Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1893-02-25
IN DARKNESS
Ex-Seeretary Richard .Thomp-
son Was Kept,

Ex-Seeretary Richard W.Thomp-
son Was Kept,
When the Panama Bocdle Was Passed
Around So Promiscuously.
lie is Examined by the Cor gresslonal Com.
mittee-I he Colo1el Denies All Knowl-
edce of Corruption, and Explains
Certain Letters to De Lesseps.
IERRE iiAuTE, Ind, Feb. 1.-The |
testimony OF Col, r. W. Thompson,
chairman of the American Committee |
OF the Panama Canal Co., taken by the |
subcommittee OF Fellows congress-
ional committee here Monday, was in |
fun complete denial on the witness |
part OF any knowledge of corrupt use |
of money. Col. Thompson said he was
asked in October 1850. to become |
chairman of the American commit. |
tee Of the Canal Co. by jess Seligman,
and that he did not accept until he
had satisfied himself that he might |
do so in the furtherance of his views re.
specting the construction OF canal |
that would be under the authority of a |
Colombian charter, neutral of control |
by foreign governments and with su-
pervisory authority by the United |
States. He rendered his resignation
from President Hayes cabinet Deem.
Der 10, and, as he believed, with the APP |
proval of President Hayes, became
president of the American committee. |
He did not believe Mr.. Hayes message |
to congress was adverse TO the |
Panama canal more than to any otaer
isthmus canal that did not have the c)n-
sent of the United States. Col. Thonp-
son said his salary was fixed at l25U0O
francs year. to begin with Marh,
1881, and he was paid $50,00O for he
services he had rendered from the tine
of his resignation from the cabinet IN
I'll he was elected president of the COM
mittee. Later on in the investigation
he said he had Voluntarily reduced his
salary from S25 900 year to $l?, ,0oC in
the eighth or last year. when he unoer
stood the company was in financial
straits.
lie had told the committee that until
the Investigation began he did lot
know the New York bankers were each
"cceiving $50, COO year for their serv.
ices as members of the committee. Had
he known il he would have reduced his
own salary. He knew nothing Of the
details of the expenditure Of money,
| except the &4o,C a year for office en-
rense He considered it his duty to look
after the interest Of the canal in a gen
! >ral way and did all he could to popular
i2e it Ivy maintaining that it was being
constructed in compliance with the
| Monroe doctrine His argument be-
| fore the congressional committee had
been to disabusc the minds of all that
it was French corporation; to show
that it was private enterprise under a
| Colombian charter, and that neutrality
| Of nations was to be observed with
supervisory authority by the United
States. He studiously kept away from
! the lobby, and never caused TO be raid,
| directly or indirectly, dollar for cor
rnpt purposes.
Congressman Patterson, of Tennes-
sec. read freely from the letter-press
| copies of letters written by Col. Thomp-
son to De Lcssups. On December -
1854, he wrote: THE question is far
! we will bring it to u successful concu-
| sion. 1t viii require far more caution in
the future" Col. Thompson said he meant
| it would be a far more delicate ques-
ton because the Nicaragua treaty was
under consideration in the secret scs.
| sion of the senate. The witness wrote
pamphlet which was anonymously dis
tributcd from Baltimore that senators
might not know from where it termin-
nted In an other letter, dated Febru-
airy !, 1850 he said. at will be difficult
to convey to You full understanding
Of how we have conducted this contes,
and we must be very cautious"
The colonel said the treaty had beer
made by the adm nistration, ant, il
would have been unwise to have been
openly hostile to it. 1t might hare
been looked upon as an act of defiance.
lie made known to few senators, Mr..
| Voorhees, among them, that he was the
author of the pamphlet Congressman
Storer, of Ohio, read from letter in
which the colonel told De Lesscps he
believed the large expenditure of mon.
ey for materials in this country would
help popularize the canal, which belief
he emphasized Monday. In another
letter he referred to overcoming diff.
guilty" This he said meant such diff
cultics as the Nicaragua people were
responsible for, but that nothing bat
legitimate means were used in doing SO.
lie denied that any money had beer
spent within his knowledge to intlu
encc the newspapers, A man nameC
Lester had been paid S2C0 for mag
uzine article after its publication, bu'
this was done by De Lesseps orders
after the colonel had refused to pay the
amount He testified that when Dt
Lcsseps was in Washington, early il
1880, the Frenchman made no PROPOSE
ton to him to become president of The
committee. The offer came through
Seligman III October following. liz
knew little or nothing about Nathan
Apnleton. lie had met him u few
times but did not know just what hi
relation was with the canal company.
ladies' Pistol Practice.
MONTICELLO, Ga, Feb. 2l.--While ou
with party of young people, practic
ing pistol shooting, Miss Ina Kelly wa