The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-15
AN AFFECT APOLOGY.
The Admin,stratiens Sentimental Crawl
I'm the Colombian Treaty.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN--Sir. Among
the many benefactions OF THE Sun not
the least Is the balm Its hospitable col
umns AFFORD to the perturbed spirits OF its
friends. and a very peevish and humili-
ated citizen appeals to them now.
When In Colombia recently my atten-
ton was called 10 a copy Of q Barran-
auilla paper giving the text OF the treaty
now pending between that country and the
United States. At first my eyes refused
to see and my brain to comprehend. 1t
must have been a garbled version, dis
torted to fatter its native readers. But
on closer consideration there could re-
main no reasonable doubt Of the autifen-
ITCHY OF the Spanish text which had al
ready been signed by the Colombian pleni-
potentiaries and the United States Min
lister at Bogota.
This astounding document is couched In
terms which might have been dictated by
a conQueror with his heel on the neck OF
vanquished foe. The FIRST article 10 an
AFFECT apology on the part OF the United
States for any trouble and Inconvenience
caused In the past to the people Of CO.
lomba. The second article Is a curt but
not ungracious acceptance of the apology
by Colombia. The draft then proceeds to
specify the especial privileges to be ac-
corded to Colombian traffic through the
Panama Canal, such rs free passage for
'Ni Woi Ntcstis hIu trOOpo, even III utflo
OF war, and ends by granting that coun-
try s25.o00,000 indemnity.
The only possible Inference to be drawn
from this proposed treaty is that the con-
duct OF the United States In acquiring
the right TO construct the Panama Canal
was extremely wicked and our conscience
IL now so troubled that 1t can be soothed
only by reparation. There are many ex-
cellent IL Ill Informed persons who are
uneasy In spirit about our acquisition OF
the Canal Zone and who profess horror
at the thought that the Government OF
the day stood prepared to seize the 18TH
mus by force should such course have
been necessary. 1t would clarity such
minds to give a moments reflection on the
certain action OF France In the event that
lsmail Pasha had attempted to hold up
the Suez Canal project. But here tho
question intrudes Itself whether II we did
steal the isthmus" the crime can be
compounded by a money payment. Ger
tainly not. since the most elementary
ethics teaches that a theft can be atoned
for only by making complete restitution
or the stolen property. and the circum-
stances OF our having already built a
$500, 100000 canal on the isthmus has
nothing to do with the case, since the
matter purports to be not a practical but
a moral one.
on returning TO this curiously self-cen-
treu community look almost III vain TOT
any one who takes even a languid interest
in this or any other activity Of the State
Department. or who can appreciate the
vital import of such matters to Anne rican
soJourners abroad. American residents
In Colombia have told me that after this
they dare not look native In the face for
very shame. In reply to a question a Co
lombian observed: We feel that the
terms OF this treaty are not all we de-
but more than we had any
reason to expect" In the immortal words
OF Truthful James, Is our civilization a
failure or is the Caucasian played oute
Whatever the motive OF this agreement
whether politics or sentmentality, II
eludes the understanding. but II remains
a misfortune that the great universities
as well as the lecture circuits should ig-
more the common principle that II Is quito
as dlshonorable to apologize for fault
not committed as to withhold reparation
for an injury inflicted. @. r.
NEW YORK, June IL.