sentences:  This action was supported by President Theodore Roosevelt, who had expressed interest in building an interoceanic canal in this strategic region.There had been a treaty between Colombia and United States of America, the Hay–Herrán Treaty, signed on January 12, 1903, by which the United States would finance, direct and supervise the construction of the canal.In the 1904 presidential race, which did not have any Liberal candidates, Reyes ran against another conservator; General Joaquín Fernando Vélez, to whom he would later beat for a narrow difference.