The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-29
WANTS INVESTIGATION
OF CANAL PURCHASE
CROMWELL, FARNHAM AND c.
P. TAFT DENOUNCED.
Congressman Rainey Makes Sensa-
tional Speech as to Panama Can
al Purchase.


Washington, Jan. 26.-Chargins
that William Nelson Cromwell, Roger
L. Farnham, Charles P. Taft and 9th
ers are parties to the "most Infamous
railroad proposition ever submitted
to any government and that they
"are being permitted not only to rob
the Republic Of Panama, but indirect
ly the treasury Of the United States, y
Representative Rainey, Of Illinois, to-
day directed the searchlight of pub
hcity upon affairs in the Canal Zone
in startling speech in support of his
resolution providing for an investi-
CATION by congress Of the Panama
Canal purchase. "1n their efforts
in this direction,'' he continued,
"they have had so far the complete
cooperation and active assistance Of
the present Administration, and of
the next president of the United
States.'
Mr.. Rainey traced the history Of
the proposed canal four hundred
years back, and warmed !hat We have
already started in the direction of the
rocks upon which the French COM
panies were wrecked.
Referring to the governments libel
suit against the New York World and
the grand jury investigations now in
progress in this city and in New
York, Mr.. Rainey said:
eff we are to carry this project
through to successful conclusion we
must avoid graft. It is not the part
of wise craftsmanship to dispose of
resolutions asking for an investiga-
ton of any phase of the canal ques-
ton with the sweeping and absolute
ly unsupported official declaration
that there is nothing to investigate.
It is not the part Of sound statesman
ship and true patriotism to attempt
to revive the obsolete common law re-
medies of two hundred years ago, and
to employ all the tremendous agencies
of the government in attempting to
crush newspapers which have had the
courage to call attention to ques-
tionable transaction dn connection
with the canal
He submitted for record various
papers and documents in support OF
many allegations contained in the
speech.
Cromwell Bitterly Denounced.
Mr.. Rainey was particularly bitter
in his denuneiation Of MIR. Cromwell,
General counsel for the new French
Panama Canal Company and counsel
and director Of the Panama railroad,
which is owned by the United States
government. He charged that
"through the manipulations Of Mr..
Cromwell the French Canal company
was permitted to steal from the Unit
ed States government three or four
million dollars.'' And that after he
chad become an officer in fact Of the
United States, he became a party to
an attempt to collect from the United
States a fraudulent claim on the part
of the Canal company Of $2,2OO,OOo.
He also was unsparing in his at
take upon Don Jose Domingo de Qbal-
dia, president Of Panama, who, he
said, represented ''as no other Span
ish-American statesman in his genera
ton all that is corrupt in Spanish
American politics.
"Without Obaldia,'' he stated,
"Cromwel's career would have been
impossible. Without Cromwell, Obai-
dia would have been impossible.
Against President-ele Taft, now
en- route to the Canal Zone, Mr..
Rainey directed the accusation that
on the occasion of his last trip to
Panama in May "he did nothing on
the Isthmus except to openly push
the candidacy Of Obaldia for the
presidency He asserted that a
very thinly yelled threat to seize the
Republic if Obaldia was not elected
was contained in a letter written by
Mr.. Taft to the then President Amar-
ado, ard that to prevent this Arlas,
Obaldia's opponent, withdrew:
PRESIDENT Attack on Tillman.
Reference to President Roosevelt S
recent attack on Senator Tillman was
made by Mr.. Rainey in asserting that
Senator Lodge, Of Massachusetts, was
responsible for the expenditure on 81
January l last of over one million dol
lars for the purchase Of the steam
ships Shawmut and fremont tor the
Panama Railroad company. which the