Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-03-29
LITTLE REPUBLIC
WANTS TO go II.
ALONE" WITHOUT Us
POSSIBILITIES OVER DISPUTED
BORDER TERRITORY FROM MA
TEHlAL FOR CAMPAIGN ISSUE.


Panama, March 2S.-The hostiIte
with Costa Rica over disputed horde
territory, which began last month AM
evoked an admOnition from the Unit
ed States government broke Just Il
the right moment for the adminstra
ton Of President BeHsafio POrraa {,
attempt to utilize them in it's cam
paign to assure the isthmiau republic
the right to conduct it's affairs with
out foreign Interference
A national spirit has been develop
ing in Panama since Nav. 3. 1908
when for the fifth and last time Pan
anna declared her independence, II
was hardly perceptible during the first
decade Of the republics existence, but,
in his New Years message OF Jan /,
1927, President Porras gave utterance
TO the belief of his administration that
the time ripe for Panama to stand
alone.
Protests to the state department at
Washington over the taking Of land by
he American government for canal de-
Tense purposes Was the first step III
the independence program The POr-
ras administration asserted that the
occupation OF territory under the Hay
Farllla treaty should be cunsumnated
through regular diplomatic channels
and that, if the United States govern.
ment continued its present policy to
its logical conclusion, it could swallow
the entire republic without pausing to
notify the yctiu..
These protests. aimed at the utili2a.
ton Of points on Taboga ISLAND. on
the Pacific side, and on the Bahia de
las Minas on the Caribbean shore,
were almost simultaneous with a pr0.
test against written opinion bv
Judge John w Hanan OF the United
states district court Of the Canal
Zone, in which the court stated Pana.
ma occupied the position of a protec.
t0rate OF the United States President
P0rras declared that he counted upon
the support of Latin-American repub-
lies in this protest.
The next incident upon which the
Porras administration took a decided
stand for free hand in running the
republic came during the last week in
February when the President in an
interview given the Associated Press
announced that he had decided tn
name Panamanian to succeed Add
son T. Ruan, American, as fiscal
agent During the ncumbency of Mr.
Ruan the republic had piled up a sur.
plus Of $4,000 600, which the admin.
istration intended to utilize in an ey- |
tensiye road building program. In
this connection the president said:
THE American Minister, William
Jennings Drice, is opposed to the ap-
pointment OF Panamanian citizen.
claiming We must appoint q candidate
selected by the American government /,
This question seems to be connected
with the termination Of the contract
with the International Banking cornD.
ration as depository OF the govern.
"9nt's funds and treasury receipts
,0"fded not to renew because
national bank managed
efficient manager and
n d prosperous condition.
AediaJeig after this interview il
" announced that the government
hau awarded road building contracts
to two companies. one North Ameri
can and the other Panamanian, in a
program involving the expenditure of
about $1,000,000.
Even While the president and the