The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-25
WILL LEAVE PARTY
IF PERKINS DOES
Roosevelt Vigorously Defends
Progressive Chairman From
Pinchot Attack.
BACK FROM EUROPEAN TRIP
Says Payment of $25,OOO,OOO to
Colombia Would Be Belated
Award of Blackmail
BACK FROM EUROPEAN TRIP

New York. June 24.-Th eodore Roose-
welt. who returned to America on the
1mperator tonight vigorously defend
ed George w. Perkins chairman Of the
Progressive National Executive Com
inittce, whose resignation as chair
man was demanded recently by Amos
pinehot Mr.. Pinchot had declared
Mr.. Perkins'S afiiliation with certain
big business interests made him unfit
u hold his position.
when they read Perkins out" said
Colonel Roosevelt. they will have to
read me out. too
The Colonel reiterated that he would
rot be candidate for the governor
ship Of New York this fall lie said his
health was All right now. and that he
would speak at Pittsburgh on June
30
u shall no; be able to speak in the
open air OF make continuous speaking
trips" the Colonel said, however, I
shall be able to deliver 4 certain mum
Der Of speeches indoors.
MOST USEFUL MEMBER
OF PROGRESSIVE PARTY
Mi. Perkins" declared the Colonel
In his reference 10 Tn. national eXccu-
tive chairman has been on the whole.
the most useful member Of the Pro-
gressive party. He has spoken In alb
solute good faith for all the princ!pl
Of the party. As for reading him out
Will have 70 read me out, too"
Colonel Roosevelt gave out a letter
from DR.. Hamilton Rice. the explorer.
in which DR.. Rice said he was mistake
when he questioned the discovery of
the River Of Doubt. II. said he re
allied this after he had heard Colonel
Roosevelt lecture.
Colonel Roosevelt was met a ! quaran-
tine by Mrs. Roosevelt. Dr. and Mrs.
Richard Derby, his son-in-law and
Il Ii -.
Roosevelt, W. Emlin Roosevelt, George
w. Perkins and Dudley Field Malone,
collector of the port. The Colonel pro-
ceeded 10 oyster Fay.
HE OPPOSES PAYMENT
OF MONEY TO ,COLUMDIA
In statement issued 70 day. COL
onei Roosevelt declared the payment OF
$4,000, 900 10 Colombia for having Sc
cured the right 10 build the Panama
Canal, as provided for in the pendin.
treaty. merely would be the payment
OF belated blackmail.
II the proposed treaty is right, he
said. the presence of the United States
III Panama Is wrong. and Panama
therefore should be restored 10 COLON =
bia and the United states should abnn-
don the zone.
In his statement. Colonel Roosevelt
said in part
The payment OF s25.OOo.o0o TO COL
ombia, together with the expression
OF what is ia effect AN apology for our
having secured the right To build the
Panama Canal merely is the b-lated
payment OF blackmail. with AN apology
TO the biackmailcrs. II this proposed
treaty, submitted by President Wilson
through MIR. Bryan, is right. then our
presence on the Isthmus is wrong. In
such case Panama immediately should
lie restored 10 Colombia. ana we should
stop work on the canal and abandon
the place, bag ANA baggage. There
should be no halfway measures. If
we as nation have been guilty OF
theft, We should restor. the stolen
goods. If We have not been guilty OF
theft. we should not pay blnckmail.
I. =. 4 FIGURE OF FTN
N INTERNATIONAL WORLD
THE handling OF our foreign af =
tary Bryan has been such as TO make
the tnited States figure OF fun III
the international world This pro
poscI Colombian treaty caps the climax.
and If ratified Will rightly render us
an object OF contemptuous derision to
every great nation In view OF its sub =
mission TO the Congress, ! wish TO call
attention to exactly wnat was done un =
der my administration
because of the action of that admin
istration, the people of the United
States acquired what they could by
right TO build the Panama Canal II.
1903. IL was still doubtful whether we
would adopt the Nicaraguan or th,.
Panama route. The government OF
Colombia WAS exceedingly anxious that
We should adopt the latter, and offered
To arrange and did arrange, IA treaty
with rs 10 prevent our going to Mica
raEuH. Partly in consideration Of this
treaty we abandoned negotiations with
Nicaragua. We acted in good faith.
and the course Of action we thereby
entered upon WAS conditioned upon
their proposal. the promise. II was
our right. and also our duty to our
own people and to the rest Of the world
TO exact the performance OF this prom
Use.
GIVES IIIMSELF CREDIT
For THE PANAMA CANAL.
For 400 years there had been con-
Fersation about the need of the Pan
anna Canal. The time for further con-
veroation had passed, the time 10
translate words into deeds had come.
If 7 had followed President Wilson's
policy Of 'watchful waiting 1t would
have insured half u century of addi-
tional conversation. and the canal still
would be in the dim future And il is
only because the then administration
acted precisely rs it did act that we
now have the Panama Canal"
Colonel Roosevelt said that until the
present treaty negotiations were en-
tered into. he did not believe 1t nos
sible that an American adninistra-
tion would thus betray the honor and
interest of the American people by
submitting To blackmail"
Colonel Roosevelt, mentioning the
proposal of the Colombian government
to contiscate the property OF the
French government in Panama. for
which the United States had offered TO
pay $40.0OO,Oo0, said it simply was a
scheme on the part of Colombia to
"get s4O,OOO.OOO from u.s."
Incidentally" Colonel Roosevelt
continued, ~ would call the attention
OF President Wilson and Secretary
Bryan to the fact that this $40, 900, 900
represents the exact sum which Co
lOmbia lost when the United States
government Of that day refused to sub
nit TO blackmail. They now only