Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-06

AAlPIOpIleIy Vi submitting d
American Interests to For,
Special Gable to The Atlanta Georgian
LONDON. Sept. 6.-To submit
the rights of the United States in
the Panama canal to arbiNation at
The Hague tribunal is to submit a
question of vital Importance to the
United States to the representa-
directly opposed to the interests of
the United States.
In the first place. the majority Of
Che powers represented at The
Hague tribunal are European and
Asiatic powers-un- American pow
ers-and those foreign powers have
ideas of government and of social
and political rights opposed to those
of the United States.
In the second place, these foreign
powers have as a rule actual ma
terial interests Numerically OPP
posed to those Of the United States.
The Hague court is essentially'a
foreign court in it's constituent
parts and in its sympathy and SEN
timent. Therefore, questions which
are Immediately and peculiarly
American can not be safely sub
mitted to it.
There is no better illustration Of
this fact than the one to be de-
rived from the Panama canal ques
ton. The United States built the
canal after European nation had
failed to build it. The United States
built the canal entirely with its
own money and with its own efforts
and enterprise. The United States
acquired finally as its own aoso-
lutte property the territory through
which the canal zone passes.
Is Part of United States.
The canal zone, therefore, is as
much a possession of the United
States as the District Of Columbia,
in which the capital at Washington
is situated, The canal is a domes-
tic possession of the United States
and our property rights in the canal
are fully established by purchase.
Foreign nations desire, certain
privileges in the canal Shall the
United States submit the question
of how many privileges foreign ma
lions shall have to an arbitration
board composed in its large ma
iority of the representatives of the
foreign nations interested?
Would a dispute between capital
and labor be submitted for arbitra-
ton to a board composed mainly of
capitalists; or. on the other hand,
to a board composed mainly of la
Dor men? If farmer had a dis
pute about the ownership of a Ger
tain portion of his farm would he
submit that dispute to the decision
of the other claimant to the land?
1t is obvious that American inter-
ests could not receive fair consid-
Grafton from The Hague tribunal in
the matter Of this Panama qucs-
ton.
1t is probably true that no ques-
ton involving distinctly American
interests or American ideas or
American points of view would re-
ceive altogether just treatment
from this ENTHUSIASTICALLY foreign
court. The United States is mill
tant republic. ana its success as a
republic is a perpetual impeach-
ment of dynastic and despotic
forms of government. The United
States is an extremely progressive
country. and its ideas its govern
mental attitude. it's fundamental
principles. arouse the prejudccs
and opposition of most European
and Asiatic governments. The
United States is a very prosperous
and powerful country. and it's pow
er and osperity arouse the jeal-
ousy and the envy. and perhaps.
also. to certain extent, the dread
of many foreign governments. Some
of these things tend to prejudice
some foreign governments. and
other of these things tend to preju-
dice other foreign governments
against the ideas and interests Of
the United States.
In view of these facts the impro-
1f a,,1,r,i+4i,,cr ,..,.t,-.