Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1904 — STANDS FOR PANAMA. [ARTICLE]

STANDS FOR PANAMA.

president defends action TAKEN ON ISTHMUS - . , ,—wr Message Font to Congreaa in Which In* aide Hlatory la Told—Maaaacrc Prevented, Lives and Property Saved and World’s commerce Kept Open. -'V Washington correspondence: President Roosevelt, in a special message to Congress Monday, reviews his action under the Panama canal net, and the relations of tlic administration with the republic of Colombia and later with the new republic of Panama. This document of the President evidently is intended as a reply to the critics of the administration and care is taken to present in the clearest r.nd strongest light all* the facts covering the history of both the Hay-Herran aud the Hay-Buuau-Varilla treaties and to show the authority of the United States for its action in every step taken, as provided by the treaty made with New Grenada in 1846. Climax of America’s Dream. At the outset, the President declares, the act of 1902 was the climax of America’s efforts for a canal on the isthmus dating back to 1858, when Secretary Cass took the position that the isthmus was the world’s highway and could not be shut against international commerce. During the intervening years, he shows, that a Panama canal, to be built by the United States, was the dream of Americans and the treaty to this effect presented to Colombia was so generous to that republic that its prompt ratification was expected. Before the treaty was submitted to Colombia Congress had decided that the United States, and no other nation, should dig the canal, and had practically decreed that the Panama route should be selected. Then, the message declares, that the delay in the negotiations that followed was due to the rejection of the treaty by the Colombian Senate. When this occurred, the President, argues, he could not under the act have opened negotiations with Nicaragua, as the Colombian Congress was still in session and might reconsider its action. This was the situation up to the end of October, when the Colombian Congress adjoumed'Ttud the people of Panama, seeing the treaty was defeated, hastened their plans for revolt and by revolution brought the republic of Panama into being on Nov. 3. Inside Hlatory of Events. At this point the message becomes of absorbing interest, for it gives the inside history of the United States’ relation with the new republic aud justifies every step taken by the naval authorities of this country on the isthmus. American army officers in touch with affairs at Panama saw the revolution coming and Lieutenant General Young gave the President such information as enabled the Navy Department to have a number of war vessels either at Colon or Panama or within easy distance of these] strategic points. When the coup camel the Boston, Nashville and Dixie were on the ground and the landing of United States marines by Commander Hubbard, Mr. Roosevelt declares, prevented the probable massacre of all Americans on shore. Tills inside history, showing what the President declares, was a practical declaration of war by Colombia against the Unitedt States, is told largely in Navy Department dispatches and in the letters of Commander Hubbard of the Nashville, which are given in full. CoL Torre#’ Threat to Kill.

Commander Hubbard says Colonel Torres, commanding the Colombian troops at Colon, on Nov. 3 threatened that unless Generals Tobnl and Amaya, held prisoners by the Panama rebels, were released by 2 p. m. on that day he, Torres, would open fire on the town of Colon and kill every United States citizen in the place. Following this threat a force of United States marines was landed, the Panama railroad sheds were turned into a fort and the Americans were given refuge and protection. When Colonel Torres saw Commander Hubbard’s prompt action he apologized and the danger was practically over, but the letter states inferentially aud the President declares explicitly that “only the coolness and gallantry of the little band of men wearing American uniforms, facing ten times their number of armed foes, bent on carrying out the atrocious threat of their Colombian commander, prevented a murderous catastrophe. By this action of American sailors, the President asserts, life and property on the isthmus were saved and the subsequent actions of American troops there are defended as being in the liue of police duty to keep traffic on the isthmus clear, in accordance with the original treaty. Failure to prevent the invasion of Panama by Colombian troops, the message says, would have meant great loss of both life and property. Everything done by the United States was in the interest not only of Colombia and Panama, but of the whole civilized world. Didn't Connive with Rebellion.

jrj In taking up a detailed defense Of the administration’s course the President replies to the publicly expressed charges that the government in Washington connived at the rebellion. On this point he says: “I think it proper to say that no one connected with the government had any part in preparing, inciting or encouraging tiie late revolution on the Isthmus Of Panama, and that save from the reports of our military and naval officers given above no oue connected with this government had any previous knowledge of the revolution, except such as was accessible to any person of ordinary intelligence who read the newspapers.” The people of Panama had their revolution well planned, aud the executive declares they carried it out all themselves. The President’s closing argument so: the administration’s coarse in Panama is that Colombia played double with the United States, that the action of the Colombian Senate in rejecting the treaty was only part of the program to wait until the concession to the French Panama company expired in October, 1994, then to confiscate the property and to hold up the United States for an exorbitant price for the new concession involving the right to cut a canal across th* Isthmus.