| OCR Text |
Show ROOSEVELT'S TWO PRESIDENTS. It is always a busy year with President Presi-dent Roosevelt. He, through the instrumentality in-strumentality of Secretary Taft, has done pretty well in tho way of Presidential Presi-dential selections this year. He has succeeded in forcing the nomination of his man as his successor as President of the United states, with a good probability prob-ability of his election. Prior to that, however, he had arranged the Presidential Presi-dential succession in Panama to his own liking. Senor Arias was tho successor to the Presidency in Panama, precisely as Secretary Taft was successor to the Presidency in the United States. That is to say, in Panama President. Amador had chosen Senor Arias as his successor, succes-sor, precisely as President Roosevelt selected Taft. 'This imitation of liis ways, however, by the president of Panama, Pan-ama, did not in the least suit. President Presi-dent Roosevelt. He got the idea that President Amador not only had selected Senor Arias to be his successor, but intended to put him in the office whether or no, just as he himself planned to do with Taft in the United Stales. Prob ably President Roosevelt, had no refer ence in this husiness to tho use in Pau-ama Pau-ama of Federal patronage as he himself did at home for Taft, but judging from precedent in Centra! and South America in like cases. President Roose yelt conceived the idea that, perhaps the election in Panama might not be altogether alto-gether fair as a popular proposition; that President Amador might fudge a little in his aim, so as to make sure that, his programme should be carried through. Accordingly, President. Roosevelt Roose-velt sent Secretary Taft down there and also detailed two big battleships to go to the, Tsthmus, with marines all ready to land, fully armed and prepared to enforce "tranquil election aud an honest count.'' Far be it from us to I suggest that there was anything in tho way of menace or compulsion involved in these maneuvers, However, Senor Arias seems to have considered that he had but. one duty to perform under the circumstances, and thai was to retire as a candidate; which he promptly did. This insured the election of President Roosevelt's candidate, Srnor Obaldia, as he was the only candidate left for whom tbo people could vote. This retirement just a week before the election, and the natural result following, President Roosevelt's candidate, Senor Obaldia, was chosen withoul opposition, aud there was a "tranquil election and an honest count" beyond tho possibility of a doubt. The marines did not have to make a show of landing to enforce or der at the polls in order to see that the election was conducted quirt Iv and fairly fair-ly counted. Tho withdrawal of Senor Arias the week before the election was a distinct triumph for the purity of the ballot box and the honesty of the count. It will not be quite as easy, however, to dispose dis-pose of it as a fair and free election from the Pauaman point of view Senor Arias withdrew undoubtedly because Secretary Taft in his late visit to Panama Pan-ama indicated to him very clearly that that was what was expected. This visit of the Secretary, with the presence of tho battleships and the marines, settled the Panama election conclusively. These being the factors that did settle it, the contention that the settlement was made by the people of Panama will undoubtedly undoubt-edly be in question. The, settlement of the Panama election, considering the Secretary's isit and the presence of the battleships and the. marines as the deciding factors, which they undoubtedly undoubt-edly were, it must, be admitted that the Panama election was settled in the City of Washington, was settled by one man, that man Theodore Roosevelt. President of the United States. All of which goes to show ihe sort of independence that Panama enjoys, and (lie progress that we are making in the control of that little so-called Republic. Re-public. That, Republic. is nominally nom-inally free, but it must bo admitted that the. freedom pf the peo pie there is enjoyed subject to the shadow of the "big stick." And, in the end. that is what it must come to, so that, the early beginning of control is perhaps just as well. |
