Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1888-08-15
ExAmLa OF Ds.saA n..aes

Thes rruvian Govern.
ment OF system of railroads built
in that country by the late Henry
Meiggs, the former American railway
king IN Peru, affords abundant mater.
ial for reflection ON the part OF tha,
cllss Of American investors possessed
with mania for bnyirg stock in en-
tefprises outside their own country
and heynud the jnrIsdiG,ion of the
Untad Sta es law and courts. II 6
late M. Neggs was q mnuumental ex
ample Of energy and thrift, but his life.
was shortened By CONTACT wilh trop
ical cllma'e The events of May @ h
last, when the decree Of The Govern.
ment Of Peru di>posses ed fnreig
railway corporations, show that If
he bad lived The sandy foundations
on which heerected Ais fortunes youl d
have fallen from under him. Had he
been now alive he would have become
q panper in the land he had so greatly
benefited. His successors find them
selves robbed Of. their property ofevery
description, including the four or five
hundred miles of equipped railroads
throughout district, the topography
Of which enhanced the cost of con
struclion TO an enormous extent, Tho
great Investments splendid achieve
ment Of Yankee grit and capital--bas
gone al last To the dogs.
Whether or not an appeal can be
made 10 the Unlled Stl,es Government
and sustained for the benefit of our ad
ventnrous citizens who have invested
their means In Peru will be hereafter
determined. The American Minister
ut Lima, Mr.. Buck, has sent IN his
statement and protest with the com
plains of John L Thorndyke, tue
legally appointed successor Of Mr..
Meiggs. Il will he Il question. how.
ever, as To whether this Government
should lend itself to the difficul; and
expensive task of getting out of their
financial scrapes its iIl.advised citizens,
who rushed oft to foreign aud loosely
governed regions for investments
which they would moi make at home.
Such men take the risx and II is Diff.
cult TO see that they are particularly
entitled to the comfort and backing
of the United States authorities if they
become involved in losses by he action
of the tarantua Government under
which they have chosen to operate.
The example from Peru Is not the
only one of misguided investment of
Yankee moneys and enterprise. Hun
dre,is OF cases are known of venture in
Mexican mines and railroads where
not only money, but lie, was lost Tor
want a Government protection The
"Greasers" all The way from the Rio
Graude to Terra Del Fuego have no
love for tue naticn which leads them
all IN this Continent. 1t is said that
Instances nre penty in Mexico where
the "Peous' haye dumped to the bot
tom Of deep shafts The improved ma
chinery imported from the States to
work the abandoned MINES OF The
Aztecs. No recourse to law is to be
thought of for moment, there being
no law for foreigner in The average
Mexican conyt. In like manner many
gigantic enterprises have been intro.
duced by our clizeps IN Brazil, Guals-
mala, Chile aud elsewhere in the Span
isl.AmerlCan countries, which have
o Ny resulted in dis,s'er owing. as
rule, to The lack ol local Governmental
protection necessary to the STABILITY
ot bnsincss affairs.
The lesson j. apparent, the moral
obvious The hest place 10 inves,
means and energy is at home, where
American oilxepshlp is an element of
safety more potent than the title TO
millions IN foreign lands, bonds and
fraqehlses. Chicago Journal.