236 TOWER— TREATY OBLIGATIONS [April 17, 



United States all the privileges and immunities of commerce and 

 navigation in the ports of New Granada that are enjoyed by "the 

 Granadian citizens themselves, and the government of New Granada 

 guaranteed to the United States, " that the right of way or transit 

 across the Isthmus of Panama upon any modes of communication 

 that now exist or that may be hereafter constructed, shall be open 

 and free to the Government and citizens of the United States." In 

 return for these favors the United States guaranteed : " positively 

 and efificaciously, to New Granada, the perfect neutrality of the 

 isthmus, with the view that the free transit from the one to the 

 other sea may not be interrupted in any future time while this treaty 

 exists " ; and, in consequence, the United States guaranteed, " in the 

 same manner, the rights of sovereignty and property which New 

 Granada has and possesses over the said territory." 



Therefore we had acquired a controlling influence at Panama 

 which enabled us to play so prominent a part that we might begin to 

 make effective plans for the construction of a canal ; whether we 

 should decide to build it ourselves, or whether the work should be 

 done by others, it was quite certain that no canal could be made 

 without our consent. We had secured the constant enjoyment to 

 ourselves of the commercial privileges enjoyed by the inhabitants 

 of New Granada, and as New Granada was a weak power we made 

 the stipulation in return for the favors that she had shown to us 

 that the United States government with its superior strength would 

 protect New Granada in her rights of ownership on the Isthmus of 

 Panama and would guarantee that she should always maintain her 

 sovereignty over that territory. We failed afterwards to carry out 

 our agreement in this respect ; and the protest of Colombia, taken 

 upon its merits as a matter of international law, is very serious, — but 

 that belongs to another subject. 



Our attitude was made plain at that time by the message with 

 which the President submitted this treaty to the Senate, in 1847, ^o^ 

 its approval and ratification, in which he announced formally the 

 policy of the United States to develop the communication through 

 the isthmus for the benefit of the commerce of the world at large. 



Mr. Polk declared that the treaty did not " constitute an alliance 



