The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-14
SCOLDED BY MORGAN
SENATOR CALLS IN AGENTS or
 PANAMA COMPANY.
Questions Them Closely-Irsuehmsn Informed That They Have Nothing to Sell and Can
 Not Clear Title.
Washington Special to Chicago Record

Washington Special to Chicago Record Herald. W Nearly all of the members of the Sem ate Committee on Interoceanic Canals ex-
 pressed regret this afternoon that MT. Morgan of Alabama, chairm Tn of the
 committee. has entered on an investiga- ton of the offer of the Panama Canal Company in advance of formal submis- | sion Of the matter to Congress by the President Senator Morgan yesterday l handed the sergeant-a arms of the Sem ate A subpoeIa for M. Edouard Lampre. General Secretary of the Panama Com
 pany. to appear before the In,eroceanic Canal Committee today. The witness re- sponded to the subpoena, accompanied by M. Jules Boufve. Chancellor of the French embassy.
 While not attempting to disguise their disapproval of the action of MT, Moran.
 most of the members of the committee attended the meeting. Senatof Hanna
 was outspoken In declaring the inquiry | unwelcome at this time. He also stated | that the questions asked by MT. Morgan
 did not receive his support, and he em- phasized his displeasurA with the pro.
 ceedings by withdrawing. as did Sena- tors Turner, Mitchell and Harris. Tho latter three Senators resented what they termed the browbeating policy of MT.
 Morgan in examining MT. Lampre. Mir. Morgan was deserted by hie committee colleagues before he had finished thu .ex- l animation. They did not attempt to in- but one by one withdrew. Admiral Walkers Isthmian Canal CoH,- i mission will meet soon to examine tho | condition caused by the proposition of the Panama Canal Company. and may | decide to submit to tho President a supp
 plemental report. Until the commission | acts and the President has sufficient | to Congress. the Senators contend that Ethere should be no further proceedings
 by either house.
 M. Lampre admitted in reply to in- | auiries from MT. Morgan that he could not present before the committee any credentials authorizing him to make any offer. but explained that the credentials had been forwarded him from Paris and
 would shortly arrive. He explained fur- | ther in reply to questions from MT. Nor gan. that the new or present company Is composed of individuals and that the stockholders in the old or original Pan- anna Canal Company have no interest in
 the new.concern except through the rep-
 resentative of the French courts, who ia
 known as the liquidator. and that 1t was l a part of his duties to care for the claims of the old stockholders and look after
 their interests. The new company pre- poses to transfer to the United States Government for $400Oo. 900 it's title, rights, franchises and pSopeFty, with the excep-
 ton of about 1soooooo francs held in the treasury ,'sf 33 E
 o,aIs,v MT: Messsn ss sssa, assstien.a. N N; . Lansr.
 ma Company. & New Jersey organiza- uou, and developed that ig was organ
 ized for the purpose of buying out the
 French company and selling to the United Mir. Morgan not only questioned the witness at considerable length. but avaaI-
 ed himself of the opportunity to inform transaction. He said hc deeply regretted that a French company ahouId attempt
 70 take .s adyIaansage IalIg of the frisnSship be-
 not the say Gs ss ana as
 but the French people. He denounced the transaeuon as an enort to teEapt the United States to taking advantaEs
 fident that the United States would not,
 under any condition, become . party to any such, transaction; The bait Of
 no difference. in his opinion, whether the
 French Company asked Sl0e .0o0, 900, Che original proposition. or $4o0o0,ooQ The
 principle was the same.
 Incidentally MT. Morgan stated that the Panama property was not worth H cents, and went into detail to prove that
 States nothing worth having, and that If this government bought out the com
 pany, it would. for years to come, be
 rights of the stockhoidsrs in the old cora-
 pany. who numbered from 100000 to 500,- 900, and whose rights could not be ahen- ated by the liquidator or any one else.
 M. Lampre and the one or two Senators
 who had remained listening dn amaze
 ment to Senator Morgan's acoldihg. The prevailing idea now among Senators and
 rest until the Isthmian Canal Commits. sion can have opportunity to consider the question and make a new report AS
 experts familiar with the whole prob good deal more than MT. Morgan's dog
 matic denunciations of every one and
 everything that stands in the way of
 his pet project.
 Representatives of the sugar beet in- dustry in Michigan reached Washington
 today and started to work at once to
 convince members of Congress that no
 gar. They realize they are confronted
 with a difficult task in attempting 70
 countersct the sentiment in favor of con sessions by means of Cuban reciprocity and are severe in criticistng the man.
 agement of MT. oxnard. who was in.
 trusted with the care of the sugar beet interests They allege that he has been
 half hearted in the fight and d., has sontsr. sur.
 expected. The delegations from Wiscon: sin. the Dakotas; Nebraska, Kansas Kaan san ana
 to co-operate and come to Washington
 next week MT oxnsrd will .sa be virSSan rsPuai, deiegeti ton can have their way and the sugar beet people will organize for 8 fight to a finish. without quarter.
 As is generally the case when legtsla-
 tton is bending before Congress in which
 interested, rumors of scandal are thick
 and the air about the House ondrstsGn and Senate
 deals and betrayal. The sugar trust ie
 credited in some quarters with s1 ( contrOli.
 alleged to be scheming now to force ri-
 vals into bankruptcy by cheap Cuban sugar for the purpose of acquiring pos"
 session of the plants. The fight is growing
 extremely interesting and is rapidly de"
 veloping.