The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-07-02
A SCANDAL CONCEALED
IN COLOMBIAN TREATY
THUS is INJURY ADDED TO IN
SUIT THROUGH WILSON.
BRYAN DIPLOMACY.

The Colombian treaty, the latest
surrender by the Wilson administra
ton, which proposes to expend $25,-
100000 Of the public funds, Is now be-
fore the committee of foreign rela-
tons In presenting the treaty to the
committee Secretary Bryan encoun-
tered decided opposition. He was sub
jected to an examination which indi-
Gated no friendship for his extraor-
binary proposal.
Many Of the questions put to him
we're asked by democrats. There was
manifest hostility to the expressions
of regret" contained in the treaty.
These constitute an apology to Colom-
bla because the government Of the
United States, when Roosevelt was
president, refused to submit to hold
up by Colombian politicians.
The secretary Of state was also ask
ed to explain how Colombia could have
been injured by the construction of a
canal which Is rather more beneficial
to Colombia than to any other nation
except the little republic Of Panama.
He was also asked what theory Of
fair treatment 1t is proposed by the
treaty to give to Colombia the privi-
lege of passing of ships through the
canal free of tolls, when the admins
tration contends that this Is a privi-
lege that can not be accorded to the
ships of the United States, and has
lust forced the democrats to repeal
What it apparently represents Is the
pose of it's own and the ease with
the tolls exemption law.
A National Humiliation.
Republican members of the commit
tee do not hesitate to characterize the
treaty as humiliating to the United
States. They declare 1t has no war
rant in justice or justification in fact.
What 1t apparents represents Is the
willingness with which this admins
tration would spend public money in
an effort to promote political pur-
pose of it's own and the east with
which the schemers who surround the
state department enlist the sympathy
of the secretary Of state in their plans.
This Colombian treaty represents
the success to this point of the most
persistent and effective lobbying eff
forts that have been known in many
years.
1t is asserted by members Of the
senate, according to the information
collected by senators, that $1O,000,O0O
Of the $25, 900, 900 it Is proposed to pay
upon fictitious claim by Colombia is
to so to attorneys who have made the
fight for this big sum-.
Some of these attorneys are friends
of Secretary Bryan.
One of them is Hannis Taylor, who
has high standing as an authority up
on International law, and political
standing chiefly as personal friend
Of the secretary Of state.
Ono Fee OF a Million.
day is that Hannis Taylor has con-
tingent fee of $l,000.000 involved in
the success Of this treaty. Mr.. Tay-
lor denied that the fee Is to be so
large He said the amount has not
been determined upon and Is to be
settled after the treaty goes through.
The part he had in. the matter, he
said, was giving assistance to the Col
ombian minister here in shaping and
negotiating the treaty.
Senators are commenting that no
assistance Mr.. Taylor could have given
the Colombian minister could possibly
be worth anywhere near 100000,
unless his friendship with the sccre-
Mr.. Bryan, as secretary Of state, to
take a stand with respect to the mat
ter other than that he would have TAX
en- had no friendship been involved.
The mere fact that friend of the
secretary of state now appears as one
Of the chief promoters of this treaty
suggests possibilities not creditable to
the secretary himself.
1t causes the suspicion that those
who had dealings with the secretary
OF state have believed that his judg-
ment could be affected by his friends, |
when 1t might not be affected in the |
least by the facts ana circumstances |
of the case under consideration.
At any rate, the demand for an in
vestigatlon Of all the rumors and |
charges which are accommodating in |,
connection with this extraordinary
treaty Is increasing to the point where |
an inquiry can not be refused, and the |
lawyers and the others who are said |
to have large financial interests In the |
treaty will be called upon to explain |
their connection with the matter.
To Probe Lobby.
Before anything can be done either I
by the committee or by the senate
there probably will be an investigation
of the lobby behind the treaty and the
wire pulling and manipulation which I
has brought the scheme to extort
money from the United States to its
present advantageous position.
This investigation Is due the Ameri-
can people. 1t can not be properly re-
sisted or resented by the administra- |