The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-04-07


and the United States carry out
their mutual agreement for a
joint protectorate. Nor would
they have Jared any better before
an international board of arbitra-
tors. 1t was not a party to the
agreement and had no interest in
its performance.
Answering the second question,
it is equally apparent that neither
England nor the United States,
separately or conformity, could ex-
ercise any control over the man
agement of the canal or the
rates charged for its use. 1t was
a private enterprise which had
obtained its rights by purchase
from Colombia, across which
country the canal was to be built.
1t had the absolute dominion over
the same, subject only to the
terms of the agreement with
Colombia.
The United States bought the
stock and all the rights of that
defunct company, and it is fresh
in memory how the Colombian
Government undertook to hold
this country up in its efforts to
build the canal. 1t is well re-
membered how Panama revolted
from the Colombian government
and how it was Immediately rec
ognized as an independent State
by the United States under
Roosevelt. TWAS openly charged
at the time by the Colombian
government that Roosevelt had
nccaraged Panama in its revolt,
which charge was at the time in
dignantly denied by Roosevelt,
but in the last campaign, he
boosted that he had taken"
Panama, thereby admitting his
wrongful conduct, all of which he
undertook to justify on the
ground of necessity. CThe Colon
bian government and the United
States have practically agreed on
$22,000,000 as the compensation
to Colombia for the loss of
Panama.)
Let us retrospect a little. The
treaty of 1850, called the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, had been respected
for fifty years by both England
and the United States, but at the
instance of the United States a
new treaty was sought and in
1900 the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
was made respecting the canal.
This last treaty provided
lst-For neutrality of the canal:
2nd-It gave the United States
the right to build same alone.
3rd-It gave the United States
the exclusive right of providing
for the regulation and manage
ment of the canal"
4th-It provided
1.-The canal shall be free and open
to the vessels of commerce and of war of
all nations observing these rules on terms
of entire equality, so that there shall be no
against any nation or its
citizens or subjects in respect to the con-
ditions or charges of traffic, or otherwise
Such conditions and charges of traffic shall
be just and equitable"
The substance of the treaty is
that we can own, construct and
control the canal, but it must be
on terms Of equality to all.
After this treaty, which was
ratified by the Senate of the
United States, Panama seeded
from Colombia, Roosevelt recog-
nized its independence which was
concurred in by all the other ma
tons, either actively or passively.
The rights of the French company
in the Panama canal were bought
by us and Panama sold us the
Canal Zone. Thus the status Of
the parties changed and all treat
les were annulled UNLESS
the contract between us and
Panama kept them in force.
This contract provided
1st-For an absolute sale to us
of Zone ten miles wide across
Panama.
End Granted us absolute SOW
ereignty over the same.
3rd-Gave us a monopoly to
build the canal.
4th-But provided for neutrali-
ty in the use of same for all ma
tons on terms of equality. This
provision especially referred to
the treaty with England called
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, and
provided for its observance by us.