The sun., 1903-11-24

procured the original concession from
Colombia on which the De Lesseps en-
terprise was based. He now seems to
view the prospect of the completion OF
the canal by the United States Govern
ment with the emotions of very much
disappointed promoter and soured man.
for he says.
The inpudent attitude Of the Washington Gov
eminent should have the effect Of arouslng France
and bringing about common action by the Euro
pcan Governments agalns, the American peril and
also OF proving to the most incrcdulpus the I'm
mense importance Of piercing the lsthmns"
He then goes on to suggest a European
combination in support OF Colombia, a
despatch of European squadrons to es-
cort the Colombian troops to the lsthmus,
and he even expresses the opinion that
the Colombian Government would be
warranted in ssi2ing the persons OF
Minister BEArPEE and other American
residents az BoGota. Hc says:
When We have to deal with dangerous luna,ics
or hlghwaymen. 1t Is rendering service 10 all to
defend one sself even by excessive means"
These remarks concerning the United
States Government indicate Mr.. WYsE's
present condition of mind We refer to
lis rawlings merely because they give us
an opportunity to offer in contrast the
views Of the late Count FERDINAND DE
LEssEPS himself on what Mr.. WisE calls
"the American peril.
Lieut.. WYSE was present, We believe,
at dinner given by some of the leading
citizens of New York in honor of Count
DE LEssips at Dclmonico's on March |,
1880, during the visit which he made to
this country at that time in the hope of
enlisting American capital in the canal
enterprise. In the course of his speech
Count DE LFssFPs said:
" In our negotiations relating TO the opening of
the Panama Canal. for which have the concession
from the Government OF Colombia, formally an
nounced that had political Interest In the affair.
and that | sought especial advantage for my
own country
Il repeat frankly 10 day this declaration. and
will tell the President Of the United States, whom
him next SATURDAY, at Washington. that, II ever
politics should he mixed up in the question. shall
be tery hgppy 70 hare recourse TO the protection Of the
United states
Thc unnsd States hare. By rjgrt. ;ie prcenfnence
in Mfs enterprise, and Is nnu conrotion they rH
secure a. Science has declared that the canal is pos
S'bc. and am the servant OF science, will carry
this work to successful result, and 1t will make
America queen Of the seas"
These sentiments and this remarkable
prophecy by DE LEssEPs will interest
many others besides Mr. LUCIEN NAPo-
LEON BoNAPARTE WYsE, who heard it
at the time hut must have forgotten, it.
VIII the Extra Session Prove Abor-
tive?
1t now seems probable that the Senate
and House of Representatives will ad-
journ this week. formally or practically,
and that the Cuban Reciprocity bill,
already passed in the latter chamber, will
not be voted on in the former until Dec.
18, after the opening of the first regular
session of the Fifty-eighth Congress.
Does it follow that the extra session will
have proved entirely fruitless and will
simply have imposed upon the country
a good deal of needless expense?
II is probable enough that the Demo-
cratic Senators responsible for the ap-
parent Illustration of the President s
programme have desired to administer
lesson to Mr.. ROOSEVELT and to repre-
sent his call for an extra session Of Con-
gress as an exhibition of superhuous
strenuosity. They have wished to make
him understand that he cannot have his
own way in legislation, but must reckon
with the minority in the upper branch
Of the Federal Legislature. He con-
voked Congress in extra session for the
proclaimed purpose of rendering i'm
medately operative the Cuban Reci-
procity Treaty. but he omitted to secure
the assent OF Democratic Senators to
the iufilmcnt Of his design. Under
the rules Of their chamber they have
the power to thwart him, and they have
used it, inasmuch as the Senate has
never sanctioned the closure of debate
by the so-called previous question, ="
or any other parliamentary device, it
is obvious that members of the minority
can, by exercising their privilege of
speaking on the bill before the chamber,
defer the taking of n vote for an indeii-
rite period.
N will Ne remembered that, in the
extra session called by President CLEvE-
LAND in 1903, the repeal of the purchasing
clause Of the Sherman act was author
lied by the House of Representatives
with reasonable promptitude, but was
held up In the Senate by dilatory debate
for about sixty days. We will remind
the tenant OF the White House, certain
Senators are reported to have said, of
the reply made to GLENDowER by Hot
-SuR. The boastful Welshman had as
serted: Il can call spirits from the vastly
deep To which HARRY PERCY re-
joined: "But will they come when you
do call them?"
When Mr.. TELLER and other spokes-
men Of the Democratic minority In the
Senate announced that they would not
permit a vote to be reached on the Cuban
Reciprocity bill during the two weeks
that will intervene before Dec. 7, when
CounreAa will meet IN reo1llar session