St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-30
BRIBERY IN AMERICA.
Millions OF the Panama Canal
Fund Sent to This Coun-
try.
No Explanation Ever Given OF
What Use Was Made Of
This Sum.
Congressman Change Opinion
After the Visit Of De
LeSseps.
Probability That Congress
Will Institute an Inves-
tigation.

in bribing American legislators. In
brief, the article says:
'There is an American end to the
Panama scandal. Two million five hun
| dred thousand dollars was sent to this
country, and no explanation has been
| given Of what use was necessary or was
made of this vast sum. The bribery and
corruption practiced in the United
States was just as fragrant. al
though less in extent and in the
amount of money used. The
| French spectators obtained their
| Colombia and purchased the services of
| Ferdinand de LesSeps to give their
scheme eclat. The farce of canal
congress- which met at Paris on May
| Is, 1879, was enacted, and in the face of
Intelligent opposition packed commit
tee on the selection of a location chose
the Panama route from sea to sea. Soon
after the Paris canal congress dissolved
Gen. a. E. Burnside, senator from
Rhode Island, introduced resolution
on the subject in congress. 1t read that
the United States views with serious
disquietude any attempt by the powers
of Europe to establish under their
| Protection and Domination
ship canal across the ISthmus of Pan
ANA. Gen. Burnside, in private conyer-
sation. indicated that he foresaw that an
attempt would be made to influence
| congress, and he has stated that he in
| trOduced the anti-canal notice with the
| intention of anticipating any work Its
| promoters might attempt at Washing
ton. No sooner was the Burnside res
| olutiOn made public in France than
there was much discussion in financial
circles and by the press. The investing
public soon formed an impression
that the United States government
would not tolerate canal built by
| Frenchmen. The remembrance of tie
occupation of Mexico by Napoleon I'LL,
and Of the prompt withdrawal of French
| troops in response to the request of Mr.
! Seward a request that was made after
an order for the concentration of 100000
| seasoned veterans Of the Union army in
| Texas was iSSued-WaS fresh in the
| minds of the members of the bourSe.
| There was much head shaking, and
| friends of De LessepS advised against
the attempt to float the canal project"
After this follows review OF the his
tory of the Panama canal project, in
Guiding the arrival of Nj. de Lesseps in
the United States. The article COLI
tInues:
Hayes s'NPrOclamatfon.
"President Hayes received the
| Frenchman courteously, and after listen
ing to the compliments and plausible
assertions of the canal promoter pa
tiently, responded that the 'peO-
pie of the United States were
convinced that they must have
| the preponderating influence over the
canal. whoever might build it, Presi-
dent Hayes was stirred by the presence
of De Lesseps, and he fastened to send
! to the senate message. A senate reSo-
luton, offered July IL, 1880, called upon
the president for copies of correspond
ence between the government and for
eign countries respecting a ship canal
between the two oceans. In the mes
sage President Hayes thought he had
struck radical blow at the French
scheme. He stated that the policy of
| this country is canal under
American control. The United States
cannot consent to the surrender
of their control to any European power
| or to any combination of European
powers. If existing treaties between
the United States and other nations, or
if the rights of sovereignty OF property
! of other nations stand in the way of this
policy-a contingency which is not ap-
rehended-suitabe steps should be
taken to promote and establish the
American policy on this subject, con-
sistently with the rights of the nation
to be affected by it,
DE Lesseps' Coup.
"The message to the senate was a
staggering shock to De LesSeps and
those he had gathered about him. He
waved his arms above his head, uttered
a series OF voluble invectiyes, and then
paced the floor, endeavoring to cOmpre-
hend the extent of the assault on his
pig money-making plans. He was at
Washington to produce effects that
would quiet the apprehensions of
the French investing classes that
the United States would interpose
objections to the passage of the work at
Panama. No sooner had he reached
Washington than the head of the Ameri-
can government issued a proclamation
against foreign control of any canal.
10 think was to act. De Lesseps
banked on the confidence his country
men placed in himself. Among those
who accompanied the count to
America was his friend NJ. de
Bionne. who afterwards died at the
isthmus. Turning to M.-de Bonne De
LeSSeps quietly said: Gable Charles
(de Lesseps) that the message of the
president assures the political security
Ol IuC Ctldl' DltGCG Ilitii W give Out W
the newspapers my message The
sublimity of this piece Of bounce was
| inconceivable, but the success which
| followed De Lessep's coup OF March was
marvellous.
Before the Committee
"The select committee of the house
was in session, and the day before Pres
Ident Hayes issued his message De
Lesseps appeared before them. His
good friend Appleton engineered the
invitation and acted as Interpreter for
the count, who could speak little or no
English. From the first to the last De
| LesSeps endeavored to miSlead the COM
mittee. On July Z, 1880, De Lesseps
organized in New York that which he
regarded as master stroke OF policy
and called it the American committee.
The alleged purpose of this associa
ton was to represent The interests of
| the company In everything that con-
Germs the observance of tile neutrality
of the canal, as defined by article 5 of
the law of the concession of the United
States of Colombia. This was to con-
firm the impression he had created in
France that America was friendly, as
we'll as to lead the people of the United
States to think that the interests of
their country were being favoraDly con-
sidered by the canal company.
''Soon after De Lesseps returned to
France he announced that all problems
had been solved and difficulties
smoothed over. The opposition in
America, he announced, had been
quashed by the formation Of commit
tee with the following agreement: The
American committee shall represent in
the United States the interests of the
company in everything that concerns
the observance of the
Neutrality of tlae Canal,
and. moreover, the committee shall rep
resent the company in any other matters
for which the company may request CO.
opera ion, not only during construction,
but during the working of the canal.'
..Hha Amaricnn cninInitien Nas ,lnt