Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-12-29
THE PANAMA. CANAL

DE 1rssErs ACCUSED OF rRAUn -rm FRENCH
PEOPLE ouruAGroUsIY HuMBuGGEp-A NC
CRASH COMING.
Dr. johnson Of Paris, who aa, the Ameri-
caH delegate TO the Paris canal congress- of
1879, writes to Adnral Ammcn ut Washing
ton lJug letter from the French capital,
charging Lesseps with deliberate fraud in the
matter Of the Panama ship canal Dr. John
son seems to know his ground thoroughly,
and supports his charges with what appear to
DO ugly facts. The Panama canal stock has
fallen percoptibly and is still on the decline.
DR.. johnson says this is largely due to the re
cent earthquake on the isthmus, which shook
things up in q most reckless manner No
sooner had the news OF it reached Paris, than
Lesseps, who, in launching his scheme upon
the people had made a strong point MS to
Pauama's freedom from earthquakes, called a
public meeting and explained, with barefaced
elfrontery, that it was only n gentle rocking
of the earth and had done more good than
harm. Soon afterward a member of tho sec.
ond syndicate who had been misled 10y the
subsidized newspapers, got an iuklng of the
actual situation at Panama aud at once re-
signed. Following the earthquake scare this
resignation had damaging effect, which
taken with the dissatisfaction over tho pur-
chase of the Panama railroad by the canal
| company, has caused rapid decline in the
market. IL has leaked out, too, says DR..
johnson, that nothing like an energetic con.
| struction Of the canal has been begun and
he predicts that the scheme will soou como to
| n disastrous end
According to Dr. Johnson the French pub
lie have been systematically kept in the dark
about the real state of things on the isthmus.
Information about the small progress made
and the terrible dcath-rato among the labor
ers has been steadily Suppress, d, and not only
this, but deliberate lying has been resortod to.
| The Doctor says, in substance, regarding the
| "incubation Of the swindle that L1sspp- ar
ter borrowing several hundred thousand
| francs to be called "the founders, fund,
| wont TO Panama on journey Of investigR-
| ton seeking proofs that the canal would not
| cost more than jOO,O 600 or GOO OOO. 600
| francs. II stayed at hotel in the city OF
| Panama for two months, aud then declared
| triumphantly that he had corrccte important
errors in the calculation OF his Engineers that
the canal could easily be cut for j2O, 600 900
| francs, aud that the climate Of the isthmus
was the most hcalthfnl on earth. This was
enough, aud the banking syndicate at Paris,
| duly organized, accepted the n'tcmp. nj a
| loan AS a hoalthful operation. What was Il
! of the founders stock" was used to buy up
| the press, and 30 or moro newspapers began
nm active campaign Of putting On the fret
day Of the loan, all the Paris papers annouuc.
! ed that L.sspps had won the consent Of thu
| American government and people to his
| scheme. aud that engineers everywhere in
dorsad his estimates. People ho,k-d 10 the
Panama canal company's Office in crowds
and the stock went of like hot cakes The
papers kept up the putting, printing q. one
time bogus letter from Paris to an inhnen-
tial New York paper indorsin6 Lasseps, and
at another announcing that President Hayes
message was all in favor Of the canal, though,
in fact, he empha.cllly opposed i, and cop
les of the London papers containing the free
text of the message wore thau in Paris These
and similar falseho)ds kept thu stock in great
demand aud simpl' minded people still rush
forward to buy it, When the crash comes.
says DR.. Johnson, and il mus surely come.
the people will turn to the company for 1c-
lief, and the company viii -ay that the Unit
ed States is responsible for the failure, having
thrown obstacles in their way and viii ask
the French government to interfere This,
lrs says, Is the company Woll known iuieu-
ton, but there is sufficient Documentary evil
denco to combat them. The writer thinks
"the most astounding fact in the history Of
American politics" is that in true OF peace
and prosperity the United States goyernm mt
should allow Il foreign company to land on
"our coast line" aud plant an enterprise which
must be, il anything, "au enemy, an eyeHorc,
a standing pretext for war