Evening star., 1915-02-02
ROOSEVELT Outlines
PANAMA CANAL ACTS
Declares Former Colombian Dictator
and Associates Tried to Black
mail United States.
As President He Resisted the At
tempts and Built the Waterway
Despite Their Opposition.

tempts and Built the Waterway
Despite Their Opposition.
Ex-President Rcosevelt's article in the
Metropolitan Magazine comprised an ex-
tended review of the historical conditions
under which the Hay-Herran treaty
between the United States and Colom
bia was negotiated and was rejected
by Colombia: the revolution in Pana
ma: the organization of an independ-
ent government there and the effecting
of AN arrangement between the United
States and the new republic MIR.
Roosevelt styles the present treaty
with Colombia an effort to blackmail
the United States, saying: in 1903 Il
shameless and sordid attempt was
made by the then dictator of Colombia
and his subordinate fellow politicians
at Bogota to force the United States
by scandalously improper tactics to
pay a vastly larger sum for the privi-
lege of building the Panama canal
than had been agreed upon in a solemn
treaty. AS President Of the United
States I resisted this attempt and pre-
vented the United States from being
resisted the attempt the Panama canal
would not now be built and would
probably never have been built. The
attempt was blackmail then, and to
yield to it now is to yield to blackmafl.
Yet the present administration now
proposes to pay Colombia S2J.o0o,00O
and to make what is probably an apol-
ogy for our conduct in acquiring the
this is done on the theory of soothing
the wouldbe blackmailers and making
them forget the modification caused
| them by the failure of their initial at
tempt to hold up the United States.
| Proceeding to outline the situation
| that existed with reference to the two
possible routes and the recommends
! tions of the Panama canal commission.
Mr.. Roosevelt notes that the United
States agreed to pay French canal
company s4O,Ooo,oo0 for its works.
rights and properties. and S1o0o0,0oo
to Colombia. He asserts that if Co
| lombia had at that time demanded
| s2J, ,OOO. 900 Congress would have direct
| route. AS it was, the President was
given discretion to proceed with the
canal construction at Nicaragua if he
could not secure satisfactory title
! to the canal route within a reasona-
| BILE time and upon reasonable terms.
The Revolution.
! Touching upon the question of the
| Panaman revolution. Mr.. Roosevelt
notes the long succession of actual and
attempted. revolutions. riots and incen-
diary movements in Panama for over
| half century, saying:
! COLOMBIA had shown herself utterly
! incapable of keeping order on the 18th
mus. Only the active interference of
! the United States had enabled her to
! preserve so much as Il Semblance of
/
F.; diately after the successful revolution
| of 1903 President Marroquin of Colon
bia asked permission to land troops in
Panama to preserve Colon hian sover-
permitted he would approve by decree
| the ratification of the Hay-Herran
| treaty, or, IL the United States pre-
ferred. would call an extra session OF
congress, with new and friendly mem
bers." to approve the treaty
| Mr.. Roosevelt declares that President
| Marroquin was usurper OF power, hav-
| ing as vice president removed the presi-
dent from Office and continued himself
dictator. calling no session of congress
! for five years, and exercising all legis-
| lative functions. The Colombian congress
which rejected the Hay-Herran treay did
so, says Mr. Roosevelt, at the instance
| of the executive, and the ex-President
states that there Is evidence that it was
expected at Bogota to deprive the French
Canal Company of its rights in order to
, obtain the $40.00O,00O which this govern
| ment had agreed to pay to that company.
Attempt to Bleed French Company.
'HIr Beaupre (the American minister
at Bogota) showed conclusively in his
correspondence" says Mr.. Roosevelt,
that the delay in dealing with the
| Panama canal treaty by Colombia was
for the purpose of bringing money
| <ha oh t1,s.
/ United States. or both. For example. in
his message Of June 10, 1908, he stated
| that the local agent Of the Panama
| Canal Company had informed him that
he had received an official note from
the Colombian government stating that
| the treaty would be rejected unless the
| French company paid Colombia $10,-
| eOO 900 President Wilson, and his
agent, Mr.. Bryan, now propose to give
| $5,00O.000 extra. apparently to soothe
! the feelings of those who failed to eX-
! tort smaller sum by scanda lously
! improper methods.
! With reference to the isthmian revo-
luton Mr.. Roosevelt states that it is
seething with insurrection. and that
the rejection Of the canal treaty at
! Bogota precipitated the revolt lie
sketches the circumstances of the out
break, the landing of marines to pro-
ltect American lives and the United
| States refusal to allow the transporta
tion of troops across the isthmus
either to the Colombians or the PAN
amans, SO as to prevent bloodshed
and interference of traffic. He says:
no one connected with this govern
ment had any part in preparing. in
citing or encouraging the revolution
on the Isthmus of Panama. Save from
the reports of our military and naval
officers, given in full in the message
of the President to the Senate. and
from the official reports in the Depart
uent of State. no one connected with
the government had any previous
knowledge of the revolution except
such as was accessible to any person
of ordinary intelligence who read the
newspapers and kept up a current ac-
auaintance with public affairs"
| Mr. Roosevelt states that there were
several revolutionary movements un-
der way at the time of the canal
treaty's crisis, and there was some
rivalry between them as to precedence.
He believes that the one which actual
/ ly succeeded was that with which Mr..
Bueneau-Varilla was connected. He
continues:
| Colombia Checked at Panama
when the revolution had occurred
and was successful and Panama was>
an independent republic I certainly
prevented Colombia from, carrying on