The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-02
HITCHCOCK MAKES 7 CONSPIRACY CHARGE
Senator DenOunces Acquisi-
 tiOn of Canal Zone
SENATE ASKS PAPERS
Passes Resolution Requesting Presi- dent to Make Public All Cor s respondence With Colombia
 1s on the Subject

Washington. March 1.-senator Hitch
 from Colombia was a conspiracy approved
 by the United States.
 The Senate adopted a resolution calling
 on the President to submit all the cor
 respondence with Colombia dealing with
 the acquisition of the Panama canal zone | by the United States. The resolution was offered by the senator from Nebraska, who urged Its adoption in a speech. He charged former President Roosevelt with participation in conspiracy to foment the revolution by which Panama was lost to Colombia and the canal zone
 became the property of the United States. There was no division on the vote. Charges Conspiracy '"The conspiracy which resulted in The dismemberment of the Colombian republic occurred in the United States with the approval of tho highest United States off, ficials. and the spoliation was largely in
 the interest of combination of influen- tial capitalists, who controlled the French
 Panama Canal company" declared Sen ator Hitchcock of Nebraska in the Senate today.
 MT. Hitchcock was speaking in support of his resolution calling upon the Pres ident for the complete correspondence with Colombia in connection with the canal. From this he said he expected the people would know whether we are honest and just, and whether the time has not come when we should act the part of decency if not generosity toward Colombia"
 The senator assailed the Washington governments course and referred to what he said was a blunt declaration of ex- President Roosevelt in a speech recently delivered in California that he took the canal zone"
 Cannot Hide Records
 Tt Is not possible he said. "to lock up in official ethics the sensational and disgraceful records of our treatment of Colombia, our breach of solemn treaty, our institution of an instruction, our spoliation of a weak sister republic"
 It was too late to restore Panama to Colombia, he declared, because the United States title to the Panama ca nal. and through the influence of the United States the existence of the Pan ana republic, were settled for all time by international agreement. He be- lieved that justice would not be done until the controversy had been reopen ed, he said,e and Colombia's claims against this government for damages had been settled by diplomatic arrange ment or through arbitration.
 Americans Restrained Troops
 "The American people know" con- 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 American navy to Colon, arriving there November 2. On November a Colom bian gunboat arrived with troops for garrison duty at Panama, and at that time our American officers had re- ported everything quiet on the isthmus. and that Colombia was in indisputable control of the province. High officials in Washington were frantic for advices as to the revolution, and the next day, while representatives of the American navy were retraining the troops which | Colombia had sent to preserve order
 and to down any insurrection, that ridiculous comic opera revolution oc-, | cured in the town of Panama, few | miles away. The American people knew that if
 the 300 troops of Colombia had been per | mitted to reach the town of Panama there | would have been no revolution. This was done notwithstanding solemn | treaty of peace and friendship existing be- | tween the United States and Colombia. | under which the United States guaranteed
 to preserve Colombia's sovereignty on the | Panama isthmus in return for certain | rights and privileges which the United | States had secured there.
 The Pretense
 l t'The pretense for all this was that Co., | lombia had refused to accept the United !, States terms as to the Panama canal. We were proposing to buy from the Pan anna Canal company, represented by l Cromwell and other New York financicrs,
 ever rights they had came from Colom- ] bia.. Our representatives drew up l treaty under which the United States was to pay the company and secure rights in
 the canal strip needed to perfect it's title. Either government had a right to reject the treaty. It was naturally ratified by
 the United States. but Colombia finally re- jected it because it had no power to sur
 render sovereignty over the strip without
 some amendment to its constitution. | "Coombia was absolutely within her rights"
 l Senator Hitchcock referred to the pend l ing arbitration treaty as likely to lead | to entanglements with Great Britain, and I said he would like to know why some of | these associations that are spending An | drew Carnegies money and some ofsthese
 orators talking for arbitration under his pay do not advocate arbitration of this