Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-24
THE HONOR OF DE LEsssPs.

French merchant who came to
TINS country less than five years ago,
and who has kept in touch with cur
rent events in France, says that the
reports OF a protest by the French
people against the sentence imposed
on Ferdinand de Lesseps are entirely
unfounded. He asserts that the
french newspapers are protesting
against the verdict of the court, says
the New York Sun, but that in this
case, the press, instead of rejecting
public opinion, Us trying to form it.
You must not forget" said he,
that almost every editor and pro-
prletor of a Partisan newspaper came
In for part of the pillage of the peo-
pies savings by accepting fancy
prices as bril- es for suppressing news.
These men were, at least morally,
accomplices, and their opinion of the
sentence, therefore. is obviously
BIASED, and consequently of no az
count
1.-The real opinion we want is that
of the people, of the 100, O0J bourgeois
who have been a'e ost ruined by this
Immense jobbery, and of the families
OF those, more numerous than one
would think, who have been driven
to suicide. Their opinion Will be
found very different These men
cannot find words violent enough to
assail the name of De Lesscps, nor
any punishment too severe to be ap-
piled to him. znl their opinion. in
spite of what the trench newspapers
OF to-day may say, will be that of
history. for when light shall have
been thrown on thc truth concerning
the Suez canal. 4 it has been on the
dealings at Panama. DE Lesseps will be
classed among the greatest robbers
of modern times.
''As far as the SueZ canal is con-
cerned the end nay have justified
the means, for the time being. at
least. But it is nevertheless true
that as result OF tue SucZ thclts,
which were even greater than those
of the Panama, the tonnage tax,
which ought not to have been more
than two francs, is now ten francs
Tor vessels passing through the canal.
The way in which De Lcsseps came
to be connected with the construc-
.ioii VI tno Hue~ canal was, % say
me lodsC Oh H. IecullaF' Napoleon
l. wanted to attack England through
India, After making himself master
OF Egypt, and ne conceived the idea
VI PlSrc1hS l'e lsthmus, lie sum-
i = p" coiilllls9Ion OF eHSlscers
- ON rF"lSe WIN NOME ana
-"l'i"ce Ut Ile heau OF IT, " men the
cH@iAeers arrived II kSypt ana began
iAef AFes ugaJlohs' they found
n.~eeS OF lhe Ola canal puilt by
Ih%faoh, ana they adopted the old
me IN the plan winch they made Tor
napoleon. II was estimated that the
l nIl nus coula De pierced Tor %. ooo'-
~ lI%Ios' anu UlG emperor ordered
tha' the "oFk sAonIu De begun snort
~ aItefWard' as Is well known, he
was IoFceu 10 return 10 france hIe-
peE was d9s"sslhated, lhe course OF
Po4I'Ic"l "H"lrs II the euplte was
"h9eU' anu Vno "orh aI ouez
CANT " s'dhus ulll'
some years laIer, III tne reign OF
LOUIS IhIlippe, ferdlhahd lie Lesseps
was appointed french consul at
CAIRO, ana by curious streak OF
luck ne discovered one day, IN the
local arcnlves' Ine plan Tor the Suez
oaiaI WliIcn ilaI oeel niaue oy Monge
anu hapIace. ne oesah ms NE as
pirate oy apProprlatlng THESE plans,
ioreseelnS thab some aay ne should
De able TOT them to his advantage.
"hen Inc second empire was lnaugu-
ratea Napoleon III. married Eugene
9e MonulJo, VINO was COUSIN OF De
LesSeps. 1hls MADE an opening Tor
bne latter ana ne submitted ms
plans TO Napoleon ILL., with an oner
10 oullo tne Canal LOT Ioo'ooo'oOo
francs WIN Ihe assistance OF hls
cousin the empress and OF the
khedlVe' lsmall fasha' VINO came IN
II was possible TO borrow bUJ, OOO, OJO