Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-22
Gen. Grants Forecast OF the Panama
Canal Scheme.

Admiral Ammen has consented to the pub
LEGATION of the following personal letter from
Gen. Grant:
GALESA. H., June %, 1880.
MY DEAR AaMEN Your dispatch inform
ing me of the departure of Capt. Phelps for
Europe came after had left here for Mil
waukee. | wrote at once a letter for the
Captain, directed to Gen. Hayes, our Minis
ter To France. but intended for general use.
sent it to the care of our Consul at Liver
pool, thinking that was where Won said I /
should direct any letter for him. Since, | !
have found in my pocket your dispatch, and /
see that have made mistake. | hope he /
will receive it on arrival. My letter was
probably in time for the steamer of last Sat
urday week.
Today received letter from Sehgman /
inclosng a cablegram from DE Lesscps Of !
fering me the Presidency of the Panama
Canal New York Presidency with the same
salary he il to receive, namely I2J. 00Of. per (
annum. The letter also says that the Selig /
mans with some other bank or banks that
they can associate with them will have the 1
business of receiving the American sub.crip- /
tons for performing the work. telegraphed
back my non-ncceptance and wrote giving my
reasons.
gave the work that had been done in the
way of surveys what had been proved by
these surveys. &c. and that while | would
like to have my name associated with the sue
cessful completion of a ship channel be
tween the two oceans, | was not willing to
connect it with "A failure and when believe
subscribers would lose all they put in.
| start on the LIST of July for Colorado aud
New Mexico to be gone several weeks.
Yours truly,
|. =. GRANT.
We have no doubt that Gen. Grant
extended visit in Europe deepened hi~
objections to the Panama scheme under
the control of foreigners cuimical to the
interests of the ntcd States and Jealous
of her rapidly increasing political power.
During his stay in London aud Paris he
had special opportunities to realize the
strength of facts and tendencies in this
regard. To be we'll placed to obtain in
formation in certain European capitals
while the DE i.esseps scheme was being
launched. was calculated strongly to
impress on An American the character and
force of the reasons tina; the Panama
Canal stock was subscribed for readily
and in such enormous proportions. The
popular trust in the genius and financial
sagacity of DE IcSseps was one reason
that the subscriptions flowed in So readily
from the French people. hut this offer of
money from other parts of the Con
tinent was greatly stimulated by jealousy
of America and the strong desire that the
United States should not control the great
route to the Pacific. thus the two reasons
together operated powerfully to have
people offer their money hludly. Immc-
diately prior to and amid this Panama
excitement the writer of this availed him
self ON the subject. He read the
best reports made nj the Paris
Congress, which were carefully analysed
in the Rerae ties Deuf MpRlfs by the best
French experts. Nn impartial examina-
ton of the facts showed clearly enough
that the hest French and other engineers
were against the scheme, which was really
forced through the Paris Congress by DE
I.csseps and his associate spectators. In
the possession of this information the
writer of this had repeated earnest dis
cussions with Europeans who were i'll
fatuatcd with DE Lesscps' audacity and
promises, and whose influential Off
cial friends We're subscribing for the
Panama shares, and he could not other
wise than tell them plainly that they
would lose every dollar OF their invest.
ment. This mania pervading the political
and financial atmosphere of the old world
no doubt served to intensity Grant, pat
riotic dstrust and dislike to the Panama
undertaking, of which his letter, written
soon after his return from Europe, is so
terse an expression. 1t would have been
better If Hon. Il. ". Thompson could
have imbbed some of the earnest patriotism
of the heroic Ex-prestdent.
The people in the West seem to be tax
ing the matter of Presidential nomination
into their own hands. The Blaine Club of
Columbus. Ohio. is not disposed to regard
the letter of the Maine statesman as final,
and has arranged for Il monster demonStra-
ton in the near future. to top of with
Blaine banquet. This move has been
inaugurated. II is said. not to boom Mr..
Blaine against his wishes, but TO place his
friends in such Il position As to make 1t
clear that they were not Blaine men be-
cause Blaine asked them to he, but he
cause ii is, and is yet to be. Il patriotic
privilege to be Blaine men. As sign of
what is going on even in Ohio today,
observe the following from the Belle
fontaine, (Ohiol Republican:
Notwithstanding MIR. Blaine's letter. we
are still of the opinion that the wise>t and
best thing for the Republican party 10 do is
to nominate him for President, and. believing
that the great mass of the Republicans of the
nation favor his nomination, we have faith to
believe that the wishes of the people will be
consulted, and that the wisdom of the leaders
of the party will manifest itself at Chicago,
in the nomination of the choice of the people.
Therefore we hoist the name of James G
Blaine al the head of our paper, not for the
purpose of antagonizing any one, nor with
the purpose of working for Blaine delegates,
but AS an expression of what we know is the
preference of the Republicans of Logan
County, and, we believe, of the whole
country.
The Indiana Republicans are discussing
Sherman. Harrison and Gresham as presi-
dental candidates. They prefer Blaine.
however. Spontaneous combustion from
California to Maine and from Texas to