mpanied by his seizure of the Canal Zone. This
action naturally aroused serious apprehensions in Latin America and
gave color to the charge that the United States had converted the
Monroe Doctrine from a protective policy into a policy of selfish
aggression. Colombia felt outraged and aggrieved, and this feeling was
not alleviated by Mr. Roosevelt's speech several years later to the
students of the University of California, in which he boasted of having
taken the Canal Zone and said that if he had not taken it as he did,
the debate over the matter in Congress would still be going on. Before
the close of his administration President Roosevelt undertook to
placate Colombia, but the sop which he offered was indignantly
rejected. In January, 1909, Secretary Root proposed three treaties,
one between the United States and Panama, one between the United States
and Colombia, and one between Colombia and Panama. These treaties
provided for the recognition of the Republic of Panama by Colombia and
for the transference to Colombia of the first ten installments of the
annual rental of $250,000 which the United States had agreed to pay to
Panama for the lease of the Canal Zone. The treaties were ratified by
the United States and by Panama, but not by Colombia.

The Taft administration made repeated efforts to appease Colombia,
resulting in the formulation of a definite proposition by Secretary
Knox shortly before the close of President Taft's term. His proposals
were that if Colombia would ratify the Root treaties just referred to,
the United States would be willing to pay $10,000,000 for an exclusive
right of way for a canal by the Atrato route and for the perpetual
lease of the islands of St. Andrews and Old Providence as coaling
stations. These proposals were also rejected. The American minister,
Mr. Du Bois, acting, he said, on his own responsibility, then inquired
informally whether $25,000,000 without options of any kind would
satisfy Colombia. The answer was that Colombia would accept nothing
but the arbitration of the whole Panama question. Mr. Knox, in
reporting the matter to the President, said that Colombia seemed
determined to treat with the incoming Democratic administration.
Secretary Bryan took up the negotiations where Knox dropped them, and
concluded a treaty, according to the terms of which the United States
was to express regret at what had occurred and to pay Colombia
$25,000,000. The Senate of the Un