Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-08-02


mach was handed 100000 francs. The
best he could do was to increase the
funds by G00,000,0O0 francs. and
Charles de Lesseps. the son, agreed for
the total said to be on hand to COM
plete the canal within three years.
The crash came in 1892 and moth
ing worthy of being compared with
it had been heard since the notorious
Mississippi bubble blown by John
Law. No way or chance of diverting
money appears to have been overlook
ed. Journalists were paid princely
sums to draw the most alluring pic
lures and induce subscriptions to
stock. Legislators were bought with
little regard to the price paid. Off
Gals drew the most exorbitant sala
RES and had favored subordinates to
help garner the golden harvest. How
widely the itching TO plumber the fund
extended is shown by the fact that in
1888 the Prime Minister ard his inn
mediate predecessor arbitrarily forced
the company to contribute $4,000
francs, not for canal building, but for
the good of France" a formula that
had been made to cover multitude of
sins. After the alleged turning of the
Hmelight on the situation there were
still 660,OOO,OO0 francs unaccounted
for.
Juror of excitement followed the
EXPOSE. Baron Reinach killed himself
some say because of remorse, others
say because he was bounded to death
nv menaces and attempts at black
mail His partner. Dr. Herr, a Bava-
rian lew, who had been wise enough
70 become naturalized in this country,
fed to England. and Arton, the GO
between, also decamped The papers
of the Baron showed the names of
many deputies who had been bribed
and papers that had been subsidized,
but they received little by way of
advertising and their schemes of PRO
noting" were so winked at that they
had no hesitancy in denouncing in bit
fer terms the legislators WHO had sold
out to the manipulators of the Panama
fraud. Eleven persons were criminal
ly prosecuted for completely, six of
them being ex-cabinet ministers. The
one doubly punished was NJ. Baihaut,
ex-Minister of Public Works, who had
the courage to plead guilty and was
denounced not alone by his colleagues.
but by the public. making the singu-
lar claim that his cSnfession showed a
lack Of patriotism. The matter was
taken up again in 1897. but even the
prosecuting officer helped to shut up
the scandal and to this day it is not
known where by far the larger share
of the missing funds went to. The
masses in France are exceptionally
honest, and it is strange contradic-
don that those OF the accused who
again ran for office had no trouble in
being reelected.
To form a judgment Of Ferdinand
de Lesseps it is essential TO know
something of his history prior to the
Panama affair. He was born at Yer
sailles in 1905. His grandfather had
been in the diplomatic service and his
father was consul to Egypt in the days
of :Mohammet Ali Ferdinand was
himself educated for diplomacy, and
II was because of his ability rather
than because he was a cousin OF the
Empress Eugene that he did diplo-
matte service in Spain, Italy. Egypt
and other countries. 1t was to Said
Pasha, who had just been appointed
viceroy of Egypt. that de Lesseps pre-
sented the project of the Suez canal.
Said Pash9 entered heartily into the
plan, subscribed for a large share Of
the stock which was sold sixteen years
later to England in Its movement TO
get control of the important water
way. Gladstone was friendly to tie
undertaking from the outset and help
ed il in that way of his which was so
effective. He was the great friend OF
de Lesseps and was like the people OF
France in regarding him as man OF
answering integrity. Powerful aid
was honestly given 10 the Suez enter
prise and the viceroy poured money
into it as needed
The Panama affair was a complete
reversal its pretended friends were
grabbers 0f the hungrieSt and most I'M
scrupulcas type. They ruined the IN
dertA.ing and the man who entered