142 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



was quoted to the British Minister in Washington as a 

 sufficient condemnation of England's conduct. 



As already noted in the development of this new theory 

 of American political control of the canal, the operations of 

 the French company under De Lesseps, at Panama, played an 

 important part. Fearing that the French might realize their 

 Central American objects and thereby gain for themselves an 

 undue military advantage over the United States, President 

 Hayes, in March, 1880, sent a special message to Congress 

 declaring the policy of this country to be "An American 

 canal under American control." He said : " The United States 

 cannot consent to the surrender of this control to any Euro- 

 pean power or combination of European powers. If existing 

 treaties . . . stand in the way of this policy . . . suitable 

 steps should be taken ... to promote and establish the 

 American policy. ... It is the right and duty of the United 

 States to assert and maintain such supervision and authority 

 over any such interoceanic canal across the isthmus ... as 

 will protect our interests." At another time President Hayes 

 asserted that the United States should consider the banks 

 of the Nicaragua Canal as a continuation of the Ameri- 

 can shore line, which doctrine would, of course, claim the 

 right in the United States to hold, fortify, arid defend 

 the same. 



Following this exposition of the executive's position on 

 the canal question which was the first official and public 

 declaration of the new policy Congress passed several reso- 

 lutions recommending the repudiation of the Clayton-Bulwer 

 treaty. These resolutions were inspired by the same fear that 

 had actuated President Hayes, and were also aimed at France 

 and her Panama canal scheme. 



The growing opposition to the Clayton-Bulwer treaty and 

 to the principles for which it stood reached one of its crises 

 in 1881-82. In the early part of that year rumors were cir- 

 culated in Washington that several European powers, at the 

 request of Colombia, were considering the advisability of 

 adopting some plan of concerted action looking toward a 

 joint guarantee for the neutralization of the French canal at 



