The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-22

that there was going to be a great shock in the
street and the meeting was adjourned. In
little while other banks began to fail and conse
quently the Menocal people didn't organize, and
lost the time allotted TO them
Said to my friend: "You have not yet made
clear the Inconsistency Of the State Depart
ment."
81 will come to that in minute At this
point 1 want to say that in my Judgment as a
lawyer the Menocal company has good claim
against the United States government for injury,
and Mr. Frelinghuysen has laid the basis for
that claim. He forced out of existence cor
poration with high respectable purpose, and
which had the example of the State Department
in previous canal matters for its guide"
"What example do you refer tor
"Why, to the fact thai the United States gov
eminent acknowledged the right of the Lesseps
company to build the Panama canal. Our State
Departments notwithstanding the Clayton Bal
wer treaty and the Monroe doctrine, permitted
Frenchman to como to America ana organize his
company and take right out Of the Cabinet of
President Hayes a minister to be attorney of the
company. The Americans afterward found that
Lessepss canal would probably be failure, and
they picked up the most available route remain
ing; then The State Department turns to them
and says You shall not build canal We will
use force to prevent you. We mean ourselves,
as the United States government, to build IT.
Said l; you are now alluding to the case of
Dick Thompson, Secretary of the Navy"
ayes. 1t is our tmid policy which invited
Europe to come and occupy this continent
Lesseps had built the Suez canal and lost con-
troll of it through the promptitude of the
British government in buying the majority of
its stock and assuming control. LessepS was
very old man, and he saw one place on the
globe remaining where a great canal was needed,
namely, the Nicaragua isthmus. With French
mans love Of sensation, he concluded to put a
canal right across that mountain isthmus, which
should have the tide flowing in at either end
The idea a striking one. Lessepss engineer,
however. had some common sense, ana after
looking at the job in hand, and telling besseps
that it would cost enormously to dig through
have anything more to do with the enterprise
Lesseps however saw but one obstacle in his
way, and that was the United States. So he
came to America in distinguished company,
went around placating the government and
the contractors. He gave Dick Thompson a
salary of $25, eco year, it Is believed to enter
his service"
Now said I to the general company present,
81 want to know how LesSeps is getting along
with the Panama canal2"
''Wby, be is going to fail in it. He has spent
or raised about 500 COO 600 and hasn't got a
tenth of the canal done. He mas chosen the
wrong place. The Americans have got the right
place for that canal if the people back the gov
eminent up. Where Lesseps tries to get banks
to his canal they fall back into the water, and he
has made very slight impression on the rocky
portion. He now confesSes it is impractieable
to build tidal canal and admits that he must
have locks. The Americans have all along con
templated putting locks in the Nicaragua canal
The Nicaragua canal could have been built
has already spent in abortiye attempts In Pan
anna