The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-04-11
HISTORY Of PANAMA
CANAL TOLL QUESTION

is a concise and we'll defined state
ment of the case;
I'm 1888 Great Britain acquired Hon.
duras, and later it acquired a protec.
torate of the Mosquito Coast and over
the Bay Islands, group near Hon
duras. Those possessions and privi-
1eges were held, by the craftsmanship
of that time and by the craftsmanship
of nearly a century afterWard, to give
Great Britain the privilege of building
a canal across the Isthmus. But early
in the nineteenth century American
statesmen began to feel that it would
be detrimental to the interests of the
United States to have Great Britain
build canal in that neighborhood in.
dependently Of us, and negotiations
were begun looking to equal partner
ship and control, on the part Of the
United States, in any canal that might
be built These negotiations eventu-
ated in 1850 in the Clayton-BulWer
treaty.
1.-THE salient provisions of this treaty
was the agreement that neither the
United States nor Great Britain would
ever obtain or maintain for itself ex-
elusive control over the projected ship
canal and that neither will ever erect
or maintain Notifications commanding
the same or in the vicinity thereof;
nor 'fortify or colonize, or assume any
dominion over any part of Central
America They further agreed to pro-
tect and guarantee the neutrality of
any canal that might be built and in
yite other nations to do likewise, to
the end that all states might share in
the honor or advantage Of such an en-
terprise. Great Britain was likewise
persuaded in the same negotiations to
give up the Bay Islands and forego all
protectorate rights over the Mosquito
Coast. 1t was, however, permitted to
retain British Honduras.
at will be seen that by the Clayton
Bulwer treaty the United States ac-
Quired the privilege of participating in
any canal that might be built, and that
furthermore, Great Britain was Undue
ed to give up territory which it owned
there and surrender authority that had
never been questioned.
Our ambitions grew. Not content
to be merely partner in any such en-
terprise, we sought an independent
and exclusive right to build canal,
and to that end Mr.. Blaine endeayored,
in 1881, to have the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty abrogated, but without success.
Great Britain maintained, what was
undeniably fact, that the Clayton
Bulwer treaty was still in effect, and it
manifested no willingness to abrogate
1t.
Immediately after the Spanish war
the desirability of building waterway
to connect the Atlantic and Pacific ap-
peared to be much greater than it had
been thought. The one thing which
impressed the necessity of it on the
national consciousness was the famous
voyage of the battleship Oregon around
the Horn. Accordingly Mr.. Hay, then
secretary of state, entered into nego.
tiations with Great Britain for modi-
fication of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty
by which, as has been shown, Great
Britain enjoyed the privilege of par.
ticipating in the building, ownership
and control of any canal that might be
constructed These negotiations were
successful. They ended in 1901 in the
signing of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
"The salient fact of this treaty was
that Great Britain surrendered it's priv
ilege to share in such an enterprise
and conceded to the United States the
exclusive privilege of connecting the
two oceans. But in consideration Of
this concession it exacted that any
canal we might build should be oper
ated without discrimination. The obi
cation is expressed in the first para
graph of the third article Of the treaty
which reads 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 equal
ity, so that there shall be no discrimi
nation against any such nation or it
citizens or subjects, in respects of thu
conditions or charges of traffic or 9th
erwise. Such conditions and charge!
of traffic shall be just and equitable
"The only question as to the mean
ing of this language is whether tn,
United States is to be included anon!
all nations or whether it is not. Thos,
who hold that 1t is, contend that t
exempt our coastwise shipping from
tho Oaymonf of tolls would no tO viz