The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-18
PROBING THE PANAMA JOB.

Lovers of France are congratulating
themselves on the beldness or the Ribot
Cabinet in dealing with the Panama seam
dial. Two courses were open to i;-either
10 stif1e the inquiry, to whitewash the
suspects aad to let the affair blow over, or
to face the music aud dig up the facts. no
matter who was to be hurt IL is gratifying
to observe that the Government has chosen
the bolder and the wiser policy. Several
arrests have been made, among others that
OF Charles de LessepS. aud ii is announced
that others are to follow. including that of
every member of the Chamber who took
Panama money. The investigating COM
mittee have got hold of a check drawn by
the Panama company in favor of the late
Baron Reinach fer the sum OF 1890, 495
francs, and they want to know what this
was for They have information that it
was split up into twenty-six checks. which
were paid away TO divers persons by
Reinaeh. They want the names OF these
twenty-six people. They are on the right
track. 1t IS only by probing the scandal
to the bottom that the republic can prove
itself worthy Of existence.
We know how il is ourselves. Everybody
remembers the Credit MobIlier scandal, the
whisky frauds the Star route frauds, the
Pacific Mail investigation. In all these
cases, the Government Of the United States
pursued policy of remorseless search for
the facts. in spite of the appeals of timid
people whose motto was Addition, Diyis-
ion ana Silence" President Grant. some
OF whose intimates were involved, did net
falter with his duty. He gave the watch
word, LET no guilty man escape" and lie
stuck to it, even when his old brother-in-
arms, Belknap. fell under the weight of the
facts. TIE consequence was that public
confidence in our institutions, which had
been shaken by the disclosures was re-
stored, and the party which would have
been oYeTthrown if there had been an at
tempt to conceal the truth was actually
strengthened by its willingness TO court
Investigation. No party is permanently
hurt by the roguery of individual members;
but no party can afford TO screen them
when their roguery comes to light.
As in the case of the Waddington scandal
this Panama inquiry will give the political
undertaken some work. To careful OBJ
servers it was evident when the Panama
lottery scheme was before the Chant Der
that money was being used to influence
votes. Whether the aged De Lesseps was
personally involved is not known. Corpora
tons do not always take their head chief
into their confidence when dirty work has
TO be done. Ii is possible that NJ. de Les
seps was kept III the dark, and that he was
given hint not to look too closely into his
cash ledger. He had reached trying crisis
in his career. Relying upon his honesty
and his sagaciiy, the saving people of
France had put millions into scheme of
which sensible men foresaw the failure.
and in which he alone maintained his reso-
Lutte faith: To stop work was to lose all
that had been spent. To go on required
display of financial acrobatics which INTEL
ligence and probity could not sanction.
Then it was decided by himself. or his
agents, to obtain by fonl means the support
that could not be obtained by fair means.
1t had become apparent in the case which
grew ont Of the sale of decorations that in
many of the public men of the day the old
rules of honor and honesty had been re-
Taxed. Corruption is contagious disease,
and when once it becomes rooted it is diff
cult to eradicate. Under Napoleon the Third
everybody stole who could; the closer to the
throne the more rapacious the thieves. Un-
der the republic some honest men came to
the front, but back of them the old corrup-
tionists circled in search OF garbage, and
they often found 1t. bow much these spoils-
men made out of the annexation of Tunis
no one has ever known. No inquiry was
permitted. IL was found possible TO gag
every Paris newspaper. To the harpes the
Panama canal was a godsend. 1t was a
mich COW to the hungry adventures or the
Rougeon Maequart type. 1t was vulnerable
and ii was rich. 1t had done so many in
defensible things that il could not stand up
and give battle to the blackmaIlers. 1t had
to yield to their demands ana to pour out
among politicians, yenal editors and cou-
lissers money which should have been spent
in digging dirt On the Chagres River
And now the long iniquity has been
brought up with round turn, and some of
the rascals who, finding De Lesseps wounded
and faint by the roadside, robbed him of
his purse bid fair to terminate their career
in retreat where they will herd with the
burglar and the assassin