Evening star., 1915-02-02


of ex-Prcsident Roosevelt on the sub
ject of the pending treaty between inc
United States and Colombia, WHEREBY
this country agrees to pay the latte1
So. 100000 in eXtinguishment OF an
claims growing out of the taking OF
the Canal Zone and the construction OF
the Panama canal:
Misstatements Charged.
The Metropolitan, a leading magazine
Of New York, publishes long article
under the title of "The Panama Black
mail Treaty., which contains many
misstatements concerning the antecs'
dents and details of the treaty entered
into between the United States ant
Colombia on April s, 1914, which treaty
mas been submitted to the United states
~.enate for it's approval.
1t is the duty of the Colombian lega-
ton to correct such misStatements by
means of this statement, and it vii
entirely abstain itself from taking no.
tice of the many outrageous and offen-
sive words contained in said article
which the author has addressed to the
public men of Colombia simply because
he had no solid arguments to offer con-
cerning the matter
The author of said article states that
in 1902, when it was already eviden,
that the French company could not
construct the Panama canal nor COM
ply, therefore, with its obligations tc
the Republic of Colombia, it was clear.
ly seen that such work could ano
should only be done by the government
of the United States, and that to that
end the Congress recommended the
Panama route.
Recommendation in Effect.
The recommendation, therefore, was
in effect that we should go by Panama
if we could acquire our rights by pay
ing s4O,O0O,000 to the French and
s1O.OOO,O0O to the Colombians. The
French had real rights Colon
bia had no rights that were not of the
most shadowy and unsubstantial kind
Ten million dollars represent
ed the very outside limit which gen.
erosity could fix as payment to Co
lombia. Nobody at that time would for
to pay S25.0OO.000 or any sum remotely
approaching it,
In fact. in order that the French com
pany might sell to the United States
the assets of its company. it was nee,
essary first to secure the consent OF
Colombia, because, in the concession
granted by Colombia to said company
it was expressly stipulated cart. 2l)
that the concession could not be trans
ferred to any foreign government. This
was already by itself right against
what is maintained by the author OF
said article, namely, that Colombia
had no rights, and. therefore, Colon
bia might have refused to make the
transfer to the United States govern
ment unless fair price was paid tc
her for said consent.
Colombia Agrees.
iZe the French company to assign Oh
transfer it's concession to the United
States, and did not demand any none
tary compensation for so great 4 favor
But Colombia had another right--ant
a vary great one in that-whlch l:
clearly stipulated in the solemn con
tract entered into with the Frencf
company Said right consisted in that
if within certain time and of gener
Gus extensions of time, which the Co
lombian government would grant, the
French company should fail to con
struct the canal, the whole work Woult
then become the property of the re
public of Colombia.
BY merely waiting the necessary time
the position of Colombia as owner OF
the work would have been absolutely
solid. Colombia, however, did not tak'
advantage of 1t, or exercise that right
SO that these are two very important
rights which Colombia had at the mo
ment in which the United States were
negotiating with her the Hay -Herrar
treaty.
TT G oHared &1n mn nm