Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-09-23
PANAMA FEARS
INTERVENTION

Correspondence of The Associated Press)
Panama, Sept. with American oc-
cupation a goblin before which all Pana-
ma politicians stand aghast, earnest eff
forts are being made to relieve the ten
sion which developed recently in the Ma
tional assembly, and which threatened
to cause the intervention of the Ameri-
can authorities.
The trouble had its origin in a coup by
which the minority party. or liberal-con-
servatves, managed to elect the presid-
ing officer Of the assembly in the alb
sence of several delegates belonging to
the government party.
When the assembly convened 10 Of the
80 deputies were Of the government party.
and 1. of the opposition. For each depu-
ty there Is an alternate. and the constitu-
ton provides that in the absence
of deputy. whether accidental or per-
manently." his alternate may vote in
his place. The alternates Of three Of the
government deputies were in sympathy
with the OPPOSITION. The coup consisted
of keeping those three deputies away
from the assembly and voting their alter
mates in their places. This was accom-
plished by getting two OF them drunk
and by having the attorney of another
insist that it was necessary that they
make out and record certain papers in
the matter of the title to an estate before
the close of business that day-in which
it became necessary to make a trip to the
country to view the estate, with a series
of delays which kept them out till night.
During the absence of the three the bal
ance of power in the assembly shifted to
II opposition to 16 government votes. and
the opposition was able to elect the pre-
siding officer, who has great power in the
conduct of legislation.
When the majority of the assembly un-
derstood the coup they declared the pro-
cedure illegal and the result void. They
based their charge on Interpretation OF
the constitution to the effect that the al
ternate could not be accepted In the as
sembly without written acknowledgment
from the principal. and that the alter
mates had not been duly accredited.
The opposition maintained that every re-
quirement had been met and that the
election was perfectly legal. The point
at issue Is the legality of the voting OF
the alternates, and this is the point on
which adjustment will have to be made
to prevent the entry Of the United States.
The tangle has been referred to the su-
preme court of Panama for decision.
The imminence of American interven-
ticn arose from the prospect of disorder.
The president ordered a number Of police
to preserve the authority Of the govern
ment in the assembly, and at this mem
bers Of the opposition appealed to Gov
ernor Goethals for intervention. The
governor stated that he would not wash
any Of their dirty linen." and that the
interest Of the United States in their af-
fairs lay in the preservation Of order and
constitutional government. He stated
that II the government Of Panama were
unable to do this he would recommend
that the government Of the United States
intervene and take control of the situa-
ton, In accordance with the provisions of
the treaty.
1t is confidently expected that some So
luton will be arrived at which will make
it unnecessary. The attainment OF
modus vivendi is matter for prolonged
discussion, but in the meantime the city
is orderly A few demonstrations. pro
ana con Cne government, iteA"~ oSS'A A'N'"~
but in the absence Of violence they do not
attract much attention.
The bitterness between the parties has
been intensified by the prolonged efforts
of the opposition TO secure Intervention
by the United States to supervise the ma
tional and municipal elections. failing
which they have made every effort to
discredit the government in Panama and
in the eyes of the American officials. The
Japanese question has been seized on as
an issue, and the politics Of the country
is in ( miasma Of charge and counter
charge Of corruntion and treachery. Into
all of this, further than to protect the
interests of the canal and the United
States, the American officials do not en-
ter. They are DESTROYS for the Panaman-
ians to work out their own salvation and
will not intervent unless the process takes
on violent forms.