The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-04-01

lay behind that, provides ample jus
tification for suspicion.
To get the whole picture II is nee
essary to remember that Mr.. Harding
after his election, chose to go to Pan
anna for his vacation, and made n,
bones of the fact that he wanted Il
study the situation on the srot % a
to be able to advise Congress VIII
to do about Notifications OF tn
canal and other problems. I'm
mediately after his return he tolC
leaders of the Senate he wanted tn,
treaty with Colombia ratified; tn,
treaty whereby. for consideration o
$25, 100000, Colombia would sur
render all the rights she claims t.
sovereignty over Panama and the
canal. Since Mr.. Harding has beer
in office he has continued to press
for ratification, and has gained a
promise that a vote will be taker
early in the special session of Con.
gress.
Why this haste? 1t is not neces.
sary to violate any confidence to
tell exactly why. Mr.. Harding
found in Panama that agents of Bri-
tain, Japan and other nations repre-
sented on the Council of hte League
of Nations we're busily engaged in try
ing to persuade the Colombia govern
ment to force the issue over Panama
and the canal before the league.
And Mr.. Harding was convinced,
and the responsible leaders of the
Senate-barring the Roosevelt ele-
ment-have become convinced that
it would be worth $25,O0O,00O to
have an unquestioned title to the
canal as matter of insurance against
complications that otherwise might
be raised by nations which look with
ill-favor on the possession by the
United States of this vital trade
route and strategic naval key between
the Atlantic and Pacific.
What Was the Panama Plot?
Then before Mr.. Harding and Mr..
Hughes could take good grip on af-
fairs, came that strange little war be-
tween Costa Rica and Panama. In
many years of familiarity with such
things, | have seen no stranger. Not
a word of warning had come before
hand Suddenly, after years of squab-
bling over some backward districts,
Costa RIGA undertook to seize them
by force. The American Government
had no foreknowledge that any such
trouble was expected, otherwise its
naval forces would have been on the
spot. To use the old smile, it was
a bolt out of the blue.
There were three very curious fea-
lures to this incident; firstly, the Cos
ia Rican coup was timed for the very
moment when the Wilson Harding
exchange of positions was under way;
the moment when the United States
might be caught off its guard; sec
ondly, the British Secretary-Gene
Of the League of Nations, Sir Eric
FASTENED to send cable
grams to the two Governments invit-
Ing them to submit the affairs to the
league; thirdly, a British warship
was lowering near the scene of the
trouble ready to act if orders came.
When we remember that the
League of Nations could not be per-
shaded, or even pushed, into taking
Iction on Poland and Russia last year,
hat it has been very slow to act in
my trouble-except when British in
.erests in Persia were threatened last
lutumn-this sudden, acute interest
n an opera bouffe affair certainly
had some deeper meaning than a
mere desire to save the lives of few
But the Wilson to Davis to Lodge
o Harding Cor Hughes) combination
worked, as smoothly as ever did the
Id infield of the Athletics or any 9TH
n infield on the diamond. When Sir
eric dashed madly for first he
ound the ball nesting securely in
he mitt of that astute American, Mr..
hughes, whose rise to high place
vas based on his ability to see into |
he middle of intrigues.
Intrigue Not Abandoned.
Whatever the plot might have been |
had no chance really to get under
way. An American ultimatum was
emit to the warning nations. Ameri-
an warships proceeded to the scenes
( hostilities and prepared to send !
anding parties ashore to clean up
he situation, If necessary. The
british warship failed to put in an !,
ppearance and Sir Eric Drummond
usied himself sending out. from &C.