The Washington times., 1914-06-25


policy of 'watchful waiting II would
have insured half century Of addi-
tional conversation, and the canal
would still be in the dim future. And
II, Ia only because the then Sdmfnis-
tration acted precisely as 1t did act that
We now have the Panams canal"
Colonel Roosevelt in mentioning the
proposal Of the Colombian government
10 confiscate the property of the French
government In Panama for which the
United States had offered 10 pay &t0.-
ooo.ooo. said 1t was simply scheme on
the part of Colombia to get Si0.0c,c0
from US.
"Mushy Amiabiity."
Incidentally" Colonel Roosevelt con-
tinued In his statement 'T would call
the attention of tie President and Sec
retary of State to the fact that this
$40 600 .006 represents the exact sum
which Colombia lost when the United
States government Of that day refused
10 submit to blackmail. They now only
propose to pay s35. 900 blacknail
They had better make the job thorough
while they are about II, and give the
whole $40 100. .000. Otherwise they VIII
sun Leave an opening for acton BY
mushy amiability toward foreign pow
ers that have sought to wrong US.
There is no earthly reason why We
should not throw in the extra $l5,0O,-
700 IL we propose 10 pay the S5,ooo,o 600
Colombia has exactly as much right tc
one sum as the other.
"As Pre- esident / declined to allow
Uncle Sam to be blackmailed. The
President now desires the blackmail
to be paid. His attitude can be IL
Illustrated by hypothetical case.
The present Administration has. with
re ~ IN n Cn-rr
wavering between peace and war. ex-
quisitely designed TO combine the dis
advantages Of both, and feebly tend
ing first toward one and then toward
the other. Usually IL has permitted
the free ingress of arms into Mexico.
both from this country and from
others. Occasionally. however. II has
undergone spasms Of understanding
that these arms might ultimately be
used against cur own troops
Conduct Was Open.
"It has then prohibited the landing
of arms, sometimes wabbling back
again to its original position. as when
It took Vera Cruz to prevent the land
ing of weapons and munitions Of war.
and shortly afterward permitted the
very same arms and munitions to be
Landed. Well. IL some future Ad-
ministration Of similar views on in
ternational relations should offer
Mexico s25,Ooo,00 as an atonement
for Internationally refusing to allow
the landing 81 arms that might be
used against our own people II would
be behaving precisely and exactly as
the present Administration IL behay
ing about Colombia
THE conduct of the United States
GTernment throughout the entire pro-
ceeding which resulted in the acqui-
sitton Of the canal was absolutely open
and straightforward, absolutely in ac-
cordance with the principles Of the high
est International morality. Only by act
ing precisely as We did act could we
have secured the right to build the Pan
ANA canal. II Is hypocrisy to claim
credit for the canal and at the same
time TO attempt to discredit the course
which alone rendered the canal possible.
II VIII be a grave wrong to the re-
public, a reflection upon the honor Of
this nation in the past, and a menace
to its interests in the future, IL this
treaty for the belated payment Of black
mail Is ratified at washington"