The advocate., 1892-02-24
CIRCULAR FROM THE PRESIDENT OF
THE CALIFORNIA STATE ALLIANCE.

BRETHRRN:--lt seems 10 me tnaG the
time has arrived when should again
speak to the members of this great
brotherhood throughout the Pacific
coast, and warn them against the scheme
Of certain parties to attempttO force Con-
gress' to guarantee the bonds OF the MIC
Rrsgua canal scheme. Some time ago
there was organized in San Francisco
what ls known as the "Trsf1c Asso-
clatlon." 1t purported to have been Or
Ranlzed for the purpose OF obtaining
some relief from the robbery practlCed
upon the producers Of this coast by the
grasping railroad monOpOlles entering
this state from the east, and 80 far as it
worked on this line, 1t bad our hearty
support. But this association had no
more than fairly organized, when 1t was
switched off upon the Nicaragua canal
scheme, and they appointed committee
20 inquire into the matter, and said COM
mIttee reported favorable to the bonds
being issued by the government, and
their report was adopted by the asso-
Ciatlon, thus changing the object and in
tent OF the association from one to give
US relief from the pirate railroad Corpo-
rations, to an institution to boom the Mic
aEagua canal, and they now threaten to
lnfllct upon US petition for that pur-
pose. Don't sign any such petitionI We
have placed ourselves on high ground
upon this question, and we mean TO
stand there until we get relief. In the
letter to the Chamber Of Commerce, /
used this language: "About the end Of
President Arthur's term, he entered into
q treaty with Nicaragua to guarantee the
protection Of the canal, but before the
treaty was ratified, Cleveland was inaug-
urated and he promptly withdrew It,.
Warner Miller and others then came be-
fore Congress for a charter, pledging
themselves that the government would
not be asked for any assistance to build
It. The charter was granted upon these
terms, which / believe they had no more
authority 10 grant without an agreement
to defend the territorial integrity OF the
states where such interests lie, than they
had to grant charter to build a railroad
from Paris to Berlin. They are now will
Ing to take the government into partner
ship upon the same old terms-that 1t
furnish the means, and the corporation
pocket the profits. Congress also char
tered "Constructlon Company" TO build
the canal. This suppose ls kind OF
"Credlt Mobeller," or "Contract and FL
nance Company" which you have prob
ably heard about before, chartered for
the purpose OF dividing the profits among
three or four Of the principal stockhold-
ers. But Miller and others say there is
no risk TO run by the government. II
this Is 80, let them put up their private
means, Of which they have sufficient to
build the canal without any aid from the
government. But suppose $1OOyOO00OC
would not complete the work, then they
would NO doubt ask the government To
take q second lien, as in the Pacific
railroads, and the money given them by
the government would be used to corrupt
the members of Congress as In the form.
or case, and the courts would step in and
declare the corporation did not owe the
government anything till the bonds were
due, and In the end fear the United
States would have to pay the bonds and