The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-03-24
WHAT GARFIELD FORESAW'
Why He Looked with Favor on
the Peruvian Company.
ACHANCE FOR A GRAND AND BEN
EFFICIENT POLICY.

New YORK, March 23.-The Graphic pub
fishes the following Washington special:
There are certain indications that point to
an eventual understanding of the Chilli
Peruvian controversy, which will show to the
public that, instead of a scandal, great credit
will be reflected upon the leading public men
who encouraged the scheme. This will come
about, if at ALL without reference to any action
that Shipherd may have taken,, or without
guaranty of the disnterested course of
Hurlbnt. 1t may be that these men sought
the one to accomplish certain ends without
great circumspection as to the m cans employed,
and the other took advantage OF an opportun-
ity to extort reward for the assurance of neu-
trality. This is side issue, which is not very
important compared with the question as to
what was the attitude of the last administra-
ton, which is of chief interest to the.public.
There has been an immense amount of smoke
and dust raised and an effort among the gessips
here to make political capital out of the mat
ter Shepherds testimony indirectly connect
ing Garfield's name with the affair has given
a new impetus to this sort of warfare, aimed
probably in reality at the late Secretary OF
State.
A prominent public man, whose name, if it
could be furnished, would be an ample guar
aptee of the fact that he knows whereof he
speaks, has given your correspondent a state
ment of the facts relative to the attitude OF
the administration toward the Chili-Peruvian
Company. He was on such terms of intimacy
with the late President that his knowledge OF
the matter cannot be questioned 1t appears
from his statement that, in the failure of the
Peruvian company to carry out its plans, the
United States lost the grandest opportunity
ever youchsafed this country to assert its in
f1uence outside its own boundaries. It has
lost in this opportunity the prospect of event
ual peaceful control OF
THE IsTHMUs OF DARIEN
and the chance to establish its commercial
domination of the southern Pacific coast. The
President and Secretary Blaine recognized the
had the right to idemnity, but also believed
in the doctrine that, when a reasonable in
Identification could be made BY the vanquished
boundaries should not be disturbed. They
we're prepared to insist, also, that, when the
conquering nation had received . reasonable
indemnity, there should not be further levy
made which would entail the interests Of
American citizens The foreign policy of the
administration was fixed without regard to the
Peruvian Company, yet 1t was favorable &c
the prosecution of such an enterprise under
legitimate management. 1t was not doubted
by the administration that Peru would recog-
nize a reasonable amount of the claims on
which the so-called Peruvian Company-not
formed, by the way, till some months later
were based. The Landreau claim amounted
to some $150000,000 and the Cochet claim &c
some $100,000,000. 1t was not expected that
Peru would agree to pay all this, for it would
have been impossible to comply. with the de-
1nand under their methods of development Of
their country. It was proposed that com
pany be formed owning these claims, or, al
least, the larger of the two, that OF Cochet
This company was to obtain recognition oil
such part of the claim as Peru would admit
and agree to, instead of pressing her for the
money which it was known she could not pay
to take the nitrate beds and guano deposits.
1t was also to guarantee the debt of Peru, pay
1o,, ayfsr nfk,r
at from $4O,OO0,000 to $60,000,000, and pay q
license yearly enough to run the government
and keep order and protect society in Peru
This was perfectly feasible
FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT,
as the nitrate beds were worth $4,000, 100000
to say nothing of the guano 1t thus appeared
to the late President that, by encouraging this
enterprise, Peru could be maintained; that al
immigration of 5000 to 10000 North Ameri
cans would be drawn thither; that the country
would be brought up gradually to the Nortf
American civilization; that the European in
fluence on the coast, fosteIed by Chilli, would
be checked; that we would predominant the
Pacific coast of South America by holding IN
der our influence the key to the position, thai
would thus control the isthmus of Panama
from the western side; that American ciyiliza
ton and Christianity and our educational sys
tenn would be engrafted on the countries. HI
was convinced that, owing to the established
pOllCy LQdG We SuOulu uUb dC9uii0 Ouud, VIC
were not so near the isthmus as England OF
France, and that the future might be fraugh
with difficulties in consequence. He thought
that the practical possession of Peru would OBJ
viate this difficulty, and for the other reasons
indicated he favored the project.
The late Presidents friend said further that
Garfield never had the slightest personal inter
est in the enterprise, but was imbued with tLt
grandeur of the policy ,as benefcent public
measure for the glory and security and peace
of the United States in the future. On thu
contrary, the result had been that Chill had
| bvor allowed to Soize the nitrate district, thu
guano islands, and still demand $40 0Q "a, na y
antee for It. Just what it had been desired
to avoid had come about Peru had been prac
tically blotted ont, and Chill had taken posses
sion Of these interests, which really mean
their surrender to England and France. Had
the Peruvian company succeeded, our CONNER
cial interests would have risen to vast proper
tions where now England will rule in undis
| puted possession. This was the interest of the
late President in the Peruvian Company, or in
what crystallized into the Peruvian Company
after his death.