The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-12-23
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
THE FALL OF DE LESSEPS.
FRIDAY. DECEM BE8 Ii. 1892

The principal lesson to be learned from
the Panama scandal. is in relation to thu
money madness which pervades the pres
ent epoch. 1t is perfectly clear from TIN
events already made public, that tempta
tons in the way Of money were held gu
TO all the leading newspapers of France
and to Legislators and politicians, to in
duce people to support "a scheme which
was nothing more nor less than IA gigan
tic project of robbery and cNtortion.
DE Lesseps cave to the scheme it,
standing before the public. The people
of France are not easily hoodwinked. bu'
they had before item the dazzling sue
cess Of De Lessers in building the Sue,
canal, and they believed that he was ca
pable of accomplishing anything that he
undertook.
Reports Of engineers had demonstrated
that it was practicable to cut "a canal
from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean
through the ]istu.uus Of Panama. The
only question Was as t. the route that
was to Toe adopted, and whether it should
toe done in locks or by Il tide water cut.
DE Lcsseps ambition led him to decide
upon the latter. as tha accomplishment
of such a work would hand his name
down to the rcmotcst ages IA the great
est of the worlds engineers. and the proj-
cct itself daZzicd his own Imagination
and tired the enthusiasm Of the French
people.
Events show that he wa~ entirely mis-
taken IN many Of his calculations. After
millions on millions had been spent. his
workings on the great range Of noun
tains. through which hr Intended To take
out IA wedge. shaped slice like that from
a huge cheese. amounted to the merest
Scratchings on the surface. As compared
with this undertaking tn" building of the
Sue canal. the Pyramids. the Colossus
Of Rhodes. the Atlantic cable, or the I'M
mel under the English channel were the
merest chlld's play. and after wasting
enormous treasure. hundreds of human
lives. and %-evera. wears of precious time.
the entire proI-c; had to Toe abandoned
as lmpracticab,r. and the ruins Of the
works remain today. a cruel monument
Of human folly anu vicious ambition.
The holders Of shares in the canal
company are the victims from first to
asst. while tine contractors and those
who had the handling or the funds have
all grown rich.
One Of the prettiest sights Of Paris
used to be the afternoon promenade in
the Boi. de Bouiogne Of the Count lie
Lesseps' family. The count is "a hand
some old gentleman and was mounted
on It magnificent black horse that
seemed as much delighted with the rec
reation a. his master. and the little flock
of beautiful children that rode IN Shet-
and ponies by his side. Everybody
stopped or turned to look at the caval-
cade as it passed by. Along the mag
n~iticent avenues of the city they rode
slowly, but when they reached the Bois,
the great Central park of Paris, they
-ldiltu lllb ii -dlll'l anu i'NC At p'C'h-
neck speed.
And now this line o.d Gentleman, at
H." aye u -, i in the midst Of ID hor-
rat's nest such - mas rarely been stirred
up in the affairs Of any nation. The
people are not willing TO believe that he
had any part in the gigantic fraud per
petrated. hut the developments seem 10
indicate that he must have been cognl-
zant Of the bribery and other corrup-
tlon. that was r.-prt=1 to to accomplish
his purpose.
1t now remains <n the United States
~ build the Common SENSE and practical
BILE Nicaragua cana to solve the problem
Of intercommunIcation between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans.
If De Lesscpz lad dug bis canal up to
the foot hills 90 each side. and then con
-tructe5 i grea' tunne. through the
mountains. hIs scheme might have been
.arried out within the limit Of the cy-
p]e1dlturcs already made OF the Panama
canal: but the tunnc. idea. though it re-
eeiy.d careful, consideration. was thought
To- be Impracticable on account Of the
darkness which would prevail in the cen
r. part % it. !. was not then thorough
Iy understood that electric lighting would
prove a success H. general use. The Me
aragua cana sill be an excellent one.
with very fcW locks. and with a channel