River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-01-05
THE PERUVIAN COMPANY.
The Biggest scheme on Record---A
Nine Hundred Million Dollar Specu-
IatiOn.

iatiOn.
The astonishment with which the ex-
posture of the plans of the Peruvian
Company, and the knowledge that it
was seeking Intervention against Chill
at the hands of our government, was
! received, has been greatly increased by
the remarkable papers recently pub
lished 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 has 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 dosnot seem at present
opportune for such action; but if, upon
full knowledge of the conditic of Pc
ru, 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 its good office toward the execu-
ton of such project.
The New York papers printed 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 $780, 100000. 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-
ject has been kept very secret. So far
as the public is concerned its corpora
ton appears to consist of American
capitalists, lobbyists and politicians.
Its prospectus states that 1T 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
$900,000,000, a claim which the pros
pectus rightfully describes as perhaps
| the largest of its kind in the history of
the world. The prospectus of the Pc
ruvian company is beautifully printed
/ pamphlet offifty-fve pages. 1t has been
carefully and secretly placed at New
York by the agents of the company, each
copy being registered and formally re-
ceipted 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; a second
being the project of 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 a 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 no 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-
fidence implied in the premises.
Each copy issued is numbered in
red ink, and the company has a record
of those to whom each one was 81 in
trusted"
PLAN OF THE COMPANY.
Stated in brief the plan of the CON-
pany, which is on gigantic scale lin
fact, a second East India Company is
this:
Peru, in return for intervention by
the United States against Chill, is to
recognize the Cochet claim of $780,
100000 and turn over TO the company
the right to work the guano and nj
trate deposits until the original claim
is fully satisfied. The part of the
United States is to be to prevent Chill
from annexing the saltpetre beds
along the Bolivian frontier and to
compel Chill to accept a responsible
war indemnity, which the Peruvian
company agrees to pay.
A few questions from the document
itself will show on how magnificent a
scale the Peruvian company hopes to
figure with the help of the United
States government Chill is to become
Peru's creditor q for such reasonable
amount as may be agreed upon be-
tween her and this company"
Peru is to maintain q resident
representation near the executive
of the company" The company
promises g to maintain toward the
government and people of Peru an at
titude of sincere friendship and good
will" The company twill not forbid
Chill any legitimate fruits of her sue
cess by this intervention of commercial
creditors. The Peruvian. company
must in the interest of Peru herself
take the initiative in the adjustment of
her commercial affairs" The pros
pectors of this company will easily
enough command every grade of exec
utive and diplomatic talent, and they
have no idea of intrusting its manage
ment to any grade below the first.
HISTORY OF THE CLAIM.
Stated briefly, the history of the
Cochet claim, now owned by the Amer
ican-Peruvian company, as set forth in
| the prospectus, is this
In the year 1884 the government of
Peru, by published decree, promised
every discoverer of valuable deposits on
the public domain premium OF one
third of the discovery. Cochet subse-
quently discovt red the guano deposits
and made known their uses in 1S47.
His rights as a discoverer were officially
recognized by the government of Peru.
In 1874 Landreau, French citizen, in
partnership with his brother, a natural
| lied citizen of the United States, made
i