The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-03-18
THE NICARAGUA CANAL.
The President of the California Allianc
on the Subject.


70 the Farmers Alliance of the
state of California, Greetlng:-It
seems to me that the time has arrived
when l should again speak to the
members of this great Brotherhood
throughout the Pacific coast, and warn
them against the schemes of certain
parties to attempt to force congress to
guarantee the bonds of the Nicaragua
canal scheme. Some time ago there
was organized in San Francisco what
is known as the Traffic Association.
It purported to have been organized
for the purpose of obtaining some
relief from the robbery practiced up
on the producers of this coast by the
grasping railroad monopolies entering
this state from the East, and so far as
it worked on this line. it had our
hearty support. But this association
had no more than fairly organized.
when it was switched off upon
the Nicaragua canal scheme and thew
appointed committee to inquire into
the matter, and said committee re-
ported favorable to the bonds being
issued by the government and their
report was adopted by the association.
thus changing the object and intent of
the association from one to give us re-
lief from the pirate railroad corpora
tons to an institution to boom the
Nicaragua canal and they now threat
en- to intiict upon us a petition for that
purpose. Don't sign any such petit
ton! We have placed ourselves on
high ground upon this question, and
we mean to stand there until we get re-
lief. In the letter to the chamber of
commerce, I used this language:
"About the end of President Ar
thurs term he entered into treaty
with Nicaragua to guarantee the
protection of the canal but be-
fore the treaty was ratified
he promptly withdrew it. Warner
Miller and others came before con-
gress for a charter. pledging them
selves that the government would not
be asked for any assistance to build it.
The charter was granted upon these
terms which I believe they had no
more authority to grant without an
agreement to defend the territorial in
tegrity of the states where such in
terests lie, than they had to grant a
charter to build railroad from Paris
to Berlin. They are now willing to
take the government into partnership
upon the same old terms-Ghat it
should furnish the means and the COR
poration should pocket the profits.
Congress also chartered .'construc-
ton company" to build canal This.
l suppose. is a kind OF a Credit
Mobilier'' Or Contract and Finance
company. which you have probably
heard about before, chartered for the
purpose of dividing the profits among
three or four of the principal stock
holders. But Miller and others say
there is no risk to run by the govern
ment If this be So let them
put up their private means, of
which they have sufficient to build the
canal without any aid from the gov
eminent But suppose 500, O0O 900
would not complete the work, then
they would no doubt ask the govern
ment to take second lien. as in the
Pacific railroads. and the money given
them by the government would be
used to corrupt the members of con-
gress as in the former case. and the
courts would step in and declare the
corporation did not owe the govern
ment anything until the bonds were
DUE and in the end fear the United
States would have to pay the bonds
and interest as in the Pacific rail-
roads," In my message to the state
Alliance L used this language, Il
placed the Alliance on the highest
grounds in the Nicaragua canal letter
to the chamber of commerce. viz:
That the people of this nation had
voted their last sub dy to great cor
porations for the purpose of controlling
commerce. or Matching out q new
brood of millionaires. That if the gov
eminent desires to invest 500, 600 900
in the enterprise it must own the
canal and run it in the interests of
the people, In my letter to the
Bankers Magazine Sept. 10Th. 1891.
used this language. The people
OF this great country have voted their
last subsidy to build up monopolies
who Cypress them with the very gifts
SO generously bestowed. We believe
hereafter when the people furnish the
means for the construction of these
great public highways they should
own and control them. and run them
in the interests of the people. We
have already built all the great publ
highways to the Pacific Coast, and
paid for them by taxation, and they
are now used to Cypress the very
people who made the donation, and
are pressing us to the wall with their
thieving rates of fares and freights,
and while we subsidize the steamships
with thousands of dollars every year.
they enter into combinations to rob
the producers The Pacific Mail. after
receiving subsidies from the govern.
ment receives brides from Huntington
& Co. of $500, 900 year to keep VI
freights and fares by sea. Thi:
amount in addition to the subsidies,
we pay every year in the enhanced
price of freights. This canal would
be great benefit to the Pacific if two
things were DONE and only a curse
without them. The OWnershin Of tht