now vo,d-
able owing to the Canal Zone becom-
ing American territory.
I'VE cannot think" he writes, "of
sacrificing the supreme interest we
have as overload of the New World
and as the sole owner Of an inter-
oceanic canal, built with our own
money, across our own territory,
without aid Of any European power
whatever.
"Since the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
was made the conditions existing ut
the time of its execution have rad
ically changed. Since then the Canal
Zone has become a part Of the terri
tory Of the United States. There is
no room for hair-splitting on that
T. point. The Transformation Of the
Canal Zone from foreign territory in
to.-dsmestic territoEyi.of,t the :Unitcd
:: states, beyond all question, renders
the treaty zvotdable at the instance Of
the United States under the prin-
ciples Of international law.
"Apart from our peculiar position
and rights under the Monroe doc
trine, how can we permit the Euro
pean Powers so far to interfere with
our domestic affairs as to dictate
regulations to be made or the tolls to
be charged in domestic waterway
built exclusively with our money and
within our own territory?
Certainly no patriotic American
statesman or publicist should ever
consent to the submission Of such
purely American and domestic inter-
ests to the arbitrament of The Hague
Tribunal, which will be always domi-
mated by European jurists naturally
hostile to us on questions of thai
character"
These words are sufficiently plain
and convincing for the guidance ol
all honest men, but we have another
authority equally competent who
bears them out In all their signifi,
eance.
On May IA last, at Norfolk, Va.
Samuel H. Barker, financial editor d
the Philadelphia North American, Ge.
Mvered an address before the Amer.
lean Supply and Machinery Manufac'
turers' Association in which he dwell
at length and very learnedly on q,
the phases of the Panama canal, tn,
actual workings of the Suez canal ant
the ocean-carrying trade generally.
In that address he clearly pointe,
out how dearly we are paying TO
having permitted American ships :,
be driven almost entirely out of in
ternational trade, and proved by Off
cial figures that American ships car
ried only 81 per cent of the to+a
sea-borne commerce of the counlr,
for 1911.
Thus the sea-borne foreign com
/, merce of the country paid American
shipowners only about $11,500,000 I,
a year, while 1t yielded to .foreig
shipowners some $135,000.000 durin
the same period.
Mr.. Barker also calls attention t
the large financial support and en-
couragement which foreign nation
give to their merchant marines. Gov
ernment-compiled figures place III
total of such payments at $46.90..:2
a year, while the United States pal
only little over one million dollar
for such purposes during 1911.
Immediately before u.s." writes NJ
Barker, "lies a great opportun;t!
Grasp It and American interests wi
g prosper. Let it pass and we shall ri
the day that American enterprise I'm
dertook the Panama canal. Our rigt
course is plain. It is to turn the 18th
mian waterway to our full account
,so psinE Il oStsrs Amsrl.s