The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-08
Washington
Day by Day

Washington, January 7.--(6peciai.)-ihe
lobby speaks not to dead wallis nor to Nv
ing ones: it works by the senses Of sight
and touch. more especially touch. Its
golden tentacles are now out and feeling
everywhere; its eyes Of Argus are seeing
all things many of which are to the or
binary vision not seeabie, and 1t is feel
Ing many things to the ordinary touch
not movable.
While little heed will be given by the
public at large to the debate on the
Nicaragua canal bill now In progress in
the House. but there will be widespread
anxiety TO knew the details of the vote
when the bill is put upon It's passage. as
all the people will wish to see the size
of the majority in It's favor and the
names of the minority opposing it. The
question in the House now is merely the
majority by which the bill will pass, its
passage being foregone conclusion.
The debate will be devoid of interest.
for the reason that nothing new can be
said for or against the cause, and every
body is familiar with the arguments on
both sides. This applies TO the House OF
Representatives.
When the canal bill reaches the Senate
there will be arguments against it of
which not even the dead walls, though
they have ears to hear, may catch so
much as a whisper of actual knowledge.
That proposition from over seas to sell
the Panama canal properties to this
country for a lump sum of forty millions
of money, coming In the fifty-ninth min
ute of the eleventh hour, is a poor trick
poorly worked. though long ago deter
mined upon. For a theatrical play upon
the international stage. nothing that we
know of has been bedecked in such cheap
tinsel or pinlsed In such cheap and trans
parent paint.
A little while ago the Panama properties
were offered tentatively, no actual price
being named. When the true character Of
that stage play had become thoroughly
known to the public on this side of the
Atlantic, as 1t was known all the time
to the American enemies Of the Nicaragua
canal, there was another and apparently
very sudden theatrical performance by
the French element in this gigantic con-
spiracy to defeat the demands of the
French Panama company and a majority
OF the directors resigned with all the APP
parent suddenness and haste that they
might manifest in rushing from some rot
ten building that was beginning to fall
upon them; a new directorate was speed
lily organized and a new president, or
chairman, Instantly chosen, in order to
swiftly make preparation for the third
scene in the newest, cheapest and ugliest
farce yet presented on the stage of the
nations. and which, II one were seeking
to name it, might be called:
Isthmian Canals: An International Con-
spiracy.
Behold an envoy speeding by first fast
ship across the ocean, empowered by
trunk full Of credentials to sound whom
soever he might upon the subject of the
transfer of the Panama properties to the
United States government Behold also,
three days behind this man of the trunk.
another and a mightier envoy, with full
power to sell and convey the rusty and,
ruined things. of French cupidity and
gullibility; the forbidding signs Of things
which drove one French ruler from pow
er, cost the French six hundred millions
of their money. and came perilously near
causing in France the most disastrous
of all its revolutions!
Having beheld this, we are prepared
for the third poor scene in the poor farce.
1t is this: One day after the arrival in
this country of the man with the trunk
full of credentials and while he lay snug
ly In his hotel bed two days before the
reach our shore, the cable was sudden
ly made hot by long message from
Paris to the man of the trunk and hotel
bed, empowering and directing him to
instantly offer the Panama properties to
the United States for $4,000, 900. He sped
to Washington, maybe by special train;
hurried with automobile swiftness to Ad-
miral Walker, chairman of the canal
commission; submitted the terms of the
cablegram from arts; and dashed away
without even asking the admiral out to
take a drink. In some thirty minutes
Admiral Walker had informed Secretary
Hay of the facts, as he was in duty
bound to do, and In some fifteen min
utes Secretary Hay had informed the
President as he likewise was in duty
bound to do.
That is the whole farce as it appears
upon the surface; but beneath it is the
scheming trickery of the American lobby
with millions to prevent the passing of
the Nicarauga Canal bill by the Senate.
The original tentative offer of the Panama
properties was a lobby trick; the reor-
ganization of the French company was
a lobby trick; the sending of the man
with the trunk full of credentials was a
lobby trick; the sending of the man with
full powers three days after the first
man sailed was lobbyb trick; the mes
sage that made the cable hot and pre-
cipitated the s40.0ooOO0 proposition was a
man sailed was a lobby trick; the mes
the many miliion-dollar scheme to defeat
the purposes of the American people re-
garding the Nicarauga Canal!
Will the scheme of the lobby be sue
cessful? Most likely not. But who may
say? When the silent forces of gold are
brought into action consciences are in a
world of instances efYectuaiiy stified.
The torrent of oratory has Joined the
flood Of bills and the deluge is come In
Congress.
THE committee realizing that it Is
exrfx, N H.