The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, December 10, 1903, Image 3
Washington, Dec. 7.?The president's !
message has been transmitted to con- j
gress. Its principal features are as fol- .
lows:
The country is to bo congratulated :
on the amount of substantial achieve- !
ment which ha? marked the past year J
k Loth as regards our foreign and as re- !
gards our domestic policy.
With a nation as with a man the j
most important things are those of the
household, and therefore the country
is especially to be congratulated on
what has been accomplished in the direction
of providing for the exercise of
supervision over the great corporations
and combinations of corporations engaged
in interstate commerce. The
congress has created the department
of commerce and labor, including the
bureau of corporations, with for the
first time authority to secure proper
publicity of such proceedings of these
great corporations as the public has |
the right to know. It has provided for j
the expediting of suits for the enforce- i
ment of the federal antitrust law, and i
by another law it has secured equal |
treatment to all producers in the trans- j
portation of their goods, thus taking i
a long stride forward in making effec- j
tive the work of the Interstate com- i
merce commission.
The preliminary work of the bureau j
of corporations in the department of
labor has sho^n the wisdom of its ere- ;
ation. Publicity in corporate affairs ;
will tend to do away with ignorance
?nd will afford facts upon which intel- |
ligent action may be taken. Systemat- j
Ic, intelligent investigation is already |
developing facts the knowledge of |
Which is essential to a right under- j
standing of the needs and duties of i
the business world. The corporation j
which is honestly and fairly organ- I
ized, whose managers in the conduct j
of its business recognize their obliga- i
tion to deal squarely with their stock- j
holders, their competitors and the pub lie,
has nothing to fear from such su- j
pervision. The purpose of this bureau ;
2s not to embarrass or assail legitimate
business, but to aid in bringing about ;
is better industrial condition?a condi- j
tion under which there shall be obedl- j
ience to law and recognition of public
obligation by all corporations, great or 1
small. The department of commerce ,
and labor will be not only the clearing j
house for -Information regarding the !
business transactions of the nation, but ]
'the executive arm of the government
,to aid in strengthening our domestic
land foreign markets, in perfecting our
jtransportation facilities, in building up
our merchant marine, in preventing the ;
entrance of undesirable immigrants, in ;
Improving commercial and industrial j
'conditions and in bringing together on
jcommon ground those necessary part- ;
ners In Industrial progress?capital and j
labor.
I Capital and Labor.
? Hie consistent policy of the national i
'government, so far as it has the power, I
Is tp bold In check the unscrupulous I
man, whether employer or employee, but j
to refuse to weaken Individual initia
tive or to hamper or cramp the indus- j
trial development of the country. We i
recognize that this is an era of federation
and combination, in which great
apitalistic corporations and labor un3D3
have become factors of tremendous
Importance in all industrial centers.
Hearty recognition Is given the far
reaching, beneficent work which has
been accomplished through both corporations
and unions, and the line as ;
between different corporations, as be- j
tween different unions, is drawn as it .
Is between different individuals?that j
Is, it is drawn on conduct the effort j
(being to treat both organized capital i
and organized labor alike, asking noth- |
ing aave that the interest of each shall j
be brought into harmony with the in- !
terest of the general public and that ;
the conduct of each shall conform to '
fche fundamental rules of Obedience to
law, of individual freedom and of justice
and fair dealing toward all. When- j
ever either corporation, labor union or i
Individual disregards the law or acts |
in a spirit of arbitrary and tyrannous |
interference with the rights of others, '
[whether corporations or individuals, I
then where the federal government ha9 j
Jurisdiction it will see to it that the j
misconduct is stopped, paying not the ;
Slightest heed to the position or power 1
|of the corporation, the union or the In- !
jdlvidnal, but only to one vital fact? j
tthat is, the question whether or not
j(he conduct of the individual or aggre- '
{gate of individuals is in accordance
tWith the law of the land. Every man
[must be guaranteed his liberty and his j
iright to do as he likes with his prop- i
jerty or his labor so long as he does j
Ft mrringe tne ngnts or otners.
irernznent Receipts and Expend- >
/ . itures.
> i' From all sources, exclusive of the j
postal service, the receipts of the government
for the last fiscal year aggre- !
gated $5G0,396,G7^. The expenditures ;
for the same period were $506,099,007,
the surplus for the fiscal year being j
$54,297,667. The indications are that j
jthe surplus for the present fiscal year j
'{will be very small, if indeed there be !
any surplus. From July to November j
ithe receipts from customs were, ap- j
proximately, $9,000,000 less than the ;
Receipts from the same source for a j
corresponding portion last year. Should :
this decrease continue at the same ra- i
|tio throughout the fiscal year the sur- :
phis would be reduced by, approxi- j
mately, $30,000,000. Should the rev
fenne from customs suffer much fur- !
ther decrease during the fiscal year the !
surplus would vanish. A large sur- !
plus is certainly undesirable. Two !
years ago the war taxes were taken j
off with the express intentiou of j
equalizing the governmental receipts j
and expenditures, and, though the j
first year thereafter still showed.* !
J
pr
surplus, it now seems likely that a
substantial equality of. revenue and
expenditure will be attained. Such being
the case, it is of great moment both j
to exercise aire and economy in appropriations
and to scan sharply any ]
change in our fiscal revenue system
which may reduce our income. The
need of strict economy in our expenditures
is emphasized by the fact that
we cannot afford to be parsimonious in
providing for what is essential to our
national well being.
Need* of Financial Situation.
The integrity of our currency is beyond
question, and under present conditions
it would be unwise and unnecessary
to attempt a reconstruction of
our entire monetary system. The same
liberty should be granted the secretary
of the treasury to deposit customs re
ceipts as is granted him in the deposit
of receipts from other sources. In
my message of Dec. 2, 1902, I called
attention to certain needs of the financial
situation, and I again ask for
consideration of the congress for these
questions.
[The president commends the work
of the international monetary conference
and advises its continuance.]
A majority of our people desire that
steps be taken in the interests of
American shipping, so that we may
once more resume our former position
in the ocean carrying trade. But hitherto
the differences^ of opinion as to
the proper method oTTeaqfcing this end
have been so wide that it has proved
impossible to secure the adoption of
any particular scheme. Having in
view these facts, I recommend that the
congress direct the secretary of the
navy, the postmaster general and the
secretary of commerce and labor, associated
with such a representation from
the senate and house of representatives
as the congress in its wisdom may designate,
to serve as a commission for the
purpose of investigating and reporting
to the congress at its next session what
legislation is desirable or necessary for
the development of the American merchant
marine and American commerce
and Incidentally of a national ocean
mail service of adequate auxiliary na
val cruisers and naval reserves. While
such a measure is desirable in any
event it is especially desirable at this
time, in view of the fact that our present
governmental contract for ocean
mail with the American line will expire
La 1905. The establishment of new
lines of cargo ships to South America,
to Asia and elsewhere would be much
in the interest of our commercial expansion.
Immigration.
We cannot have too much immigra
tion of the right kind, and we should
have none at all of the wrong kind.
The need is to devise some system by
which undesirable immigrants shall be
kept out entirely, while-desirable immigrants
are properly distributed
throughout the country. At present
some districts which need immigrants
have none, and in others, where the
population is already congested, immigrants
come in such numbers as to depress
the conditions of life for those already
there. During the last two years
the immigration service at New York
has been greatly improved and the corruption
and inefficiency which formerly
obtained there have been eradicated.
This service has just been investigated
by a committee of New York citizens
of high standing, Messrs. Arthur v.
Briesen, Lee K. Frankel, Eugene A.
Philbin, Thomas W. Hynes and Ralph
Trautman. Their report deals with the
whole situation at length and concludes
with certain recommendations for administrative
and legislative action. It
is now receiving the attention of the
secretary of commerce and labor.
Naturalization Fraud*.
The special investigation of the subject
of naturalization under the direction
of the attorney general and the
consequent prosecutions reveal a condition
of affairs calling for the immediate
attention of the congress. Forgeries
and perjuries of shameless and
flagrant character have been perpetrated
not only in the dense centers of
population, but throughout the country,
and it is established beyond doubt that
very many so called citizens of the
United States have no title whatever
to that right and are asserting and enjoying
the benefits of the same through
the grossest frauds. It is never to be
forgotten that citizenship is, to quote
the words recently used by the supreme
court of the United States, an
"inestimable heritage," whether it proceeds
from birth within the country
4a hrr nofni*nl?T?f4A? at>/1
VI 2JD WtUiUVU KJJ UaiUIUU^ftUVII, auu
we poison the sources of our national
character and strength at the fountain
if the privilege is claimed and exercised
without right and by means of
fraud and corruption.
The federal grand jury lately in session
in New York city dealt with this
subject and made a presentment which
states the situation briefly and forcibly
and contains important suggestions for
the consideration of the congress. This
presentment is included as an appendix
to the report of the attorney general.
Public Land and Postal Frauds.
In my last annual message, in connection
with the subject of the due
regulation of combinations of capital
which are or may become injurious to
the public, I recommended a special appropriation
for the better enforcement
of tbe antitrust law as it now stands,
to be expended under the direction of
the attorney general. Accordingly (by
the legislative, executive and judicial
appropriation act of Feb. 25, 1903, 32
Stat., 854, 904), the congress appropriated
for the purpose of enforcing the
various federal trust and interstate
commerce laws the sum of $500,000, to
be expended under the direction of the
attorney general in the employment of
special counsel and agents in the department
of justice to conduct proceedings
aud prosecutions under said laws
In the courts of the United States. I
now recommend, as a matter of the ut
taost importance and urgency, the extension
of the purposes of this appro
j prlation, so that it may be available,
j under the direction of the attorney
general and until used, for the due enforcement
of the laws of the United
States in general and especially of the
civil and criminal laws relating to pubi
lie lands and the laws relating to postal
| crimes and offenses and the subject of
j naturalization. Recent investigations |
: have shown a deplorable state of af:
fairs in these three matters of vital
| concern. By various frauds and by
j forgeries and perjuries thousands of
i acres of the public domain, embracing
| lands of different character and exi
tending through various sections of the
1 country, have been dishonestly acquir;
ed. It is hardly necessary to urge the
j importance of recovering these dishon!
est acquisitions, stolen from the people.
< and of promptly and duly punishing
the offenders.
TViwirnrh fronde fnrepries and Der
juries and by shameless briberies the
laws relating to the proper conduct of
the public service in general and to the
due administration of the postoffice
! department have been notoriously vio|
lated, and many indictments have been
| found, and the consequent prosecutions j
are in course of hearing or on the eve j
! thereof. For the reasons thus indicat- j
ed and so that the government may !
! be prepared to enforce promptly and j
j with the greatest effect the due pen- ;
! alties for such violations of law. and !
j to this end may be furnished with suffl- j
! cleat instrumentalities and competent j
j legal assistance for the investigations
j and trials which will be necessary at
many different points of the country, 1
i urge upon the congress 'the necessity
j of making the said appropriation availj
able for immediate use for all such
! purposes, to be expended under the dij
rection of the attorney general.
! Need For Treaties Making1 Bribery
Extraditable.
I
j Steps have been taken by the state
department looking to the making of
bribery an extraditable offense with
foreign powers. The need of more effective
treaties covering this crime is
manifest The exposures and prosecutions
of official corruption in St Louis.
Mo., and other cities and states have
resulted In a number of givers and takers
of bribes becoming fugitives in foreign
lands. Bribery has not been included
in extradition treaties heretoI
fore, as the necessity for it has not'
j arisen. WhHe there may have been
as much official corruption m rormer
years, there has been more developed 1
and brought to light in the immediate
past tban in the preceding century of ;
our country's history. Jt should be the
policy of the United States to leave no
place on earth where a corrupt man
fleeing from this country can rest in
peace. i
Alaskan Boundary.
After unavailing attempts to reach an
J understanding on the Alaskan boundI
ary question through a joint high commission,
followed by prolonged negotiations,
conducted in an amicable spirit
a convention between the United States
^nd Great Britain was signed Jan. 24,
1903, providing for an examination of
the subject by a mixed tribunal of six
members, three on a side, with a view
to its final disposition. Ratifications
were exchanged on March 3 last
whereupon the two governments appointed
their respective members.
Those on behalf of the United States
were Elihu Root secretary of war;
Henry Cabot Lodge, a senator of the
United States, and George Turner, an
ex-senator of the United States, while
Great Britain named the Right Hon.
Lord Alverstone, lord chief justice of
England; Sir Louis Amable Jette, K
C. M. G., retired judge of the supreme
of rinaW n nrl A "R A vlpQwnrth
K. C., of Toronto. This tribunal met
in London on Sept 3 under the presidency
of Lord Alverstone. On the 20th
of October a majority of the tribunal
readied and signed an agreement on
all the questions submitted by the
terms of the convention. By this
award the right of the United States <
to the control of a continuous strip or
border of the mainland shore, skirting
all the tidewater inlets and sinuosities
of the coast, is confirmed; the entrance
to Portland canal, concerning which
legitimate doubt appeared, is defined
as passing by Tongass inlet and to the
northwestward of Wales and Pearse
islands; a line is drawn from the head
of Portland canal to the fifty-sixth degree
of north latitude, and the interior
border line of the strip is fixed by lines
connecting certain mountain summits
lying between Portland canal and
Mount St. Elias and running along the
cre3t of the divide separating the coast
i slor>e from the inlaid watershed at the
only part of the frontier where the
drainage ridge approaches the coast
within the distance of ten marine
leagues, stipulated by the treaty as the
extreme width of the strip around the
heads of Lynn canal and its branches.
While the line so traced follows the
provisional demarcation of 1878 at the
crossing of the Stikine river and that
of 1899 at the summits of the White
and Chilkoot passes, it runs much farther
inland from the Klehini than the
temporary line of the later modus Vivendi
and leaves the entire mining
district of the Porcupine river and Glacier
creek within the jurisdiction of the
United States
[The president here recapitulates the
details of the imbroglio "between European
powers and Venezuela and the
reference of certain points of the controversy
to The Hague tribunal
through the influence of the United
States. This he calls a victory for
American diplomacy and a triumph for
international arbitration. He advocates
an extension of international law
to exempt all private property.at sea
from capture of destruction by forces
of belligerent powers.]
International Arbitration.
Last year the interparliamentary union
for international arbitration met
at Vienna, COO members of the differ 1
ent legislatures of civilized countries
attending. It was provided that the
next meeting should be in 1904 at St.
Louis, subject to our congress extending
an invitation. Like The Hague
tribunal, this interparliamentary union
Is one of the forces tending toward
peace among the nations of the earth,
and it is entitled to our support. 1
trust the invitation can be extended.
Early in July, having received intelligence,
which happily turned out to be
erroneous, of the assassination of our
vice consul at Beirut, I dispatched a
imall squadron to that port for such
service as might be found necessary on
arrival. Although the attempt on the
life of our- vice consul had not been
successful, yet the outrage was symptomatic
of a state of excitement and
disorder' which demanded immediate
attention. The arrival of the vessels
had the happiest result A feeling of
security at once took the place of the
former alarm and disquiet. Our officers
were cordially welcomed by the
consular body and the leading merchants,
and ordinary business resumed
Its activity. The government of the
sultan gave a considerate hearing tc
the representations of our minister; the
official who was regarded as responsi
ble for the disturbed condition of affairs
was removed. Our relations with
the Turkish government remain friend
ly. Our claims founded on inequitable
treatment of some of our schools anc
missions appear to be in process ol
amicable adjustment.
Relations With China.
The sighing of a now commercia
treaty with China, which took place a
Shanghai on the Stli of October, is i
cause for satisfaction. This act, the
result of long discussion and negotia
tion, places our commercial relation:
with the great oriental empire on t
more satisfactory footing than the]
have ever heretofore enjoyed. It pro
vides not only for the ordinary right:
and privileges of diplomatic ffnS con
sular officers, but also for an importan
extension of our commerce by increas
ed facility of access to Chinese port:
and for the relief of trade by the re
moval of some of the obstacles whicl
have embarrassed it in the past
I trust that the congress will con
tinue to favor in all proper ways th<
Louisiana Purchase exposition. Thi:
exposition commemorates the Louisi
ana purchase, which was the first grea
step in the expansion which made us i
continental nation. The expedition o
Lewis and Clark across the continen
followed thereon and marked the be
ginning of the process of exploratioi
and colonization which thrust our ua
tional boundaries to the Pacific.
The acquisition of the Oregon coun
try, including the present states o
Oregon and Washington, was a fact o
immense importance in our t. tory
first giving us our place on the Pacific
seaboard and making ready the va;
for our ascendency in the commero
of the greatest of the oceans. The cen
tennial of our establishment upon th<
western coast by the expedition o
Lewis and Clark is to be celebrated a
Portland, Ore., by an exposition in th<
summer of 1905, and this event shoul<
receive recognition and support fron
the national government.
Development of Alaska.
I call your special attention to th<
territory of Alaska. The country i
developing rapidly, aud it has an as
sured future. The mineral wealth i
great and has as yet hardly been tap
ped. The fisheries, if wisely handle<
and kept under national control, wil
be a business as Dermanent as any oth
er and of the utmost importance to th
.people. The forests, if properly guard
ed, will form another great source o
wealth. Portions of Alaska are fitte<
for farming and stock raising, althougl
the methods must be adapted to th
peculiar conditions of the country
Proper land laws should be enacte*
and the survey of the public lands im
mediately begun. Coal- land law
should be provided whereby the coa
land entryman may make his locatioi
and secure patent under methods kin
dred to those now prescribed for home
stead and mineral entrymen. Salmoi
hatcheries, exclusively under govern
ment control, should be established
The cable should be extended fron
Sitka westward. Wagon roads am
trails should be built and the buildinj
of railroads promoted in all legitimat
ways. Lighthouses should be buil
along the coast. Attention should b
paid to the needs of the Alaska In
dians. Provision should be made fo
an officer, with deputies, to study thei
needs, relieve their immediate want
and help them adapt themselves to th
new conditions.
I recommend that an appropriatioi
be made for building lighthouses ii
Hawaii and taking possession of thos
already built. The territory should b
reimbursed for whatever amounts i
has.already expended for lighthouses
The governor should be empowered t
suspend or remove, any official appoinl
ed by him, without submitting th
matter to the legislature.
The Philippines and Porto Rico.
Of our insular possessions, the Philip
pines and Porto Rico, it is gratifyin;
to say that their steady progress ha
been such as to make it unnecessar;
to spend much time in discussing them
Yet the congress should ever keep ii
mind that a peculiar obligation rest
nnnn na to further in every wav th
welfare of these communities. Th
Philippines should be knit closer to u
by tariff arrangements. It would, o
course, be impossible suddenly to rais'
the people of the islands to the higl
pitch of industrial prosperity and o
governmental efficiency to which the;
will in the end by degrees attain, 3m
the cantion and moderation shown i]
developing them have been among thi
main reasons why this developmen
has hitherto gone on so smoothly
Scrupulous care has been taken in th*
choice of governmental agents and th<
entire elimination of partisan politic
from the public service. The conditio]
- . - -v.
if the islanders is in material things j
j .'ar better than ever before, while their J
J governmental, intellectual and moral j
i ldvanee has kept pace with their ma- {
terial advance. No one people ever
j ocnelited another people more than we \
\ have benefited the Filipinos by taking
j possession of the islands.
Preservation, of Forests.
{ The work of reclamation of the arid
lands of the west is progressing steadily
and satisfactorily under the terms of
the law setting aside the proceeds
from the disposal of public lands.
The study of the opportunities of
j reclamation of the vast exteut of arid
i land shows that whether this reclama!
tion is done by individuals, corpora- j
| tions or the state, the sources of water
1 supply must be effectively protected
! and the reservoirs guarded by the pres|
j ervation of the forests at the headj
waters of the streams. The necessity
j for perpetuating our forest resources, i
[ whether in public or private hands, is J
i ! recoenized now as never before. It is i
. j recommended that all matters pertain1
j Ing to forest reserves, except those Involving
or pertaining to land titles, be
| consolidated in the bureau of forestry
' j of the department of agriculture.
The cotton growing states have recently
been invaded by a weevil that
j has done much damage and threatens
! the entire cotton industry. I suggest
| i to the congress the prompt enactment
, ! of such remedial legislation as its judgj
ment may approve.
No other class of our citizens de!
serves so well of the nation as those j
1 ' to whom the nation owes its very be- j
t I ing. the veterans of the civil war. Spe- j
i ; cial attention is asked to the excellent J
? j work of the pension bureau in expedit- j
- | ing and disposing of pension claims, j
s j During the fiscal year ending July I.
l ! 1903, the bureau settled 251,982 claims,
r an average of 825 claims for each
- i working day of the year. The number
3 of settlements since July 1, 1903. has j
- 1 been in excess of last year's average, j
t approaching 1,000 claims for each i
- i working do v. and it is believed that j
3 [ the work of the bureau will be current
- ; at the close of the present fiscal year.
3 | extension of Civil Service Rnles.
During the year ended June 30 last
* i 25,500 persons were appointed through
- ; competitive examinations under the
3 ! civil service rules. This was 12.672
* ; more than during the preceding year j
* I and 40 per cent of those who passed j
1 i the examinations. This abnormal j
^ I growth was largely occasioned by the j
t | extension of classification to the rural j
~ ! free delivery service and the appoint- j
1 | ment last year of over 9.000 rural car- i
" ! riers. A revision of the civil service
! rules took effect on April 15 last which
" i has greatly improved their operation.
' : The completion of the reform of the
f j civil service is recognized by good citi'?
j zens everywhere as a matter of the
c j highest public importance, and the suc7
{ cess of the merit system largely depends
? upon the effectiveness of the rules and
the machinery provided for their en?
i forcement A very gratifying spirit of
j friendly co-operation exists in all the
i departments of the government in the
* j enforcement and uniform observance
i of both the letter and spirit of the civil
3 i service act
The Army and Navy.
The effect of the laws providing a
e I general staff for the army and for the
9 | more effective use of the national guard
r i has been excellent Great improve3
! ment has been made in the efficiency
! of our army in recent years. Such
! schools as those erected at Fort Leav!
enworth and Fort Riley and the insti*
I tution of fall maneuver work accome
; plish satisfactory results. The good ef^
feet of these maneuvers upon the national
guard is marked, and ample ap^
propriation should be made to enable
the guardsmen of the several states to
, i share in the benefit The government
j ! should as soon as possible secure suitI
able permanent camp sites for military
3 ; maneuvers in tlie various sections of
j i the country.
' i I heartily congratulate the congress
_ i upon the steady progress in building
| up the American navy. We cannot
a | afford a let-up in this great work. To
_ i stand still means to go back. There
^ i should be no cessation in adding to the
J ! effective units of the fighting strength
^ j of the fleet. Meanwhile the navy dej
partment and the officers of the navy
g ! are doing well their part by providing
^ ! constant service at sea under condi|
tions akin to those of actual warfare,
j "Our officers and enlisted men are learnl*
j ing to handle the -battleships, cruisers
j and torpedo boats with high efficiency
r ; in fleet and squadron formations, and j
3 ! the standard of marksmanship is being
0 i steadily raised. The best work ashore
i is indispensable, but the highest duty
a of a naval officer is to exercise com- j
Q j mand at sea. It is eminently desirable i
e i that a naval general staff should be |
e ! established.
Isthmian Canal.
! By the act of June 28, 1902, the con- i
o i. ? ,, 71 I
. j gress auiuorizea. lue presiueui 10 euier
j Into treaty with Colombia for the
I building of the canal across the Jstlii
mus of Panama, it being provided that
j in the event of failure to secure such '
i- j treaty after the lapse of a reasonable ;
5 i time recourse should be had to build- j
s i ing a canal through Nicaragua. It has j
Y not boon necessary to consider this si- ;
i. tentative, as I am enabled to lay be- j
a. fore the senate a treaty providing for i
s the building of the canal across the |
e isthmus of Panama. This was the (
e route which commended itself to the
s deliberate judgment of the congress,
f and we can now acquire by treaty the
e right to construct the canal over this J
2 route. The question now. therefore, is |
f not by which route the isthmian canal {
j shall be built, for that question has J
3 been definitely and Irrevocably decid- I
3 ed. The question is simply whether or j
e not we shall have an isthmian canal.
t When the congress directed that we
should take the Panama route under
e treaty with Colombia the essence of
? the condition, of course, referred not
9 to the government which controlled
2 that route, but to the route Itself; to the
territory across which the route lay, ~|a
lot to the name which for the moment. t -|j
Jhe territory bore on the map. The
purpose of the law was to authorize .Jg
the president to make a treaty with the , >jgg
power in actual control of the isthmus *21
of Panama. This purpose has been 3
fulfiHed. ||S9
For 400 years, ever since shortly after .'rjg
the discovery of this hemisphere, the ' rjj
eanal across the isthmus Las been
planned. For twoscore years it has
been worked at. When made it is to ^
last for the ages. It Is to alter the :%m
geography of a continent and the trade -4
routes of the world. We have shown ,'Js
by every treaty we have negotiated or >||
attempted to negotiate with the peopies
in control of the isthmus and with v*
foreign nations in reference thereto our
consistent good faith in oDserving our
obligations, on the one hand to the peo- pics
of the isthmus and on the other "i
hand to the civilized ^oria, whose com- f3|j|
mercial rights we are safeguarding and
miflMnfaoinff Kir nnr P/?ttnn tTo llftVC*
^uaiaub^viug kjj VU& UVV?VM* TT V ? ? . . , '4jm
done our duty to others in letter and In
spirit and we have shown the utmost
forbearance in exacting our own rights.
Repudiation of Treaty by Colombia. 4.>
Last spring a treaty concluded 4be- 3
tween the representatives of the re- ":.;^
public of Colombia and of our govern^' '-^Sal
ment was ratified by the senate. Thf*,<|ttB
treaty was entered into at the urgent |
solicitation of the people of Colombia
and after a body of experts appointed
by our government especially to go into
the matter of the routes across the : M
isthmus had pronounced unanimously J; M
in favor of the Panama route. In draw~';^|l
ing up this treaty every concession was-|y| /
made to the people and to the govern-T|gaj
ment of Colombia. We were more^^H
than just in dealing with them. Ou? 'M
generosity was such as to make it a' '?%
serious question whether we had not>*|
gone too far in their Interest at the es^S
pense of our own, for in our scruputofiat^jg
desire to pay all possible heed not
merely to the real but even to tfce/j|Ss
fancied rights of our weaker neighbor,' -?s|jja
who already owed so much to our pro- J!
tection and forbearance, we yielded in ':M
all possible ways to her desires In
drawing up the treaty. Nevertheless
the government of Colombia not merely
repudiated the treaty, but repuffl-j
mtru il iu sucu iiiauuci us w uiaac ??v.?3|M
evident by the time the Colombian con- i;!|
gress adjourned that not the scantiest vg hope
remained of ever getting a
factory treaty from them. ' [-'0||
Revolution In Panama.
The people of Panama had long been
i discontented with the republic of Co- ^ J
lombia, and they had been kept quiet
i only by the prospect of the conclusion^
of the canal treaty, which was to them
a matter of vital concern. When it be- *
came evident that the treaty was hope- v \|
lessly lost the people of Panama rose .
literally as one man. Not a shot
fired by a single man on the isthmus '%.
in the interest of the Colombian
ernment. Not a life was lost in
j accomplishment of the revolution. The fq&B
Colombian troops stationed on the lsth- | 1
mus, who had long been unpaid, made -X
common cause with the people of Panama,
and with astonishing unanimity^*
the new republic was started. The '.* ^3
duty of the United States in the prexn-. ^
| ises was clear. In strict accordance-.^
with the principles laid down by Seci
retarles Cass and Seward, the United'
| States gave notice tnat it wouia permit
the landing of no expeditionary,'
! force, the arrival of which would miean^laBj
chaos and destruction along the line of
the railroad and of the proposed canal M
and an interruption of transit as an j
inevitable consequence. The de facto
! government of Panama was recofl*
1 nized.
Under such circumstances the go?-, 3
| ernment of the United States wopld1 g
have been guilty ef folly and weak- ^
; ness, amounting in their sum to a crime '
! against the nation, had it acted other- ' Wg
\ wise than it did when the revolution of
Nov. 3 last took place in Panama. This
I great enterprise of building the inter:
oceanic canal cannot be held up to
| gratify the whims or out of respect to
: the governmental impotence or to the
1 even more sinister and evil politicalf
! peculiarities of people who, though
i they dwell afar off, yet, against the ' ",J|
i wisn or tne actual aweners ou tne isuj^
mus, assert an unreal supremacy over.
! the territory. The possession of a ter- '
i ritory fraught with such peculiar ca?
; pacities as the isthmus in question car*
ries with it obligations' to mankind. '' JS
The course of events has shown that ' jj
i this canal cannot be built by private
| enterprise or by any other nation than
our own: therefore it must be built by
the United States.
Xcw Treaty With Panama.
Every effort has been made by the 4|1
government of the United States to per- ' ' M
suade Colombia to follow a course ;:0
which was essentially not only to onr- interests
and to _ the interests of the 'jM
world, but to the interests of Cokan- ,-v|a
bia itself. These efforts have failed, ' A|
and Colombia, by her persistence in repulsing
the advances that have been >
made, has forced us for the sake of ' fP|
our own honor and of the interest and . J*
well being, not merely of our own poppie,
but of the people of the isthmus of
Panama and the people pf the civilized '
countries of the world, to take decisive ."* $
steps to bring to an end a condition or ^
affairs which had become intolerable.
The new republic of Panama immedi- -X
ately offered to negotiate a treaty with Ji
us. This treaty I herewith submit.
By it our interests are better safeguard- /
ed than in the treaty with Colombia : ^
which was ratified by the senate at Its |
last session. It is better in its terms "3
than the treaties offered to us by the
republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
At last the right to^begin this great
undertaking is made available. Panama
has done her part. All tift r*. .y'3|
mains is for the American congress to
do its part, and forthwith this republic
will enter upon the execution of a jj
project colossal in its size and of well
nigh incalculable possibilities for the
.good of this country and the nations of \
mankind.
' . .. . . .."i- 13