The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-30
Could Ignore Treaty

Pauncefot treaty of 1901 could be ignored by the Unitea States so far as the Pana- ma canal was concerned. The operation of that waterway had become domestic problem he said.
 Senator Bradley held that under the treaty the United States simply had made the rules of equality which were to ap- ply to all other nations. As the maker of those rules and the nation at whose expense the canal had been built he de- clared the United States was not bound by the regulations of the treaty so far as 1t requires "equal treatment" to all ships.
 Senator McCumber of North Dakota speaking against the provision for re- he believed such action would be vio- lation of the spirit of the treaty with Great Britain.
 Senator Cummins asked If the treaty with Panama guaranteeing free passage of Panama's war vessels would not re- quire the United States to give free pas sage to the war vessels of all nations
 Senator McCumber said he believed the strict terms of the treaty would require equal treatment to all war ves- sells. Senator Fall said attention should be called to the fact that there was also a treaty with Colombia for free passage of its warships
 Diplomats Were Confused
 "one is impressed in examining the draft of the treaties with the hopeless confusion into which the diplomacy of that time seems 10 have fallen" Senator Cummins said
 Senator McCumber declared the treaty proposed neutrality for the zone, but Senator Cummins said it was impossi- ble to conceive that the United States should be compelled to pass through the canal in time of war the battleships of a hostile power.
 The fertilization of the canal, Sem ator McCumber declared, l. for police protection.
 If we should publish to the world that we had fortified 1t as war meas ure," he said, "it would cost us ten times as much to protect 1t In time of war as we would derive in benefit from 1t. It would become source of weakness, not of strength" All nations would combine against the United States, he insisted if 1t should attempt to close the canal in time oi war to any foreign ships. The canal would then face the danger of destruc- tion, he said, from the surreptitious bomb of some foreign power" Senator Bradley's Views Senator Bradley declared the people of the United States would not have sanctioned spending s400, 000,0 ,000 to build the canal had they believed they were to have no rights there not enjoyed by all other nations He contepded the United States had the right under the treaty to protect its own interests and It's own shipping, and claimed that since the United States had purchased the canal zone. the operation of the canal became a domestic question. The pledge of equality" to all nations senator Bradley said, meant that the Unit ed States would give equal treatment to all nations in the use of the canal, while reserving the right to protect itself. The United States adopted the rules of the treaty he said to apply to all other na- tions but not to itself. The fact that England had entered no protest against | fortihcation of the canal, Senator Bradley said, was evidence that country recognizes | the right of the United States under the
 treaty to protect it's own interests. "A nation cannot be bound under g
 treaty to destroy itself" hs said.