The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-02-03
SHOWS UP TEDDY
Sensational Charges Made
Against Him and Others
TO SWlNDLE PANAMA

Congressman RaIney Makes the Ac-
cusations and Declares That the
Present Administration and the
President-Elect Have Aided in
r. r. Frauds In Central America.
Washington, Jan. 26.-Represen-
tative Rainey, Of Illinois, this after
noon delivered a scathing and SEN
sational speech in the house, upon
the Panama canal purchase. He at
tackled President-elect Taft, William
Nelson Cromwell, a number Of New
York fnanciers, and others. He
said, In part:
ut Is to be regretted that the
time Of the president Of the United
States has been so much taken up
with outdoor sports and among the
pleasures of the lighter literature.
He knows nothing Of the drudgery,
physical or mental, that Is required
to arrive at matter Of fundamental
Importance.
DECLARATIONS of alleged facts. that
come with so much assurance and
such frequency from the White
House are not always entitled to the
weight we would like to give tC
communications from the chief ex-
ecutive of the nation. The state
ments with reference to Panama ca
nal matters are sometimes particu-
larly inaccurate.
"For some weeks the secret serv-
ice agencies of the government have
been at work investigating the senior
senator from South Carolina. They
have succeeded in discovering that
he used his frank Inadvertently In
private correspondence, and so de-
prived the government Of revenue
to the amount of two cents, and the
matter was considered important
enough to be embodied in a special
message from the president to con-
gress.
The senior senator from Massa-
chusetts, I believe, Is still invited
to White House dinners, is the prest
dents friend and advisor and the
cabinet maker Of the incoming presi-
dent. 1 have not heard of any secret
service agents disturbing the senior
senator from Massachusetts, and yet
he is directly, individually and SOL
emily responsible for the fact thai
on the first day of January Of this
year for the purposes I have named.
there was taken out Of the treasury
of the United States over one million
dollars.
1--WE have embarked nov upon the
stormy seas of Central American
politics. Our flag is floating nov
in the Isthmus of Panama. 1t seems
that the Constitution does not always
follow the flag. In fact, it has MOI
followed it at all in it's recent ramb'
lings, but a coterie Of New York Cit!
financiers follow 1t and flock aroun"
like v%ultures, wherever 1t goes
They have followed 1t to the Isthmus
of Panama and have already, undei
Its sheltering folds, pounded doWr
upon that defenceless little country
They have taken everything in thi.
country that Is not nailed down an
It was they that have commenced
their operations on the Isthmus OF
Panama.
1T becomes necessary now t.
know something about Central Amer
lea politics, and I desire to intro
duce to the country Senior Don Jose
Domingo de Obaldia. 1t is impor-
tant to know something about the
career of this interesting Spanish
American statesman"
Senior Obaldia's connection with
the Panama canal and its %purchas"
by the United States was then gone
into, the speaker declaring that
Obaldia and William Nelson Crom'
we'll, together with high officials al
Washington and elsewhere hai
agreed upon certain actions not tt
their credit.
There is pending now in the gen
eral assembly, Of Panama. he said,
1.-The most Infamous railroad propo'
sition ever submitted to any gov
eminent. That infant republic has
had no experience in building OF
managing railroads. This propo-
sition Is being seriously considered
and about to be adopted by the gen.
eral assembly. Randolph G. Ward,
Of the city of New York, is the per-
son who appears on record in the
matter and who seeks to get for his
successors, his heirs or assigns, most
valuable CONCESSIONS
Mr.. Cromwell's record, as general
counsel for the Panama canal com
pany was gone into and also his
legal connection with e. H. Harri-
man and the trans-continental rail-
roads. Mr.. Cromwell's organization
of an American syndicate to pur-
chase the canal was referred to. AT
ter he had obtained So 100000 out
of the 100000 subscribed for the
purchase Of the Nicaragua canal
project, Cromwell cropped that
scheme and sought to sell the Pan
m canal company to the United
States sovernment for s1O9, 900, 900,