Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-12-29
THE PERUVIAN COMPANY.


The Biggest Scheme On Record A
Nine Hundred Million Dollar specu-
iatiOn.
The astonishment with which the ex-
posture of the plans of the Peruvian
Company and the knowledge that it
was seeking Intervention against Chilli
at the hands of our government, was
received, has been greatly increased by
the remarkable papers recently pub
iished in self-defense by the state de-
partment. A short description of what
this Peruvian Company really is, and
what it proposed to do will be interest
ing reading and information to all.
A paragraph in Secretary Blaine's
dispatch recently published) to Minis
ter Hurlbut in Peru contains passage
which has attracted much curiosity.
This passage is as follows
AS you are aware, more than one
proposition bias been submitted to the
consideration Of this government look
ing to friendly Intervention by which
Peru might be enabled to meet condi-
tons which would probably be imposed.
Circumstances do,not seem at present
opportune for such action; but if, upon
full knowledge of the condition of Pc
ri, you can inform this government
that Peru can devise and carry into
practical effect plan by which all the
reasonable conditions of Chill can be
met without sacrificing the integrity of
Peruvian territory the government of
the United States would be willing to
tender It's good office toward the execu-
ton of such project.
The New York papers printed a few
days ago some account of one of these
propositions which, it seems, "have
been submitted to this government
looking to friendly intervention" but
that one, big as it looked, is dwarf
alongside of the other proposition,
of which the papers which follow give
an account.
WHAT THE COMPANY PROPOSES.
The Peruvian company, it will be
seen, propose a friendly Intervention
to the tune of $900,000,000. This huge
scheme, in fact, looks to nothing less
than the taking possession Of Peru by
company of American spectators,
and, of course by the help of the
United States government. The pro-
ect has been kept very secret. So far
as the public is concerned its corpora
ton appears to consist OF American
capitalists, lobbyists and politicians.
It's prospectus states that it is incorpo-
rated under the laws of one Of the
United States but as one of the extra
ordinary means employed to keep the
character of the enterprise from the
public the particular state is not
named, The company claims to be
the sole owner of claim against Peru
arising out of rights to the deposits OF
guano and saltpetre amounting to
100000, 900, claim which the pros
pectus righttully describes as perhaps
the largest of its kind in the history of
the world. The prospectus of the Pc
ruvian company is a beautifully printed
pamphlet of fifty-five pages. 1t has been
carefully and secretly placed at New
York by the agents of the company, each
copy being registered and formally re-
ceiptcd for. Accompanying this are
three other papers, one being a pamph-
let of thirty pages, giving the history of
the Cochet claim upon which the COM
pany bases its rights as contained in
the national record of Peru; second
being tbs project of a suggested agree
ment between this company and Peru,
and the third description of the sink
ing fund script of the Peruvian COM
pany. Each of these copies is mark
ed:-'Private. Draft memorandum.
Return to Jacob r. Shipherd, 10 Spruce
street, New York" As an additional
means of secresy on the cover OF the
prospectus the following is printed =
PRIVATE NoTE. Only limited num-
Der of copies of this prospectus is
printed, and these are for the strictly
private use Of the gentlemen in whose
hands they are Immediately placed.
Not only is lie offer of stock to be
made to the public, but until the or
ganization is finally complete and its
executive policy settled no information
of its existence or plan is intended for
the public. The proprietors rely upon
the courtesy of those under whose
eyes they may fall to observe the con-
fdence implied in the premises.
Each copy issued is numbered in
red ink, and the company has record
of those to whom each one was " in
trusted.
PLAN OF THE COMPANY.
Stated in brief the plan of the COM
pany, which is on gigantic scale lin
fact, second East India Company is
this:
Peru, in return tor intervention by
the United States against Chill, Is to
recognize the Cochet claim of $780,
100000 and turn over 10 the company
the right to work the guano and nj
trate deposits until the original claim
: fully satisfied. The part of the
United States is to be to prevent Chill
from annezing the saltpere beds
along the Bolivian frontier and to
compel Chill to accept responsible
war indemnity, which the Peruvian
company agrees to pay.
| A few questions from the document
itself viii show on how magnificent a
scale tine Peruvian company hopes &c
figure with the help of the United
States government. Chill is to become
Pera's creditor " for such reasonable