The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-23
ATTACK upon
PANAMA GRAFT
BY Mr.. RA|NEY
Illinois Representative Replies
to Recent Remarks by
MIR. Lowering.
BURTON DEFENDS THE
CROMWELL CHARACTER
INDICATIONS THAT CANAL SCAN
DIAL WILL BOB UP FROM TIME
TO TIME IN THE HOUSE.

Washington. Feb. 22.-AsSerting that
his recent speech in the house relative
to the purchase by the United States
government of the Panama canal had
brought upon himself ''vilifcation.
misrepresentation and abuse almost
without a parallel in the history of that
body" Representative Rainey OF Hi
nois To-Day delivered in the house of
representatives a lengthy speech in re-
ply to the charges that the information
upon which his remarks were based
was obtained from "ex-convicts and
blackmaileTs." this accusation having
been made openly in the house by Rep
rcsentative Lowering of Massachusetts.
True loyalty to this great enter
prise" Representative Rainey said,
means that you must expose and de
nounCe all kinds of graft in connection
with it in order to avoid the pitfalls in
which the French companies fell, and
propose to do this whether it meets
with the approval of the next president
of the United states or not. I want to
say to all those who are spending so
much time abusing me- that I have not
yet commenced this fight. l have only
trained my guns on some of the least
Objectionable features in connection
N4AfA 4 ctAlciliic hlutA0AS-
Attack Upon Graft
Representative Rainey declared that
he did not attack the canal but simply
attacked the graft connected with the
enterprise. He asserted that RepTesen-
tative Lowering had not attempted to
deny a single fact that he had stated.
but after making his charges proceeded
to eulOgize William Nelson Cromwell.
I never heard until he made his speech
that any persons We're trying to get
Mr.. Cromwell to purchase any alleged
evidence Of the guilt Of Mr.. Cromwell. -
he said. 4 knew nothing of any at
tempts to sell any story to the Demo-
cratic national committee antil the ger
tlenan made his speech on this floor. ~
Mr.. Rainey further stated that in the
evidence he produced in supporting his
charge of graft in connection with the
buying of the canal, nearly all was Oh
tanned from Panama. Then he said:
The attack 1 made was entirely IN
expected, and the next attack I make
upon these gentlemen viii be just AZ
entirely unexpected by them when it
comes
Cromwell Treaty Making Power.
Continuing. Mr.. Rainey said:
Mr.. Cromwell, in TIE speech made
by him through Mr.. Olcott IN. ". has
seen fit TO discuss his present efforts to
conclude a treaty between Colombia
and Panama. in which nc refers to the
necessity for some contribution from
Panama to Colombia as her proportion
of the public debt of Colombia
Referring to- these as the proposed
Cromwell treaties Mr. Rainey as
serted that Mr. Cromwell proposes to
so change the Hay-Bunau Varilla treaty
as to impose upon this country an al
ditiOnal burden of 81, ESQ, 600. And he
proposes that this sum shall be taken
from our treasury and paid. not to
Panama, but to Colombia In addition
to that he proposes that fer five years
after 1913 the S250,OO0 we agreed to pay
Panama shall be paid to Colombia
direct I'm other words, by the treaties
Of which he is so proud. Panama de-
priveS herself for five years of her fixed
source of revenue and consents that it
be paid to Colombia and the United
States contributes from its treasury
81 100000 aud pays it to the treasury Of
Colombia. I know of no precedent for
Mr.. Cromwel's treaties. No people in
the world after successfully completing
a revolution have ever been called upon
10 pay any portion Of the debt, foreign
or domestic, of the country from which
they separated.
What the Treaties Mean.
''The situation Mr. Cromwell is en-
deavoriug to force by the treaties is
that the United States is to be required
to increase its treasury deficit and to
pay to Colombia 81, 600: Panama i'm
pOverished herself by giving up the
81, 100000 clearly belonging to her. and
give up for five years after 1913 the
revenue we propose to pay her. In re-
turn for this Panamans are to be ad-
mitted to the lucrative positions on the
canal zone in our service, and ultimate
" i'm order to permit Panama to re-
coup her losses on account of the CrOm-
we'll treaties, she is to be permitted to
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