Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-03-24
PANAMA GETS
A SHARP NOTE
Let Costa RIGA Alone, Harding
Tells the President.
BACKS THE HUGHES NOTE
Tank Executive Declares That the De-
cision Of the Chief Justice Of U. S.
Must Be UnaIterabIe Position
of Government.

of Government
Washington, March 21.-President
Harding personally served notice on
the President of tSe republic Of Pana-
| me that the United States expects the
Panama government to end hoStilitieS
with Costa RIGA and abide by the
boundary decision of Chief Justice
White of the United States Supreme
court.
He dispatched note cOuched in
| polite but singularly firm language, to
President Porras after the Panama
chief executive had appealed to him
directly over the head of Secretary of
| State Hughes to reverse the position
taken By Mr.. Hughes Thursday when
| the latter demanded that Panama ac-
cept Chief Justice Whites decision.
President POrras declared that Mr..
Hughes note to the Panama govern
| ment was painful and humiliating."
Immediately after the receipt of the
| message from President POrraS, Mr..
Harding called Secretary Hughes into
| conference and later the Presidents
| answer was given out at the White
House. In it the President declared
| that 'the decision of the chief justice
of the United States must be the un
| alterable position Of this government"
I The exchange between the heads of
the two nations is unusual in diplO-
| matte procedure in that the rule OF
negotiating through the State depart
ments was suspended. The emphatic
and final character of Mr.. Harding's
| reply is relied upon in administration
circles to bring about an early res
toration of peace in the Central
American region.
President Porras' Note.
President Porras' appeal addressed
directly to President Harding was as
| follows:
Demand from State department
that my government would accept
| Whites decision is painful and humil-
iating. More so when two successive
| legislatures and all the municipalities
in the republic have petitioned for the
rejection of that decision on the
ground that the arbitrator VIGOROUSLY
exceeded it's jurisdiction, giving to
| Costa Rica more than what her rep
resentative, Peralta asked from Presi-
dent LOubet, and also because it is
against the provisions of Panama's
constitution. | appeal, therefore, di-
rectly to YOU Mr.. President, recalling
your kind words with which you ex-
pressed your friendship and
wishes toward my country when you
honored us with your visit in Novem-
Der. 1 address myself to the magis-
trate who loves justice and equity, so
that my country's cause be better ap-
preciated and that we may be classi-
fed amongst the nations with self
consciousness and dignity that feels
herself deeply wounded with the State
departments demand.
81 beg of you, Mr.. President, to use
your personal, political and admins
trative influence so that the boundary
dispute between Panama and Costa
RIGA may have a solution more in &C
cord with justice and dignity than the
one which we are being asked to &C
cept We Panamanians are confident
in your righteousness, and we hope
that that confidence will not be re-
warded with disappointment
President Harding's Reply.
President Harding's reply follows:
"The communications from our
State department to the government
of Panama and the government OF
Costa RIGA have been sent with the
full knowledge and hearty approval of
the executive It would be exceeding
ly distressing to me to believe that
the government of Panama had cause
to feel wounded or to assume, for any
reason, the government of the United
States is in any way unmindful of our
peculiarly friendly relationship, with
a recognized mutually of interest.
The friendly expressions made in your
presence informally last November
are repeated now, and there is deep
concern for full justice in the exer-
else of our friendly relationship. 1t
must be apparent, however, that the
decision of the chief justice of the
United States, in an arbitration sub
mitted to him, and reached after ex-
haustive study and rendered in fullest
devotion to justice must be the I'M
alterable position of this government"
The utterances of Mr.. Harding re-
ferred to in the correspondence were
made in the course Of a speech in
Panama on Thanksgiving day during
bic ,riSit To the Canal Zone