Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1914-05-22
now ENGLAND OBTAINED HER
CANAL RIGHTS.
From the Kansas City Star. J

gland in a treaty regulating an
Isthmian canal can remember
that the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
superseded the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty, But how came there to
be any Clayton-Bulwer treaty,
and what was it 2?
NORTHEAST.
Back in the ferties the United
States was engaged in viewing
with alarm-to use the words Of
the party platforms-the expan-
sion of British possessions in
Central America. The British
government owned, and still
owns a strip of God-forsaken
country just. south of Mexico on
the Caribbean coast, known as
British Honduras. In the de-
cade Immediately preceding: the
middle of the last century the
British statesmen started in to
acquire additional territory un-
der the familiar guise OF estab-
fishing a 'protectorate' for the
benefit of handy tribes of In
dams.
Pursuing this laudable end,
her msjesty's forces seized the
Nicaraguan town of San Juan
del Norte, and renamed it Grey
town. Now, Greytown was no
ordinary banana village. 1t was
at the mouth of the San Juan
river, and at that time it was un-
iversally supposed that the only
possible route for an Isthmian
canal was by way of this river
to Lake Nicaragua. If England
controlled the mouth of the river
its.would control the short cut
actlss the Isthmus.
Public opinion in the United
States was aroused to a high
stage, of indignation. To ease
the situation the Taylor admin
istration negotiated treaty with
England to stop further expan
sion of English territory in the
neighborhood Of the site of the
canal and to- insure its freedom
from British control when il
should be constructed, John M
Clayton, Secretary Of State, con
Quoted the negotiations for tn,
United States and Sir Henry Bull
wer, British minister, for Grea
Britain.
It must be borne in mind tina
til United States at that tim,
did not dream of undertaking tn,
work of constructing the canal
and its sole purpose was to in
duce Great Britain to surrende
the advantage of canal contro
which :. its seizure of tergitory
would otherwise give it. Ac
cordingly the treaty pledged eacl
power mot to assume dominion
over any part OF, Central Amer
lea, not to obtain exclusive con
troll over any canal, whereve
constructed, and not to erect for
ti6cations overlooking the canal
Besides, the two powers agreet
to guarantee the neutrality o
the canal and to allow their wa
vessels to pass through it with
out molestation in the event o
war.
The treaty was ratified in 1850
TWAS understood in the United
States that.with the ratification
the British protectorate in tn,
neighborhood of the canal sit.
would be abandoned. But En-.
gland did not so understand the
treaty, and it was not until 1866
that it met the expectations Of
the American negotiators.
For many years the treaty re-
NAMED wholly satisfactory to the
United States, since it was in
terested only in preventing any
British expansion in Central
America. But when, along in
the eighties, the question of the
construction Of the canal by the
United States came to be agitat-
ed, the treaty At once doomed up
as a source of. irritation. The
shoe was then on the other foot.
The United States no longer
wanted to use the treaty to re-
strain England. 1t desired to
have it abolished so as to release
tho american government to act
as Il might see fit.
E(kyears There were threats OF
abrogating the treaty.. But the
treaty emboAiid no. method for
itslterminatieA and England al
ways protests 'tAat it had made
anhstaatial coacessioAs IL carry
- 81 - fss'y. = s'af r.
sesh.