Evening star., 1921-05-13
Editorial Digest
Panama Rehuked.

| The feeling that with the help of a
le" marines" If necessary, Panama
must and can be made to behave" Is
rejected in newspaper comment on
Secretary. Hughes latest note to that
"truculent little republic" regarding
its boundary dispute witk Costa Rica.
with but few exceptions editorial
writers support the Hughes ultima
tum as the only position which the
Chiteu states could take in the mat
Ter OF returning to Costa Rica the
strip of land granted it in the White
award. Those who withhold their ap-
proVal do so on the ground that this
country Is assuming an imperialistc
attitude. which gives Panama no re-
course but compliance.
MI. Hughes note, according to the
christian Science Monitor CBoston. in
dependent put the whole matter
clearly, so clearly; In fact. that 1t
question the attitude and the friend
ship of the EaIted States in the prem
ises., Rather thaa "a-bitrart dicta-
tion." the Hus!ies hste merely insists
upon adherence to a solemn agree
ment voluntarily entered inte" by
binding cha arae.erh ef that pledge:
In refus!ns to tenply with the
terms of the arbitration award. 'Pan-
ANA cuts sorry figure before the
world" In the ep!ni9h of the Phila-
delphia Bulletin independent repub-
that the United states is Ynder
obligation to, support any territorial
claims" which she may advance is
merely absurd; If this, .is. the att!-
tude of the tiny republic" she thas
clearly misinterpreted" the American
"a A tr~, fff,r rtp1
integrity. the Syracuse Fest=stand-
ard republican, says, since. nothing
In that promise can be interpreted
to mean that the United States
would protect them in what they
wanted without betherins t9 Inquire
Further. 1t Is clear to the New York
Times independent demeeratie' that
no government can afford ITO guar
antes the independence Of q country
with shifting boundary line de-
pending upon the caprice OF the gov
ernment protected"
Expressing the general feeling of
the press that Panama has a poor
case" the Mobile Register tdeme-
cratlc) reminds that country that she
owes the fact that she ID nation
at all to the United States. and that.
therefore. "she cannot afford to- for
felt our good will and that Of her
neighbors for the sake Of few acres
more or less" The Providence Jour
nal independently feels that. like "a
child defying it's nurse Panama Is
simply manifesting "a disagreeable
temper that has become familiar;
and with the whole course OF scnt1.
ment in the region affected" tS~ned
against her and her claim. the NIB
vile Banner independently DOUBTS
that "the value of the strip of ter
ritory in dispute" is worth all the
hot her II 10 causing
However. at the explicit COM
mand" of the American State Depart
ment the New York Herald dnde-
pendent is confident that "the land
in dispute will now go back to Costa
Rica and it will stay there, since
the United States government makes
itself permanently responsible for
this righteous settlement" The Buff
falo News (republican) also has no
doubt that the terms of the Hughes
outside Of a little government clique
in Panama nobody seriously ques-
tions that the United States is right
AS the Lexington Leader (republic-
am sees it. another position than that
taken by Secretary Hughes would be
ing for international justice and for
the sanctity of treaties" and Panama
must be made to keep faith, else the
principle of arbitra ton, which would
seem to be priceless, will eventually
be discarded and the world will be
thrown back on the reign of force"
The whole incident demonstrates to
the Springfield Republican independ-
ent) 'the fiction of Panama's alleged
independence" Even under the Mon
roe doctrine, the Republican main
tains, "the United States would
have no right to compel Panama to
yield to Costa Rica if Panama were
fully independent and sovereign.
The San Francisco Chronicle (inde-
pendenD questions the authority"
under which the President could
send an armed force into Central
America to enforce the Hughes ulti-
matum; The Wheeling Intelligencer
tions the Justice of the American
position, since Panama is merely
holding the disputed territory be
cause Costa Rica holds another strip
of territory which Panama claims.
and whatever merit there may be In
her contention. the Hughes note
leaves her no choice but to submit.