The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-22
TO EXPOSE CRAFT
Rainey of Illinois, in a Speech
in the House,
Declares That Is Mission as Re-
CARDS the Panama Canal.
FIGHT ONLY BEGUN.
Notifies His Opponents That
Surprises Are i'm Store.
Reviews at Length the So-CalIed
Cromwell Treaties.

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 "villifcation,
Misrepresentation and abuse almost
without parallel in the history of that
body" Representative Rainey of Hi
nois today delivered in the house a
lengthy speech in reply to the charges
that the information upon which his re-
marks were based was obtained from
| l'ex-convicts and blackmailers," this
accusation having been made openly in
the house by Representative 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
into which the French companies fell,
and I propose to do this whether ii
meets with the approval of the next
president of the United States or not
l want to say to all those who are
spending so much time abusing me
fight. I have only trained my guns on
some of the least Objectionable features
in connection with Panama matters
Only Attacked Graft.
Representative Rainey declared that
he did not attack the canal, but simply
enterprise. He asserted that Represen-
tative Lowering had not attempted to
deny a single fact he had stated, but
after making his charges proceeded to
eulogize William Nelson Cromwell. II
never heard until he made his speech
that any persons were trying to get
Mr.. Cromwell to purchase any alleged
evidence of guilt of Mr.. Cromwell" he
said. II knew nothing of any attempts
to sell any story to the Democrat ma
tionaI committee until the gentleman
made his speech on this floor
Mr.. Rainey further stated that in
the evidence he produced in support
of his charges of graft in connection
with the buying of the canal nearly all
was obtained from Panama. Then he
added:
1.-The attack made was entirely un-
expected and the next attack I make
upon these gentlemen will be just as
entirely unexpected by them when it
comes" Continuing Mr.. Rainey said:
Mr.. Cromwell in the speech made
by him through Mr.. Olcott On. "
has seen fit to discuss his present ef-
forts to conclude a treaty between
Colombia and Panama in which he
refers to the necessity for some con-
tribution from Panama to Colombia |
as her proportion of the public debt |
of Colombia"
The Cromwell Treaties.
Referring to these as the proposed |
Cromwell treaties Mr. Rainey assert |
"change the Hay-Bunau Varilla treaty |
as to impose upon this country an ad-
ditional burden of $1,120,000 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 for five years !
after 1913 the $25O,00O we agreed to |
pay Panama shall be paid to Colombia |
direct. In other words by the treaties |
of which he is so proud, Panama de- |
prives herself for five years of her |
fixed sources of revenue and consents |
that it be paid to Colombia, and the |
United States contributes from its |
$1,250,000 and pays it to the |
treasury of Colombia. I know of no |
precedent for Cromwell's treaties No |
people in the world after successfully |
com pleting a revolution have ever
been called upon to pay any portion
of the debt foreign or domestic of the
from which they separated.
1.-THE situation Mr. Cromwell is en-
that the United States is to be re-
quired to increase its treasury deficit
and to pay to Colombia $1,250.000; |
Panama improverishes herself by Civ
Ing up the $1,200,000 clearly belong
ing to her and gives up for five years
after 1913 the revenue we propose to
pay her. In return for this Panama
are to be admitted to the lucrative po-
sitions on the canal zone in our ser
vice and ultimately in order to per-
NIT Panama to recoup her loss on ac-
count of the Cromwell treaties. she is
to be permitted to levy taxes upon the
army of Americans and other en-
ployes we have sent to the Isthmus for
the purpose of building the canal"
f'These treaties" continued Mr.. |
Rainey. "have already been approved |