Panama and the canal in picture and prose .. . hatthe tendency ofthe UnitedStates is to ex-tend its powersand ignore itsresponsibilitiesunder this the-ory. In Latin America, where that doctrineshould be hailed as a bulwarkof protection, it is looked uponaskance. That feeling is largelydue to the attitude of this countrytoward the Republic of Colombiaat the time of the secession ofPanama. A problem of the highest im-portance to the credit of theUnited States in Latin America,which should be settled in accord-ance with principles of nationalhonor and international equity, isthe determination of
Panama and the canal in picture and prose .. . hatthe tendency ofthe UnitedStates is to ex-tend its powersand ignore itsresponsibilitiesunder this the-ory. In Latin America, where that doctrineshould be hailed as a bulwarkof protection, it is looked uponaskance. That feeling is largelydue to the attitude of this countrytoward the Republic of Colombiaat the time of the secession ofPanama. A problem of the highest im-portance to the credit of theUnited States in Latin America,which should be settled in accord-ance with principles of nationalhonor and international equity, isthe determination of what repara- tion we owe the Republic ofColombia for our part in therevolution which made Panama an independentstate and gave us the Canal Zone. In an earlier chapter I have tried to tell, withoutbias, the story of that revolution and to leave tothe readers own judgment the question whetherour part in it was that merely of an innocent by-stander, a neutral looker-on, or whether we did not,by methods of indirection at least, make it impossible. NATIVE HOUSE IN PENOMENE OUR RECKONING WITH COLOMBIA 401 for Colombia to employ her owntroops for the suppression of rebellionin her own territory. As President,and later as private citizen, was always exceedingly in-sistent that he had adhered to thestrictest letter of the neutrality law—always that is except in that one im-petuous speech in San Francisco, inwhich he blurted out the boast, Itook Panama and left Congress todebate about it afterward. Mr. Roosevelts protestations of in-nocence had, however, little effect up-on his own friends and party asso-ciates, for early in the Taft adminis-tration the conviction became general among men inhigh station that reparation of some sort was due toColombia for what was—to express it guardedly—our connivance at a conspiracy that cost that repub-lic its richest province—cost it further a lumppayment of $10,000,000 and an annual sum of$250,000 to eternity. The records of dipl
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