File No. 819.00/396. The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister of Panama. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, May 13, 1912, SIR: Referring to your note of the 6th instant, acknowledged by the Department on the 10th, wherein, on behalf of the Governmentof Panama, you state that you have received instructions from your Government to solicit the friendly intervention of the United States in safeguarding the electoral registration and the balloting in the impending presidential election in Panama; that the electoral lists will be closed on the 15th of this month; and that the Panaman Government will assist as far as possible in carrying out such measures as this Government may wish to take, in accordance with the prece dents which you cite, I have the honor to inform you that the Presi dent has decided to accede to this request and that at his direction I m telegraphing the American Minister at Panama to the effect that the President has decided to agree to the request of the Government of Panama and both parties to have the Government of the United States exercise supervision over the registration and election on the Isthmus, and has instructed this Department to name Colonel Goethals, the colone! commanding the regiment of infantry stationed on the Isthmus, and the American Minister to act as a committee for the general supervision of tho registration and election and for taking such suitable means, after consultation with both parties and the Government of Panama, as will result in fairness in the election and registration. The American Minister is designated to act as chairman of the committee. Accept [etc.] HUNTINGTON WILSON. File No. 819.00/393, The Acting Secretary of State to the American Minister. [Telegram-Paraphrase.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, The President has decided to have this Government supervise the registration and election in Panama, and has directed this Department to designate you as chairman and Colonel Goethals and the colonel commanding the regiment of infantry now stationed on the Isthmus to act as a committee for supervision of registration and election and for taking such suitable measures, after consulting with the Government and both parties, as will secure fairness in the regis tration and election. You will inform the Panaman Government of the foregoing and notify the leaders of both parties who have communicated with you of this Government's decision. The Department is communicating with the Panaman Minister hero and with the War Department. IIUNTINGTON WILSON. SIR: 1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt this morning of the Department's telegram dated May 13, relative to the Presi dent's decision to supervise the registration of voters and the election in Panama, thus acquiescing in the request of the Panaman Government and of both political parties. In accordance with the direc tions therein I immediately informed President Arosemena and Señor Chiari, Minister for Foreign Affairs, personally, of the substance of this telegram, handing a note to the latter containing a paraphrase of it. I also notified the leaders of both political parties, whom I requested to call at the Legation, further communicating with the other members of the committee designated in the Depart ment's telegram, Colonels Goethals and Greene. In accordance with my suggestion the committee thereupon decided to meet to-morrow, the 15th instant, at the Legation, to hold a preliminary consultation with representatives of the Government and of both parties with a view to beginning as soon as possible the consideration of such suitable measures as to secure fairness in the registration and elec tion. I found that no intimation of our Government's decision had as yet been received either by the Government or the political parties, which all expressed the greatest satisfaction and appreciation. I have [etc.] File No. 819.00/399. II. PERCIVAL. Donge The Minister of l'anama to the Acting Secretary of Statc. No. 20.] [Translation.] LEGATION OF PANAMA, Washington, May 16, 1912. EXCELLENCY: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note of May 13, in which you inform me [etc.] Immediately upon receipt of that communication I telegraphed the substance of it to my Government, which will doubtless fully ap preciate this additional proof of the solicitude of your excellency's Government for the orderly and constitutional development of the Government of the Republic. I beg your excellency to express to the President my sincere thanks for having favorably considered the desires of my Government, for which I am also grateful to your excellency. Accept [etc.] RICARDO ARIAS. File No. 810.00/418. The American Minister to Secretary of State. [Telegram-Paraphrase.] AMERICAN LEGATION, Panama, June 30, 1912—11 p. m. Panama and Colon municipal elections and 20 other of 61 districts of the Republic are all so für heard from, and all passed off satisfactorily. No disturbances of consequence. Porras candidates elected by large majority in nearly all districts. File No. 819.00/427, No. 153.1 The American Minister to the Secretary of State. [Extract.1. DODGE. AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: Election day itself passed off practically without disorder in Panama City, and all the voting arrangements made by the supervisor proved satisfactory. There were, of course, a few rows. Certain officers of the Panaman police attempted at first to interfere with voters, but were soon made to desist; and there was undoubtedly much repeating by both parties. It will be practically impossible to stop this until a new voting system is adopted. In Colon proceedings also were orderly, except just before the closing of the polls, when some rowdies becaine soniewhat unruly. Reports received from supervisors in other districts are not yet complete (some 15 are still to be heard from), but appear to show that except in a few districts the election passed off satisfactorily and with few disturbances of a minor character. In the large majority of districts the authority of supervisors was respected by the authorities. Also in these provisional districts there was much repeating by both sides. The poll throughout the Republie is undoubtedly the largest ever cast. In a few districts the Diistas left the polls toward the end of the day, and in one they refused to appear at all, charging in all these cases partiality of the supervisors. Also since the close of the polls the committee has received several notes from Señor Chiari, quoting the text of telegrams from local officials or Diista organizations making the most violent charges of partiality against supervisors. The committee is about to determine upon some steps to investigate these charges, such as possibly sending some man of well-known impartianty to examine into these charges on the spot where suflicient proof is offered and make a reasonable case. In view of the high character of the men sent as supervisors, it would seem most unlikely that these charges have any foundation other than the anger and disappointment of those making them. Should the charges be found to be justified, according to the instructions to supervisors, the elections in any such districts can be annulled by the committee and other elections held, provided the partiality can be shown to have affected the result of the election in question. 96-673 - 77 - 47 Undoubtedly there is an extremely bitter feeling against the con mittec among the Diistas, who apparently have believed that the would be able, through the Government, to prevent supervision froi being effective. The committee have no doubt but that without super vision the Government, through its police and officials, would hav been able to secure the election of its candidate for the presidency No doubt this is the real reason for their bitterness toward the con mittee and their charges against supervisors. The Diistas will prob ably not give up without another struggle, and this will very likel be directed against the committee through the Panaman Minister i Washington. Apparently corroborative of this is the reported de parture (which I have not as yet been able to verify) for Washing ton of Señor Carlos Constantino Arosemena, ostensibly with a view to selling certain land. I have [etc.] II. PERCIVAL DODGE Through Panamanian Territory to Properly Defend the Canal TRANSIT OF U.S. TROOPS Exchange of notes at Panama July 18 and 20, 1912 Entered into force July 20, 1912 Superseded by procedure set forth in records of the negotiations of the treaty of Mar. 2, 19361 Department of State files. The American Minister to the Secretary for Foreign Relations F.O. No. 221 EXCELLENCY: PANAMA, July 18, 1912 The Department of State is advised that it is the intention of the War Department to initiate at an early date the practical instruction of the mobile troops forming part of the Panama garrison in their duties in connection with the defense of the Canal Zone. For the proper performance of these duties it will be necessary that the troops become familiar with the possible landing places for a hostile force within reasonable distance of the Canal, the routes of advance from the Canal Zone to such landing places, and that terrain beyond the limits of the Canal Zone which would probably be involved in operations incident to repelling sucessfully an attack upon the coast defense works or the vulnerable parts of the Canal system. This will involve the passage of troops and reconnoitering parties across erritory belonging to the Republic of Panama, and while this Government regards this work as a necessary incident to the protection of the Canal as contemplated and provided in the treaty, and therefore as within the rights given by treaty stipulations, yet it desires to avail itself of this opportunity of calling to the attention of the Republic of Panama the aforementioned facts in order to avoid any possible misapprehension on the part of the Government of Panama as to the reason for this free passage of topographical parties and troops of the Panama garrisons across such parts of the territory of the Republic as it may be necessary for them to use for instructional purposes. The Government of the United States feels that it need not assure the Government of Panama that the presence of these parties and troops on Panamanian territory has no other significance or purpose than that mentioned above and that, having completed that work, they will at once retire from Panamanian territory and return to the Canal Zonc. 1TS 945, post, p. 742. *Bevans, Treaties and Other International Agreements, 1776-1949, vol. 10, pp. 697-698. |