Gunnison news-champion., 1913-11-07

"Histi : tafit- ~ v. tttfnta AtfsAi-
~ is Jssi as reprehenslplc IN a IA
tl8n ar in az individual That's tt,s
aew and aecidedly ssartllug d1ctrsae
laid down ~ Presissat Wilson IN
feceui state documents and dehniie-
y dcfBed and empka-Ized in his
famous MabIle speecb. Hereafter
Uncle sam is - be "ou the lssel " At
least dsrIne the present adminIstra-
ton
Another thing, gate as important.
be is galng 70 stop bulldozing his
Beighbors IN Sosth and Oentral
America
For more than a century every
Fosfth q July arsioF IN the country
has eslagizsd the M1aroe Doctrine
aud has told how Il vas formulated
for the purpose II protecting the
helpless Spanish American republic
from the greedy land erabbers Of
Europe But whenever Uacle Sam
felt like il he helped b himself such
portions Of his wards property as
aroused his eupi Ity.
Take our treatment Of Colombia
as an example
When President Roosevelt decided
TO purchase the partially completed
Panama Canal from the French own
ers, he found large sized cloud on
their title TO the right Of way The
Republic Of Columbia insisted that
the Frenchmen had not carried out
their agreement and that they were
not in position to make a convey
ance
/ Teddy promptly financed revolu-
tion in the state to Panama, a part
of Colombia, and having established
an opera bouffe republic on the 18TH
mus, proceeded to negotiate for a
right Of way. OF course he got it
ON his own terms II France or any
other nation had attempted TO do the
same thing, American men and war
ships would have gone to the rescue
Of Colombia. We would have felt
that our national honor had been at
tackled and 10 sacrifice of blood and
treasure would have been too great
to resent it, But when we desire to
do little land grabbing on our own
account-oh, that's different. The
Monroe Doctrine could not be used
against Uncle Sam.
OF course at the time, an attempt
was made to show that the people of
Panama planned and executed the
revolt This pitiful attempt has
been thoroughly exposed by impair
tial investigators and we now know
that the revolution was hatched in
Washington and carried through by
the power of American gold and
American guns The s0-called Pan
amanan patriots were merely pup
pets purchased TO DO the work.
THE PRICE WE'VE PAID
To make bad matter worse, it is
now established that the scandalous
transaction was not only morally
wrong, but it was the worst kind Of
a bad business.
Columbia would have sold us
right Of way, and probably for much
| less than the revolution and subse
. Iuent negotiations cost us. As a
matter Of fact we are not vet through
paving, for Colombia has a claim
/ against us. The Taft Administra-
ton sought 10 settle it by turning
over Sl0,00O,OO0, but this was re-
iected and the present administra-
tion is now dealing with the subject.
However, that was not the most re-
grettable development Of the i'm
broglio. The story Of the spoiliation
OF Colombia by the "big bully Of the
North" has spread through South
and Central America and has served
I to intensity the distrust Of the Yam
KEGS This feeling has had a mark
ed effect on our business relations
with ,e Southern Republics.
/ So bitter Is this hatred Of us that
when the Government Of Ecuador
recently attempted TO contract with