Common Sense 



about 



Panama. 



London", Sept. 2, 19 12. 

 The action of the United 

 States Senate and of Presi- 

 dent Taft in tearing up 

 the I lay-Pauncefote Treaty 

 governing the Panama Canal has evoked 

 a cliorus of surprised disapprobation 

 througliout the world. And nowhere has 

 the disapproval been more outspoken 

 tlian in .the United States. The world 

 reahses less accurately than does the sane 

 American citizen how this . situation 

 has come about, and regards it only as a 

 deliberate violation of a solemn business 

 compact, followed by a refusal to submit 

 tiie ijuestion to any independent tribunal 

 for arbitration. The fact of the matter is 

 that President Taft is a desperate man, 

 who sees before iiim the probaliility of 

 defeat in the Presidential camjiaign. 

 Roosevelt's organisation is doing wonders 

 and should ensure that Taft will not 

 enjoy another term, if it does not land 

 Roosevelt at the Wliite House. .And be- 

 hind Taft arc all those who know that if 

 lie is out of office they are also out of 

 jobs. .\t Presidential election time in the 

 United States moral fibre becomes very 

 slack, and the fervour of the contest elimin- 

 ates too often any consideration of the 

 justice or iniquity cjf methods. This 



being so, actions on the part of a Presi- 

 dential candidate, actuated by the insidious 

 suggestion of his political spongeholders, 

 cannot and must not be regarded seri- 

 ously. It is certain that if a candidate 

 thought that hv advocating the wholesale 

 annexati"on of Juirope lie coidd secure 

 re-election, he would cry aloud in favour 

 of it ; and his opponent would prob- 

 ably reply by asking, " What about 

 Asia r " Taft at the moment is temporarily 

 suffering from electionitis, and is not respon- 

 sible for his actions. It is all very terrible, 

 no doubt, this talk of tearing up treaties 

 and refusing arbitration, but it is all talk, 

 and there is little real chance of it being 

 ever anything else. 



I'or the Panama Canal will 

 The Awakenmg , 



of a not be open for trafhc 



National before two years, anil long 



Conscience. ^^^^f^^^^ ^j^^^ ^..^^-^ .^,^^j ,,|; 



political ni:ui(i'u\ res will have passed out 

 of practical politics. And it is only after 

 the Presidential election is over and the 

 United States is sane again that we can judge 

 of the American attitude towards the Panama 

 Canal tniU. Alieadv the electioneering 

 repudiation of treaties li.is achieved much 

 good: it has awakened the national con- 

 science. The great drawback in American 

 public life has always been that the think- 



