Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-12-09
A TEMPEST IN
A TEN-P|N ALLEY

H ltW-1W HLltI
The rabid alteration be ween tae
president, on the one hanl, and
Messrs. Laffan and SIN N. the edit
ors respectively of the New York
Sun and the Indianapolis Nsws, on
lie other hand, will tend rather TO
confuse han to enlighten the gan-
raj public. This IS s'inctly un-
fortunate. ven thus late the truth.
the whole truth and moth ng bat
the truth touching, let us say, the
panama matter-though long ago
closed chapter-might be turned to
some moral account and made to
serve the ends OF retributive just ce
because it involves one OF 1Ae very
greatest stock-jobbing deals ever in
all the world brought to successful
achievement.
Tho president is clearly d singer
uous when he says, as to the money
paid by the government OF the UNI
ted States to the French company
for its rights, ca ms and assets in
Panama: The United States did
not pay a cent of the 100000 900
to any American citizen
THE fact has been officially pub
!'shed again and again that the gov
eminent paid $4,000, 900, and that
it pa this $4O.OOO,OOO direct to
the French government getting a
receipt of the liquidator appoint, d
by the French government 20 re-
Give the same"
THE United States government
has not the slightest knowledge as
TO the particular individuals among
whom the French government dis
tr buted the sum. The mere suppo-
sition that any American received
rom the French government a
rake-off' is too absurd to be dis
cussed II is an abomlnable false
| hood"
so far as l know, there was no
5ynd cate; there certainly was no
syndicate in the United States that
to my knowledge had any dea 'ings
W tn the government, directly or
Indirectly"
In 5his We say the president /.
iisingenuous. His phraseoloCy -
misleading. From II one might in
Ter that the matter lay between me
government Of the Tn tel States
and the government OF France.
Such is not the fact
The story is briefly as follows:
After the complete failure, collapse
and bankruptcy Of the orig nal De
Lesseps Canal Company, involving
immense scandal and widespread
loss to the shareholders. mainly,
if not exclusively French-the af-
fairs Of the company rel gated to
he French courts OF lava new
company was organ zcd in Paris to
| purchase and take over the holdings
Of the old company. There were
many delays and a Great deal Of
ito cation. But, finally, this was ac-
comphshed. It is alleged that che
new company paid the oil company
sixty millions OF francs. or about
twelve millions or dollars For such
d am The new company got the res
iue of the limited franchise grant
ed the OIL company by the RepubTc
OF Colombia and whatcy property
tho oil company mad iI Panama, OF
| elsewhere; mostly obsolete machin.
cry and a few sink holes, as was
believed by many in clligcnt people
conversant with the situation and
has been often charged.
The old company was wiped out
lock. stock and barrel New bonds
we're issued by the new company
| Obv ous'y, unden'ably, the purpos,
OF ;he promoters" was to sell the
newly acquired properties and
nights to the United states
The president o. the new compa
ny came over with an offer OF on,
hundred ana fty mlll.ons-iI
round numbers more or less, whiol
he reduced TO a hundred mill IONS
st'll more or less--we are wr tin.
without the exact figures merely t,