The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-04-21
How the United States Acquired the
Right to Dig the Panama Canal as
Told by Theodore Roosevelt

l did carry them out, and the canal is
now being built because of what
thus did. 1t is also perfectly tru,
that, if l had wished to shirk my re
sponsibnity. if l had been afraid OF
doing my duty 1 could have pursued
7 a course which would have been tech
nically defensible, which would have
prevented criticism OF the kind that
has been made. and which would have
/ left the United States no nearer build
/ ing the canal at this moment than il
! had been for the preceding half CEN
fury. II l had observed judicial in
activity about what was going on at
the isthmus, had let things take their
course and had then submitted an
! elaborate report thereon to congress,
|! I would have furnished the opportun-
ity for much mastery debate in con-
gress, which would now he going on
and the canal would sun be so
years in the future
His Conception of Duty.
The interests of the American peo-
pie demanded that l should act just
exactly as 1 did act; and l would have
taken the action l actually did take
even though l had been certain that
to do SO meant my prompt retirement
from public life at the next election.
for the only thing which makes it
worth while to hold a big Office is
taking advantage of the opportuni-
ties the Office offers to do some big
thing that ought to be done and is
worth doing
Under the terms of the act the gov
eminent finally concluded a very ad-
vantageous agreement with the
French Canal company. The French
company had spent enormous sums on
the isthmus. We felt justified in pay
ing the company only a very small
fraction of what it had thus spent
The treaty we made was advantage
GUS to MS in very high degree, and
we got what in value was much more
than what we paid for it; but the
French company did get something,
and if we had not stepped in it would
have gotten absolutely nothing. Every
step taken by the government in con-
nection with its negotiations with the
French company and the payment to
its official representatives. i'm accord
ance with the agreement entered into
was taken with the utmost care and
every detail has been made public
Every action taken was not merely
proper, but was carried out in ac-
i
incest standards of public and govern
mental ethics Doubtless in Paris.
and perhaps to a lesser extent i'm New
York, there We're spectators who
bought and sold in the stock market
with a view to the varying conditions
apparent from time to time in the
course of the negotiations. and with a
view to the probable outcome of the
negotiations This was precisely
what spectators did in England i'm
with the outcome of the
battle of Waterloo. and i'm our own
in connection with Abraham
LincOln's issuance Of the emancipation
and other acts during
The civil war. The rights of the
French company having been acquir-
ed and the difficulties caused by our
previous treaties having been remov-
ed by the Hay Pauncefote treaty
here remained only the negotiations
with the republic Of Colombia, then
n possession of the isthmus of Pana-
ma Under the Hay Pauncefote |
reaty it had been explicitly provided |
hat the United States should build |
control police and protect (Which in
'identaliy means to fortify) the canal /
The United States thus assumed COM
,lete responsibility for. and guaran-
eed the building of the canal. Nearly /
o years before. our government had |
nnounced that it would not permit /
ne country in possession Of the 18TH
nus "to close the gates or interfere"
With opening one of the great high
Ways of the world" or to justify such /
n act by the pretension that this
venue of trade and travel belonged
D that country and that it chose to
hut it, We had always insisted upon i
he doctrine thus declared, and at last I
he time had come when I could re-
uce il to action. We negotiated with
he representatives, of Colombia a
realty for building the canal, treaty
hitch granted to Colombia even
reater advantages than were subse-
uently granted to the republic of
'anama treaty 50 good that after
had been rejected by Colombia and
fter we had recognized Panama,
olombia clamored for leave to undo
he past and enter into the treaty {
nut the Colombian government for
easons which, I regret to say were
pparently very bad indeed, declined {
> consummate the treaty to which
ur representatives had agreed. The ;
ithmus of Panama was then a part
f the Colombian republic. and the
of Panama in the Col {
mbian legislature at once warned ]
olombia that the people of Panama (
-ould not submit quietly TO what l
ley regarded as an utter ignoring of f,
heir vital interests We also cOur- {
sously and diplomatically but en- !
haticalIv called the attention of the ,