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Confederates Sign Canal Treaty
from the Richmond Courier, January 20, 1903:
SCRUGGS-HERRAN TREATY RATIFIED BY SENATE - The Confederate Senate overwhelmingly approved the treaty agreement with Colombia for the building of a canal by the Confederacy across the isthmus of Panama.
The treaty authored by Secretary of State William L. Scruggs in cooperation with Colombian Foreign Minister Tomas Herran, grants the CSA a 99-year, renewable lease on a six-mile wide "canal zone" across the Panamian isthmus. The stated purpose of the canal zone is the construction of a CSA-built and operated canal connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea.
"This is a great moment for our country," said President-elect Pritchard from his home in North Carolina. "It's but the first step towards pre-eminence for the Confederacy in the Western Hemisphere."
The measure passed the Senate by the margin of 37-2, with only the representatives of Sonora voting no.
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