The chronicle=news., 1914-07-02
FORMER MINISTER
IN SPEECH EXPLAINS
COLOMBIAN TREATY

mCnt issued here last night dealing
with the proposed Colombian treaty. u
James 7. Dubois. who was United
States minister to Colombia under
the Taft administration, takes issue
with the views recently expressed by
Col. Roosevelt and explains his own
reasons for supporting the treaty.
Regarding his difference with Col.
Roosevelt on this subject, Mr.. Dubois
expresses regret at opposing "a great
leader whose fortunes | dcyotedly
followed for ten years" and, statcsI
that mo man will tolerate thcil
thought that any of Col. Roosevclt's IS
acts were inspired by tainted mo,
tives, but no man is always right"
Negotiations for treaty during
the Taft administration failed. hcI
says, because his instructions. out of
excessive care not to impugn the mo-
tives of President Roosevelt sin TAX
ing" Panama. failed to give Colom-
bia sufficient justice. The pending
treaty, he believes, should he heartily
approved by the American people.
Taking issue with Col. Roossyelt
regarding the character of the hlb
lie man in Colombia. Mr. DUBOIS dc
clared that they compay'c well with
the public men of othcri countries In
intelligence and rcsocGtapii1ty, IN
steady OF being "blacE Emaiicrs AMI
bandits.'
Quoting Mr.. RooseYelts dcclara-
tion that the peorlc of! Panama were
unit in demanding the revolution,
he says. "a handful offmen, VINO were
to bc the direct bendficiaries of the
revolution. concciyef it and not the
hundredth part of tfe inhabitants OF
the isthmus knew df the revolt un-
ii an American officer In the uni
form of the United States Army
raised the flag of thG new republic.
The claim made byF Col Roosevelt
that the Colombian treaty is a black
mailing agreement is dealt with by
Mr. Dubois in his interpretation of
the document. i'd,
"While negotiating for a treaty 1T
made the Colombian authorities un \
dcrstand that under no circumstances
would the United States ai>,.o2izc
to am nation for a political act
that was our unwritton law that had
never been and never will be broken.
In purely Informal conversation. and
in my unofficial mcmorandum, | suC-
gestcd that chivalrous expression
Of regret that our friendship had in
any way been marrcl. such as any
real gentleman would freely grant
to another. might later be embodied
In the treaty as balm for the
wounded feelings of once friendly
nation which had been humiliated
before the world, whose credit had
been destroyed in foreign countries,
whose borrowing ability had been an
initiated and whose persistent an
peals for arbitration had been ig-
nored. The opposition to this feat
ure. on the ground that it is an
apology. is not just and it is not in
the true interests of the United
States. If the Anclo-Saxons are to
live in harmony with the Latins on
this continent they must treat them
with absolute Justice, as we shall cx-
act justice from them"
Dealing directly with Article III. |
of the treaty providing payment to
Colombia which Col. Roosevelt at
tackled as blackmail. Mr.. Dubois dc
scribes the claim of Colombia for the
unpaid annuities on the cession or
the trans-Isthmian Railroad COM
pany, the reversionary rights In the |
Panama railroad and Panama's por-
tion in the Columbian national debt
all Of which, in his opinion, SHOULD |
be met by the United States. |