Arizona republican., 1914-06-25
Aboard the Imperator For mer President Reaches New York and Vigorously Defends Perkins, National Progressive Chairman
ATTACKS TREATY
 WITH COLOMBIA
Says Handling of Foreign Affairs by Wilson and Bryan Has Made Figure of Fun Out of the United States
ASSOCIATED PRESS p1spArcHl

NEW YORK, June 24-Theodore Roosevelt, who returned to America upon the 1mperator tonight, vigor- ously defended George W. Perkins. chairman of the progressive national executive committee, whose resigna- ton as chairman was recently de- manded by Amos Pinchot. Pinchot declared Perkins utilization with certain big business interests made him unfit to hold his position.
 When they read Perkins out" said tEe former president, they will have to read me out, too.'
 In discussing his health, Colonel Roosevelt said that when he boarded the Imperator he had a slight touch Of fever. and forty-siX hours later he had another attack, which was more severe. The last time he had fever his temperature was 105 de- srees, and he was forced to remain in his room all day.
 But I'm all right now,' he con- tinued, and I shall speak at Pitts burg, June 30. I shall not be able to speak in the open air or to make continuous speaking trips. However I shall be able to deliver certain number of speeches indoors"
 With reference to the national ex- ecutive chairman, Colonel Roosevelt said:
 MT. Perkins has been on the whole one of the most useful nem- bers of the progressive party. No man has served with greater zeal and disinterestedness. He has striv- en in absolute good faith for the principles of the party, both as re- gards corporations and business gen erally. and as regards the group of questions dealing with the welfare of the wage earner and his economic and social advance"
 Attacking the proposed treaty with Colombia as the payment of black mail, Colonel Roosevelt said: The handling of our foreign af- 1 fairs by Wilson and Bryan has been such as to make the United States figure of fun in the international world This proposed Colombian treaty caps the climax. He said if when he was president he had fol lowed President Wilson's policy of ''watchful Waiting,'' the Panama canal would still be in the dim fu- ture.
 In a lengthy statement Colonel 1 Roosevelt declared that the payment Of S25,000,000 to Colombia foc the right to build the Panama canal, as provided for in the pending treaty, would be merely the payment of be- lated blackmail. If the proposed treaty is right, he said, the presence of the United States in Panama is wrong. and Panama should therefore
 be restored to Colombia and the I United States should abandon the zone Colonel Roosevelt said that until the present treaty negotiations
 were entered into he did not believe
 il possible that any American ad-
 ministration would thus betray the l honor and interest of the American people by submitting to blackmail" 1 Colonel Roosevelt says he has no | quarrel with the people of Colombia, and does not question their fine private qualities But unfortunate 1 ly,' the statement continues, lin in-
 ternational affairs, a nation must i be judged by the government that ] speaks for it. 1 would call the at | tention of Wilson and Bryan to the
 fact that si0,000,000 represents the
 exact sum Colombia lost when the
 United States government. under my
 administration, refused to submit to
 blackmail. They now only propose to pay S25,OOO,OOO blackmail. They
 had better make the job thorough
 while they are at it, and give them