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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1903)
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TO FIFTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS Chief Executive Recommends Passage of Important Legislation- Causes Leading to the Formation of the New Republic of Panama- No Obstruction Now to the Building of the Isthmian Canal -Venezuelan Dispute a Triumph for International Arbitration— Extension of Purposes of Appropriation for Enforc ing Trust and Interstate Commerce Laws Favored —Public Land and Postal Frauds -Need for Treaties Making Bribery Extraditable Relations of tho Government to Capital and Labor. The I resident Charges the Colombian Government with Acting in Bad Faith in Repudiating the Treaty Between That Country and the United Slates Precedents Brought Forward to Explain the Attitude of the State Department in the Recent Crisis — Country Has Deen in an Almost Constant State of Turmoil for Many Years The Importance of Preserving Peace in tho I3thmu3 Declared of Paramount Importance. Freriilcat Roscvc’.i ■ mesragt* to tho j second aerssion of tho Fifty-eighth Con- j •’root is substantially as follows: To the Senate and House of liepresen- > tatixes; With a nation a.< with a man the most i Important tilings arc those of the house hold. aid therefore the country Is espe cially to lie congratulated on what has been accomplished in the direction of pro viding for the exercise of supervision ovei the great corporations and combina tions of corporations engaged in inter state commerce. The Congress has cre ated ttie Department of Commerce and l.ntior. including the Bureau of Corpora tions, with for the first time authority to secure proper publicity of su<-h proceed ings of these great corporations as the public has the right to know. It has pro vided for (he expediting of suits for the enforcement- of the Federal anti-trust law; and l»y another law It has secured <•<iu.il treatment to all producers in ihe transportation of their goods, thus taking a long stride forward in making effective < the work of the Interstate Commerce j Commission Department of Commerce and Labor. The establishment of the Department of Commerce and I.abor. with tho Bureau of Corporations thereunder, marks u real advance In the direction of doing all that Is possible for the solution of the questions vitally affecting capitalists and wage workers Functions of New Department. The preliminary work of the Bureau of Corporations in the department has j shown the wisdom of its creation. Puh- , licity in corporate affaire will tend to do away V'l.”’ Ignorance, and will afford ! fuels u,. which Intelligent action may . he taken Systematic, Intelligent I rives- - ligation Is already developing facts the knowledge of which Is essential to a right understanding of the needs and duties of the business world. The corporation which is honestly ai d fairly organized, whose managers iri the conduct of its business recognize their obligation to deal ! -.uarcly w ith llieir stockholders, their competitors, and the public, l as nothing to fear from such supervision. The pur pose of this bureau i.r not to embarrass or assail legitimate business, but to aid In bringing about a better industrial con dition—a condition under which there Hhall be obedience to law ar.d recognition of public obligation hy all corporations, great or small The Department of Com merce and Labor will bo not only the clearing house for Information regarding tb« business transactions of the nation but the executive arm of the government to aid in strengthening our domestic and foreign markets, in perfecting our trans portation facilities, in building up our merchant marine, in preventing the en trance of undesirable immigrants, in im proving commercial and Industrial condi tions, and in bringing together on com mon ground those necessary partners in industrial progress capital and labor. Commerce between the nations is stead ily growing in volume, and the tendency of the times is toward closer trade rela tion’ Constant watchfulness Is needed to secure to Americans the chance to par ticipate to the best advantage in foreign trade; and wo may confidently expect ! that the new department will Justify the j expectation of Its creators by the exor- | else of this watchfulness, ns well as by j the businesslike administration of such laws relating to our Internal aiTuirs as are intrusted to its care In enacting tIio laws above enumerated the Congress proce-ued on sane and con servative lines Nothing revolutionary win attempted; but a common;-ense and successful effort was made In the direc tion of seeing that corporations are so handled as to subserve the public good. The legislation was moderate. It was characterised throughout by the Idea that we were not attacking corporations, but endeavoring to provide for doing away with any evil in them; that we drew the line against misconduct. not against * wealth, gladly recognizing the great good dene by capitalists who alone, or in conjunction with his fellows, does his wo. k along proper and legitimate lines. The purpose of the legislation, which pur pose will undoubtedly be lultlllcd. was to favor such a man when he does well, and to supervise his action only .to prevent him from doing 111. Publicity can do no liar ni to the honest corporation. Th only corporation that has cause to dread It Is the corporation which shrinks from • he light, and about the welfare of such corporations we need not be oversensitive. The work of the Department of Com merce and Labor has been conditioned upon this theory, of securing fair treat ment alike for labor and for capital. Capital and Labor. The consistent policy of the national government, so far as It has the power, is to hold in chock the unscrupulous man, whether employer or employe; but to re tuse to weaken individual Initiative or to hamper or cramp the industrial devel opment of the country We recognize that this is an era of freedom a oil com bination, in which great capitalistic cor porations and labor unions 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, ns between different unions, Is drawn ns it l.t between different Individual.-; that is, it is drawn on conduit, the effort be ing to treat both organized capital and organized labor alike; a.-klng nothing save the interest of each shnll be brought into harmony with the Interest of the general public, and that the conduct of each shall conform to the fundamental rules of obedience to law. of Individual freedom, and Of Justice and fair dealing towards all. Whenever either corpora tion, labor union, or Individual disre pan’s the law or acts in a spirit of arbi trary and tyrannous interference with the rights of others, whether corpora tions or individuals, then where the Federal Government has jurisdiction, it will see to It that the misconduct Is stopped, paying not the slightest heed to the position or power of the corporation, the union or the Individual, but only to one vital fact—that is, the question wheth er or not the conduct of the individual or aggregate of individuals is In ac cordance with the law of the land. Every mini must be guaranteed his liberty and his right to do as he likes with his prop erty or his labor, so long as lie does not Infringe the rights of others No man is above the law and no man is below It; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it. Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a tavor. Receipts and Expenditures. From a1! sources, exclusive of the pos tal service, the receipts of the govern ment for the last llscal year aggregated $560,396,674. The expenditures for the same period were $506,099,007, the surplus for the fiscal year being $54,297,667. The indications are that the surplus for the present llscal year will be very small. If indeed there be any surplus. From July to November the receipts from customs were, approximately, nine million dollars less than the receipts from the same source for a corresponding portion of last year. Should this decrease continue at the same ratio throughout the fiscal year, the surplus would be reduced by, approximately, thirty million dollars. Should the revenue from customs suffer much further decrease during the fiscal year, the surplus would vanish A large surplus is certainly undesirable. Two years ago the war taxes were taken off with the express Intention of equalizing the government rocei]>ts and expenditures, and though the first year thereafter still showed a 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 botli to exercise care and economy In appro priations, 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 empha sized by the fact that we can not afford to be parsimonious in providing for what is essential to our national well-being. Careful economy wherever possible will alone prevent our inciwnc from falling below the point requli r.n order to meet our genuine needs. Needs of Financial Situation. The integrity of our currency is beyond question, a ml under present conditions it would be unwise and unnecessary to at tempt a reconstruction of our entire mon etary system. The same liberty should be granted the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit customs receipts as is granted him in the deposit of receipts from other sources, in my message of Dee. 2. 1902. 1 called attention to certain needs of the financial situation, and I again ask the consideration of the Congress for these questions. Geld and Silver Standard. During the last session of the Congrogs, at the suggestion of a joint note from the Republic of Mexico and the Imperial Government of China, and in harmony with an act of the Congress appropriat ing $.’"»,000 10 pay the expenses thereof, a commission was appointed to confer with the principal European countries in the hope that some plan might be devised whereby a fixed rate of exchange could be assured between the gold-standard countries and the silver-standard coun tries. This commission has filed its pre liminary report, which has been made public. I dee m it important that the commission be continued, and that a sum of money be appropriated sufficient to pay the expenses of its further labors. With regards to the improvement of the American merchant marine the President recommends that the Con gress direct the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster-General, and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, as sociated with such a representation from the Senate and House of Repre sentatives as flip Congress in its wis dom may designate, to serve as a com mission for the purpose of investigat ing and reporting to the Congress at its next session what legislation is de sirable or necessary for the develop ment of the American merchant ma rine and American commerce, and in cidentally of a national ocean mail j service of adequate auxiliary naval cruisers and navel reserves. On the subject of immigration the message calls attention to the report of a committee of New York citizens ot high standing, Messrs. Arthur ▼. Vriesen. Lee K. Frankel, Eugene A. Philliin. Thomas W. Hynes, and Ralph Trautman, which deals with the whole situation at length, and concludes with certain recommendations for adminis trative and legislative aethm. It is now receiving the attention of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The message continues: Anti-Trust Laws. j On the subject of the antitrust measures which have been dealt with by the Congress the President says: i In my last annual message. In connee ’ tU n with the subject of the due regula tion of combinations of capital which are or may become Injurious to the pub lic. I recommended a special appmpria | tion for the better enforcement of the anti-trust law as It now stands, to be expended under the direction of the At torney-General. Accordingly (by the leg islative. executive, and judicial appro priation act, of February 25, 1903. 32 Stat., S5t. 904>. the Congress appropriated, for the purpose i f enforcing the various Federal trust and Interstate-commerce laws, the sum of tlve hundred thousand dollars, to be expended under the direc tion of the Attorney-Genpral In the em ployment of special counsel and agents in the Department of Justice to conduct proceedings and prosecutions under said laws in the courts of the United States. I now recommend, as a matter of the ut most Importance and urgency, the exten sion of the purposes of this appropria tion. so that it may be available, 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 public lands ami the laws relating to postal crimes and offenses and the subject of naturalization. Recent in vestigations have shown a deplorable state of affairs in these three matters of vital concern. By various frauds and by forgeries and perjuries, thousands of acres of the public domain, embracing lands of different character and extend ing through various sections of the coun try. have been dishonestly acquired. It Is hardly necessary to urge the Import ance of recovering these dishonest acqui sitions. stolen from the people, and of promptly ah'd duly punishing the of fenders. Postal Frauos. I speak in another part of this message of the widespread crimes by which the sacred right of citizenship is falsely as serted and that "inestimable heritage” perverted to base ends. By similar means —that is. through frauds, forgeries, and perjuries, and by shameless briberies— the laws relating to tlie proper conduct of the public service In general and to the due administration of the PostofFico department have been notoriously vio lated, and many indictments have been found, and the consequent prosecutions are In course of bearing or on the eve thereot. For the teasone thus indicated, and mo that the Government may he pre pared to enforce promptly and with the greatest effect the due penalties for such violations of law. and to this end may lx? furnished with sufficient instrumentali ties and competent legal assistance tor the Investigations and trials which will be necessary at many different points of the country, I urge upon the Congress the necessity of making the said appro priation available for Immediate use for all such purposes, to be expended under the direction of the Attorney-General. Needs for Treaties Making Bribery Extraditable. Steps have been taken by the State Department looking to the making of bribery an extraditable offense with for eign powers. The need of more effective treaties covering this crime is manifest. The exposures and prosecutions of of ficial corruption in St. Louis. Mo., and other cities and states have resulted in a number of givers and takers of bribes bee iming fugitives in foreign lands. Brib ery has not been included in extradition treaties heretofore, as the necessity for it has not arisen While there may have been as much official corruption In former years, there has been more developed and brought to light in the immediate past than In the preceding century of our country's history, it bhouiu le tile policy of the United States to leave no place on earth where a corrupt man fleeing from this country can lest in peace. Tlit-re is no reason why bribery should not be included in all treaties as extraditable. Tile recent amended treaty with Mexico, whereby this crime was put In the fist of extraditable offenses, has established a salutary precedent in this regard. Under this treaty the State Department has asked, and Mexico has granted, the xtrtidition of one of the St. Louis bribe givers. There can be no crime more serious than bribery. Other offenses violate one law. while corruption strikes at the foun dation of all law Under our form of gov ernment oil authority is vested in the people and by them delegated to those who represent them in otfi ial capacity. The exposure and punishment of public corruption is an honor to a nation, nut a disgrace. The shame lies In toleration, not in correction. No city or state, still less the nation, can ho injured by the enforcement of law. As long as public plunderers when detected can find a haven of refuge in any foreign land and avoid punishment, just so long encour agement is given them to continue their practices. If we fail to do all that In us lies to stamp out corruption we can not escape our share of responsibility for the guilt. The first requisite of successful self-government is unflinching enforce ment of the la .v and the cutting out of corruption. Alaskan Boundary. The message gives in detail the pauses which led to the appointment of the Alaskan boundary commission, and congratulates both countries on the satisfactory termination of the sessions of the tribunal. It continues: The result is satisfactory In every way. It Is of great material advantage to our people in the far Northwest. It has re moved from the field of discussion and possible danger a question liable to be come more acutely accentuated with each passing year. Finally, it has furnished a signal proof of the fairness and good will with which two friendly nations can ap|>roach and determine issues involving national sovereignty and by their nature Incapable of submission to a third power for adjudication. Claims Against Venezuela. Referring to the success which crowned the efforts of the I’nited States to have the Venezuelan dis pute submitted to impartial arbitra tors the President says: There seems good ground for the be. lief that there has been a real growth among the civilized nations of a senti ment which wt'l permit a gradual sub stitution of other methods than the method of war In th*- settlement of dis putes. It is not pretended that as yet w■* are near a position in which it will be possible wholly to prevent war. or that a Just regal’d for national Interest and honor will in all cases permit of the settlement of International disputes by arbitration: but by a mixture of pru dence and firmness with wisdom we think il is possible to do away with milch of the provocation and excuse for war, and at least In many cares to substitute some other and more iatlona 1 method for the settlement of disputes. The Hague court offers so good an example of what can be done in the direction of such settle ment that It should be encouraged In every way. President McKinley, in his mes sage of Dee. 5, 1898, urged that the Executive be authorized to correspond with the governments of the principal maritime powers with a view of in eorporating into the permanent law of civilized nations the principle of the exemption of all private property at sea. not contraband of war. from cap ture or destruction by belligerent powers. President Roosevelt says he cor dially renews this recommendation, as a matter of humanity and morals. Consular Service. 1 cal! your attention to the reduced cn t In maintaining the consular suvi.c for the fiscal year ending June 3D. 1303. as shown in the annual report of the Aud itor for the State uml other d partmanti*, as compared with ‘.lie year previous. I’or I the year under consideration the excess of expcndltures over receipt* on account of the consular service amounted to CKt 12'>.12. as against $#fi.371.50 for the year ending June 3<i. 1302, and S14T.04O.1S for the year ending June SO. 1301. This is the best showing In this respect for the con sular service for the past fourteen years, and the reduction In the cost of the serv ice to the Government luis been made in spite of the fact that the expenditures for the year In question were more than $20,000 greater than for the previous yeur. Rural Free-Delivery Service. The rural free-dellvery service has been steadily extended. The attention of the Congress Is asked to the question of the compensation of the letter carriers and clerks engaged in the postal service, es pecially on the new rural free-dellvery routes. More routes have been Installed since the llrst of July last than In any like period In the department's history. While a due regard to economy must be kept in mind In the establishment of new routes, yet the extension of the rural free-dellvery system must be continued, for reasons of sound public policy. No governmental movement of recent years has resulted In greater immediate benefit to the people of the country districts. Ktiral rree delivery, taken tn connection with the telephone, the bicycle, and the trolley, accomplishes much toward les sening the isolation of farm life and mak ing it brighter an.l more attractive. In the immediate past the lack of just such facilities as these has driven many of the more active and restless young men and women from the farms to me cities; for they rebelled at loneliness and lack of mental companionship. It is unhealthy and undesirable for the cities to grow at the expense of the country; and rural free delivery is not only it good thing In itself, but is good because it is one of the causes which check this unwhole some tendency towards the urban con centration of our population at the ex pense of the count; y districts. It is for the same reason thai we sympathize with and approve of the policy of building good roads. The movement for good loads Is one fraught with the greatest benefit to the country districts. In the Philippines and Porto Rico, it is declared, steady progress is being made and the condition of the island ers already has been materially ad vanesd. Receipts of General Land Office. On the subject of the public lands of the country the message says: The cash receipts of the General Land Office for the last fiscal year were $11, 024,743.65, an increase of $4,762,816.47 over the preceding year. Of this sum. approx imately, $8,461 193 will go to the credit of the fund for the reclamation of arid land, making the total ot this fund, up to the 30th of June, 1903, approximately, $16,191,836. A gratifying disposition lias been evinced by those having unlawful in closures of public land to remove their fences. Nearly two million acres so in closed have been thrown open on de mand. In but eomnarativel.v few cases has it Hc-n necessary to go into court to accomplish this purpose This work will be vigorously prosecuted until all unlaw ful inclosures have been removed. Irrigation. The work of reclamation of the arid lands of the West is progressing steadily and satisfactorily under tiie terms of the law setting aside the proceeds from the disposal of public lands. The corps of engineers known as the Reclamation Service, which is conducting the surveys and examinations, has been thoroughly organized, especial pains being taken to secure under the civil-service rules a body of skilled, experienced, and efficient men. Surveys and examinations are progressing throughout the arid states and territories, plans for reclaiming works being prepared and passed upon by boatds of engineers before approval by the S-retary of the Interior In Arizona and Nevada, In localities where such work is pre-eminently needed, construc tion has already been begun. In other parts of the arid West various projects arc well advanced toward the drawing up of contracts, these being delayed in part by necessities of reaching agree ments or understanding as regards rights of way or acquisition of real estate. Most of the works contemplated for construc tion arc if national importance, involv ing interstate questions or the securing of stable, self-supporting communities In the midst of vast tracts of vacant land. The Nation as a whole Is of course the gainer by the creation of these homes, adding as they do to the wealth and sta bility cf the country, and furnishing a home market for the products of the East ana South. The reclamation law, while perhaps not ideal, appears at present to answer the larger needs for which it is designed, further legislation is not rec ommended until the necessities of change are more apparent. Preservation of Forests. The President points out the neces sity of taking steps for the preserva tion of our forests, especially at the headwaters of streams. Of the cotton weevil he says: The cotton-growing States have re cently been invaded by a weevil that lias done much damage and threatens the entire cotton industry. I suggest to the Congress tin- prompt enactment of such remedial legislation as its judgment may approve. Isthmian Canal. The causes leading up to the estab lishment of the new republic of Pan ama, and its recognition by the United States are given in much de tail, as follows: By tiie act of June 2*. 1902, the Con gress authorized the President to enter Into treaty with Colombia for the build ing of the canal across the Isthmus of Panama; it being provided that In tin event of failure to secure sin-h treaty after the lapse of a reasonable time, re course should in' had to building a canal through Nicaragua, it has not been necessary to consider this alternative, as I am enabled to lay before the Senate treaty providing for the building of the canal across the isthmus of Panama. Tills was 1110 route which commended Itself to the deliberate judgment of the iingre.-s. and we can now acquire by treaty the right to ci nstrmt the canal over this route. The question now. there fore. is not by which route the isthmian canal shall be built, for that question has been definitely and irrevocably de cided. The question is sltrplv whether or not we shall have an Isthmian canal. In the year lM*i thi« G..v nin-.rut en tered Into a treaty with New Granada, the predecessor upon the Isthmus of the Republic of Colombia and of the present Republic of Panama, by which treaty it was provided that the Govern ment and citizens of the tinted States should always have free and open right of way or transit across the Isthmus of Panama by any modes of communication that might hr constructed, while In re turn our Government guaranteed the perfect neutrality of the above-mentioned Isthmus with the view that the free tran sit from the one to the other sea might not he interrupted or embarrassed. Tile treaty vested in the I’tilted Slates a substantial property right carved out of the rights of sovereignty and property which New Granada then had and pos sessed over the said territory The name of New Granada h is pass* il away and its territory his hern divided. Its successor, the Government of Colombia, has ceased to own any property la the Istlimus. A new republic, that of Panama, which was at one time a sovereign state, and at another time a m re department of the -•ic '• sd\ o confedei ation- known ns New Granada and Col imbM, has nonr tm reoded to thr rights which first .me stud then the other formerly exercised aver the isthmus. But ns long n» the Isthmus endures, the mere geographical fact of Its existence, and the peculiar Interest there in which Is required by our position, perpetuate the solemn contract which hinds the holders of the territory to re spect our right to freedom of transit across It. and binds us In return to safe guard for the isthmus and the world the exercise of that inestimable privilege. The true Interpretation of the obliga tions upon which the United States en tered In tilts treaty of 1848 has been given repeatedly In the utterances of Presi dents and Secretaries of State. Secretary Cass In 1S58 officially stated the position of this Government as follows: “The progress of events has rendered the iiiteroceanlc route across the narrow portion of Central America vastly Impor tant to the commercial world, and espe cially to the United .States, whose pos sessions extend Hlong the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and demand the speediest and easiest modes of communication. While the rights of sovereignty of the states occupying this region should al ways be respected, we shall expect that ' these rights be exercised In a spirit be fitting the occasion and the wants and circumstances thnt have arisen. Sover eignty has Its duties as well as its rights, and none of these local governments, even if administered with more regard to the Just demands of other nations than they have been, would he permitted, in a spirit of eastern isolation, to close the gates of Intercourse on the great high ways of the world, and justify the act by the pretension that these avenues of trade and travel belong to them and thnt they choose to shut them. or. what is almost equivalent, to encumber them with such unjust relations us would pre vent their general use." Seven years later. In 1S65. Mr. Seward in different communications took the fol lowing position: "The United States have taken and will take no Interest In any question of internal revolution in the Stat.- of Pan ama. or any State of the United States of Colombia, but will maintain a perfect neutrality in connection with such do mestic altercations. The United States will, nevertheless, hold themselves ready to protect the transit trade across the isthmus against invasion of cither do mestic or foreign disturbers of the peace of the Slate nf Panama. • • • Neither 4he text nor the spirit of the stipulation in that article by which the United States engages to preserve the neutrality of the Isthmus of Panama, imposes an obliga tion on this Government to comply with the requisition [of the President of the United States nf Colombia for a force to protect the Isthmus of Panama from a body of Insurgents of that country!. The purpose of the stipulation was to guar antee the isthmus against seizure or In vasion by a foreign power only.” For four hundred years, ever since shortly after the discovery of this hem isphere. the canal across the isthmus has been planned. For two score years It has been worked at. When made it is to last for the ages. It Is to alter the geography of a continent and toe trade routes of the world. We have shown by every treaty we have negotiated or at tempted to negotiate with tne peoples In control of the Isthmus and with foreign nations hi reference thereto our consis tent good faith in observing otlr obliga tions; oil the one hand to the peoples of the Isthmus, and on the other hand to the civilized world whose commercial rights we are safeguarding and guaran teeing by our action. We have done our duty to others iri letter and in spirit, and we have shown the utmost forbearance in exacting our own rights. Last spring, under the act above re ferred to. a treaty concluded between the representatives of the Republic of Co lombia and of our Government was rati fied by the Senate. Tills treaty was en tered 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 Isthmus had pronounced unanimously In favor of the Panama route. In drawing up thin treaty every concession was made to the people anil to the Government of Colombia. We were more than just in dealing with them. Our generosity was such as to make it a se rious question whether we had not gone too far in their interest at the expense of our own; for In our scrupulous desire to pay all possible heed, not merely to the real but even to the fancied rights of our weaker neighbor, w’ho already owed so much to our protection and forbearance, we yielded In all possible ways to her desires in drawing up the treaty. Never theless the Government of Colombia not merely repudiated tha treaty, but repu diated it in such manner as to make it evident by the time the Colombian Con gress adjourned that not the scantiest hope remained of ever getting a satis factory treaty from them. The Govern ment of Colombia made the treaty, and yet when the Colombian Congress was called to ratify it tin vote against rati fication was unanimous. It does not ap pcar that the Government made any rcul effort to secure ratification. Revolution in Panama. Immediately after the adjournment of the Congress a revolution broke out In Panama. The people of Panama had long been discontented with the Republic of Colombia, and they had been kept quiet only by ttie prospect of the conclusion of tile treaty, which was to them a mat ter of vital concern. When it became evident that the treaty was hopelessly lost, the people of Panama rose literally as one man. Not a shot was fired by a single man on the isthmus in the Interest of tlie Colombian Government. Not a life was lost in the accomplishment of the revolution. The Colombian troops stationed on tin- Isthmus, who had long been unpaid, made common cause with tin people of Panama, and with aston ishing unanimity the new republic was started. The duty of the United States in tlie premises was clear, in strict ac cordance with the principles laid down by Secretaries Cass and Seward In the of ficial documi nts above quoted, tlie United States gave notice that it would permit the landing of no expeditionary force, the arrival of which would mean chaos and destruction along the line of the rail road and of the proposed canal, and an interruption of transit as an inevitable consequence. Tlie de facto Government of Panama was recognized in tlie follow ing telegram to Mr. Ehrman: "The people of Panama have, hy ap. patently unanimous movement, dissolved their poiitieal connection with the Re public of Colombia and resumed their in dependence. When you are satisfied that a dc fa>to government, republican in form and without substantial opposition from its own people, lias been established in tlie State of Panama, you will enter into relations witli it ns the responsible government of the territory and look to it for all due action to protect the per sons nml property of citizens of the Pnited Slates and lo keep open the lathnilHti transit, in accordance with the obligations of existing treaties govern ing tile relations of the United States to that tenltory." Disturbances on Isthmus Since 1846. When these events happened, fifty-seven years had elapsed situ e the United States had entered Into its treaty with New Gra nuda. During that time the Governments of New Granada and of Its successor. Colombia, have lain in a constant state of flux. A long list of the disturbances and revolutions which have convulsed the isthmus is given, and the report con cludes: The above Is only a partial list of the revolutions. rebellions. Insurrections, riots, and other outbreaks that have oc curred during the period In question; yet I (bey number til for (la in jwa It aiTi I tie noted that one of Ihiui lusted for near I ly three years before it Wa» fpwiled; an other for nearly a year. In s.Vwi. tin* I < xperienee of over half * century hue shown Colombia to be utterly incapable ••f keeping order on the Isthmus. Only the active Interference ot the United States has enabled her to preserve so lunch a» a semblance of sovereignty. Had it not been for the exercise by the United States of the jiollcc power in tier interest, tier connection with the Isthmus would have been sundered long ago. Ill ISM. Uv isuo. hi I8TC. In 1KS5, In 1901. and again in. 1WC. sailors and marines from United States war ships wore forced tO' land In order to patrol the isthmus, to protect life and property, and to sec that the transit across the isthmus was kept open. In 1861, in 1962, in lsss, and In 1900. the Colombian Government asked that the United States Government would land troops to protect its interests and main tain order on the isthmus. Uerhaps the most extraordinary request Is that which has just been received and which runs as follows: ■'Knowing that revolution liar already commenced in Panama [an eminent Co lombian} says th U it" the Government of tho I'nite I Slates will land troop* to pre serve Colombian sovereignty, and the transit. If requested by Colombian charge d’affaires, this Government will declare martial law; and. by virtue of vested con stitutional authority, when public order is restored, will approve by decree the ratification of the canal treaty as signed; or. If the Government of the United States prefers, will call extra session of the Congress—with new and friendly members—next May to approve tin; treaty. (An eminent Colombian} has the perfect confidence of vice-president, he says, and if it became necessary will go to the Isthmus or send representative there to adjust matters along above lines to the satisfaction of the people there.” This dispatch is noteworthy from two standpoints. Its offer of immediately guaranteeing the treaty to us is In sharp contrast with the positive and contemp tuous refusal of the Congress which has Just closed Us sessions to consider fa vorably such a treaty: it shows that the Government which made the treaty really had absolute control over the situation, but did not choose to exercise this con trol. The dispatch further calls on us to restore order and secure Colombian supremacy In the Isthmus from which the Colombian Government lias just by its action decided to bar us by preventing the construction of the canal. Importanc: ot Peace in Isthmus. The control. In the Interest of the com merce and traffic of the whole civilized world, of the means of undisturbed tran sit across the Isthmus of Panama has become of transcendent Importance to the United States. We have repeatedly exercised ’.his control by intervening in the coure - of domestic dissension. and by protecting the territory from foreign Invasion. In 1853 Mr. Everett assured the Peruvian minister that we should not hesitate to maintain the neutrality of the Isthmus tn the case of war be tween Peru and Colombia. In 1864 Co lombia. wnich has always been vigilant to avail itself of Its privileges conferred by the treaty, expressed Us expectation that in the event of war between Peru and Spain the United States would carry into effect the guaranty of neutrality. There have been few administrations of the State Department In which this treaty has not, either by the one side or the other, been used as a basis of more or less important demands. It was said by Mr. Fish in 1871 that the Depart ment of State had reason to believe that an attack upon Colombian sovereignty on the isthmus had. on several occa sions. been averted by warning from this Government. In 1886, when Colombia was under the menace of hostilities from Italy ir. the Cerruti case. Mr. Bayard ex pressed the serious concern that tho i’nited States could not but feel, that a European power should resort to force against a sister republic of this hemis phere. as to the sovereign and uninter rupted use of a part of whose territory we are guarantors under the solemn faith of a treaty. «• Treaty With Republic of Panama. Every effort has been made by the Gov ernment of tile United States to persuade Colombln to follow a course which was essentially not only to our Interests and to the Interests of the world, but to tho Interests of Colombia itself. These ef forts have failed; and Colombia, by her persistence in repulsing the advances that have been made, has forced us. for tho sake of our own honor, and of the Inter est and well-being, not merely of our own people, hut of the people of tno Isthmus nt Panama and the people of the civilized countries of the world, to take decisive steps to bring to an end a condition of affairs which had become intolerable. The new Republic of Panama immediate ly ottered to negotiate a treaty with us. This treaty I herewith suhmit. By it our interests are better safeguarded than in the treaty with Colombia which was rati fied by the Senate at its last session, it Is better In Its t< rms than the treaties of fered to us by the Republics of Nlcara-' gun and Costa Rica. At last the right to b«gln this great undertaking is made available. Panama has done her part. All that remains is for the American Con gress to do its part and forthwith this Republic will enter upon the execution of a project colossal in its size and of wcll-nlg.. incalculable possibilities for the good of this Country and tho nations of mn nkfrwl. Provisions of Treaty. Tty tlic* provisions of the treaty tho United States guarantees and will main tain the independence of the Republic of Panama. There Is granted to the United States ,'n perpetuity the use. occupation, anil control of a strip ten miles wide and extending three nautical miles into the sea at either terminal, with all lands ly ing outside of the zone necessary for the construction of the canal or for its aux iliary works, and with the Islands in tho Bay of Panamn. The cities of Panama anil Colon are not embraced In the canal zone, but the United Slates assumes their sanitation and. In case of need, tho maintenance of order therein; the United States enjoys within the granted limits all the rights, power, and authority which it would possess were it the sovereign of the territory to the exclusion of the ex ercise of sovereign rights by the Republic. All railway and canal property rights be longing to Panama and needed for tho canal pass to the United States, includ ing any property of the respective com panies In the cities of Panama and Co lon; the wor.;s, property, and personnel of the canal and railways are exempted from taxation as well in the cities of Panama and Colon as in the canal zono and its dependencies. Free immigration of the personnel and importation of sup plies for the construction and operation of the canal are granted. Provision is made for the use of military force and the building of fortifications by the Unit ed States for the protection of the tran sit. In other details, particularly as to the acquisition of the Interests of tho New’ Panama Canal company and tho Panama railway by the United States and the condemnation of private property for thi* uses of the canal, the stipulations of the Hay-Herran treaty are closely fol lowed. while the compensation to bo given for these enlarged grants remains the same, being ten millions of dollars payable on exchange of ratifications; and, beginning nine years from thut date, an annual payment of $250,000 during tho life* of the convention. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. White House, Dec. 7, 1003. The venerable William Jackson, one of the oldest of Wesleyan ministers and for twenty-four years governor of » Didsbury college, is dead.