Page:Dramatic Moments in American Diplomacy (1918).djvu/275

Rh fell into the popular delusion upon sight of the American flag. They threatened to shoot every American in the vicinity. The commander of the Nashville, neither knowing nor caring about these plots and delusions, landed his marines as he was accustomed to do when riot seemed impending and before what appeared the armed intervention of the United States, the Colombians withdrew. Panama was a free and independent Republic.

In the entire history of our diplomacy there is no finer example of the power and success of quick and drastic measures than that now taken by Theodore Roosevelt. Nicaraguans, peace cranks, sentimental adherents of Colombia, old line political opponents, were lining up for ten years more of harangue and argument, and the Colombian cable began frantically to offer anything on earth to get back into the running. Roosevelt says he took the Canal. It must have been with peculiar pleasure that within a week after the events recounted he received M. Bunau-Varilla in state at the White House