Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-14
PANAMAN HOLDS
MONROE DOCTRINE
IS NOW USELESS
Delegate to League Says He
Seeks to Get Decision on
Canal Sovereignty.
REPUBLIC DISCREDITS
MORALES SUGGESTION
Minister of Finance, in Geneva,
Holds America Should Try
to Create Friendship.

BY the Associated Press.
GENEVA, Switzerland, September
14-Panama has never abandoned
claim to the sovereignty of the entire
Canal Zone and never will, declared
her minister of finance. DR.. Euseblo
Morales, who startled the League or
Nations Assembly last week by sug'
Eesting that the differences over the
new Panaman-United States treaty be
submitted to the World Court. in an
interview with a correspondent Ior
the Associated Press today.
When pressed for an explanation OF
his action. DR.. Morales, who was one
of the negotiators of the treaty, said
that he desired to have the question
of sovereignty ruled upon by some
international tribunal. He declined to
comment directly, but said: Il dld
not come to Geneva to present any
COMPLAINT to the League of Nations,
but merely to answer the charge that
the 1925 treaty was a violation or the
League pact.
Holds No Hostility to United States.
Panama considers that even the
old 1903 treaty does not surreliuei
her full sovereignty in the Canai
Zone" the minister of finance con-
t;nued. Therefore, Panama has the
right TO cooperate in the defense OIL
her own territory-as has every mem
Der of the League. ~
He then added smilinsly L tnihk
my speech shows that 1t was not
made in any spirit OF hostlnty against
the United States. l merely Wdllteu
to explain that Article IL OF the i9-o
treaty. in which we pledge ourselves
to cooperate with the United States
in the defense of the canal, II at
tacked. is not contrary to the pflh'
ciples of the league covenant
The minister, however, let IT De
known that alleged American mixing
in Panama affairs was not al"ags
relished, even going SO lar as " saS
II consider that the Monroe doctrine
IA now useless. 1t served useful
,,urpose while the Latin American
republics were young and struggling
and while there was still danger that
F,uropean potentates might seek 10
recover their lost colonies in the new
world, but that danger is now passed.
Cites Postal Issue.
He spoke particularly of the In
sistence of the United States in using
its own postage stamps throughout
the Canal Zone instead OF those Oh
Panama,
''It is only a small question-an eX-
pense about $4,000 annually-and we
even offered to supply our stamps
free of charge, but the American GOV,
ernment would not hear OF 1t ana
persisted in using its own, ne SAID
s1The American Government is max
ing a great mistake trying to force
things like that. OF course, /, as a
member of the Government who have
. had yearly trips to America in the
F. mast 20 years, can understand many
things about America. Every tune 1
! 0o there I have increased admiration
. for the United States, but our COM
! mon people do not understand. Ihey
| are very sensitive to all these causes
Of friction" MN,
! America needs to make real
i effort to understand the mentality OF
, the Latin American peoples" DR..
Morales continued. I'm 1904 the same
dispute over sovereignty arose. The
American Government issued an eX-
ecuttye order opening the canal to
fhe trade of the world. I protested
then and President Roosevelt sent Mr..
Taft to Panama to arrange matters.
He then admitted that the American
/ Government had not the right to issue
such an order and finally we con.
cluded the Taft agreement which
was In force for 20 years, establishing
that the American Government had
the right to import into the Canal
/ zone anything it needed free Of duty,
but that other nations had to pay Gus
toms duties to Panama. Then Con.
gress obliged the President to cancel
the agreement. That is why we ask
|, ed for and obtained a new treaty.
The defense of the canal clause there
in was not forced upon us by the
United States. 1t was we who pro-
posed it."