Mr. Beaupré to Mr. Hay.
Bogotá, November 4, 1903.
Sir: The manifesto issued by the Government of Colombia to the nation on the 1st instant, the day after the closing of Congress, is interesting as a declaration of attitude and policy.
The Government makes reference, in the first place, to the difficulties it had to encounter on first taking charge of the administration; difficulties with the revolution on one hand and with the administration on the other. By difficulties with the administration was evidently meant, though not actually stated, the equivocal position in which the Government found itself after the coup d’état of the 31st of July, 1900. Moreover, the revolutionary party was in a strong position, as it could count on many elements and on the material help of friends outside the country.
With the termination of the revolution, the difficulties to be faced by the Government were by no means at an end. The country was suffering from stagnation in its industries, paralyzation of its commerce, the innumerable difficulties created by a depreciated currency, penury of the treasury, and a general demoralization.
In the midst of all these difficulties most governors would have been sorely tempted to dictatorially take matters into their own hands, [Page 223] and, providing themselves with the necessary resources, assume the personal powers required for putting an end to the anarchy reigning. The Vice-President has chosen rather to abide by the provisions laid down by the constitution. He had, therefore, issued the wits for elections for Congress, and declared public order restored.
In calling this extraordinary Congress he had hoped for the loyal cooperation of the legislature in aiding the Executive to restore the state of affairs of the Republic to a normal condition. The legislative body had now terminated its labors and it will be for the country to judge impartially both its work and that of the Executive. No one is ignorant of the causes which have rendered this session of Congress only partially fruitful. The disorder reigning between the two chambers has impeded the carrying out of much necessary work. The Executive, while loyally aided by the majority in the Chamber of Representatives, found its work thwarted by the hostility of the majority of the Senators.
The question of almost unique importance, which decided the calling of a special Congress, was that of the construction of an interoceanic canal, to wit, the Hay-Herran treaty. The Senate, after debates in which too much prominence was given to its feeling of hostility toward the Chief of the Government, rejected that treaty. A committee was then appointed to consider on what bases the aspirations of the Colombian people for the construction of an interoceanic waterway could best be satisfied. As the deliberations of the committee were productive of no result, a project of law was presented to the Senate by its committee, ratifying the rejection of the treaty and granting authorization to the Executive for the opening of this waterway. This project was approved on the first reading, and was then referred to a new committee. The committee reported against this project of law, and suggested the suspension of its consideration and raised the question as to the validity of the extension of time granted to the New Panama Canal Company in 1900. The Senate resolved to adopt part of the suggestions of the committee, and indefinitely suspended consideration of the projected law of authorization. Congress has, therefore, amply discussed and definitely decided upon the question which formed the principal motive of its convocation, that of the treaty respecting the construction of an interoceanic canal.
The opening of a canal is, however, a matter of vital interest to the Republic, and especially to the Department of Panama. The Colombian chargé d’affaires at Washington has, therefore, been instructed to inform the United States Government that new negotiations would be set on foot on bases which it was believed would be acceptable to the next Congress. In that case, if the North American Government persists in its proposal to open the canal, which it is to be presumed it does, as neither by word nor by act has anything to the contrary been done, it is to be hoped that the great work will finally’ be carried out through Colombian territory. The Vice-President then refers to the character of the Congress which was convoked. The sessions were extraordinary, not ordinary sessions. He was, therefore, constitutionally in his right in limiting the Congress to the consideration of certain matters of vital importance. He showed, however, a generous latitude in this matter, giving to their consideration even such questions as those concerning the legislative decrees issued by the Government during the war—questions [Page 224] which, strictly speaking, belong to the domain of an ordinary Congress. The Senate, however, chose to take an unconstitutional attitude, and assume the character of a body called together in ordinary session, and treated the questions submitted not from the point of view of the national welfare, but to make political capital of its attitude toward the Chief Executive. Fortunately the patriotic spirit shown by the majority of the Chamber of Representatives, in conjunction with the minority of the Senate, helped to some extent to counteract the evil influence which the systematic opposition of one part of the legislative body was trying to exert.
The Vice-President then goes on to deal with the constitutional powers of the Executive in its relations to the legislative body. Since the constitution of 1863, it has been decided that the ordinary Congress has one hundred and twenty days alloted for its sessions; but an extraordinary Congress is called for the consideration of certain special matters, and the duration of its session is at the discretion of the Executive. To support this statement, various precedents are quoted.
The honorable Chamber of Representatives, in its session of October 2, resolved that twenty days more would suffice for it to finish the work entrusted to its consideration. The Executive, so as not to feel that it was restricting the time of the legislature, added eleven days to the specified twenty. If the labor of the present legislative body be carefully compared with that of its predecessors it will be clear that the one hundred and thirty-four days which the legislature has had for its deliberations was not merely time strictly necessary, but more than ample to dispose of the matters submitted to its consideration. Its work would have been more beneficial if it had not wasted a large part of this time in fruitless debates.
The Vice-President expresses the hope that the ordinary Congress, which is to unite in a little over eight months, will be able to fitly dispose of the questions which the late Congress has left undone.
The hostile attitude of some members of Congress has raised a certain spirit of unrest and agitation. Nevertheless, peace and the stability of constitutional rule has been maintained. There is, therefore, reason to hope that the forthcoming elections will not be the cause of agitation, and that their result may be the genuine expression of the will of the people, the carrying out of which is assured by the laws, and will be respected by the Government.
The manifesto is signed by the Vice-President and all the members of his cabinet.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,