The citizen., 1913-08-22

canal feels bound TO use tnat phrase
and though it is trite, it is no less
true
Possibly when Balboa first stood on
the Peak of Darien" and gazed en-
RANGED at the waters of what he called
The Southern sea the thought of cut
ting through the isthmus came TO nlm.
Certainly, within three years after MS
great discovery or in 1916. he had
transported two ships, in pieces, across
from the Atlantic to the Facinc anu
there put them together.
1t could not have been very mucn
later that the idea of an lstnmlan
canal was born, for during the REIGN
Of Philip II. of Spain (l556f1598) the
(nouisition declared that sdny such pro-
lect to alter the face %of the earth was
tmpious. and the Spanish ruler forbade
It's further discussion. The ban Of the
church wass effective for some time.
but in 1909 Scotchman of the name
Of Patterson revived the scheme, es-
tablisShed colony on the shores of
the5 isthmus and even made a crude
uAlrvey of the proposed route. Gale
| Snian bay, on the north shore of Pan
! fCna. alone preserves the memory of
lat attempt. French scientists in
e35 advocated a Nicaragua canal, fifty
lars later the Spanish government or
red a survey of the Darien route,
ID early in the nineteeth century Won
nnlmboldt declared a canal was prac-
III able. In 1925, Immediately after
latin America had freed itself from
Grain, the Central American and
%rited States Atlantic and Pacific Ca
iol company was organized, and one
~ the directors of the concern with
&, high-sounding name was Dewitt
r, nton. Various schemes were start
+. and fell through. and in 1895 the
ar,ited States senate voted for the
Ldlding of Nicaragua canal. An ex-
oelition was sent to that country and
Iorted that the canal could be con-
- = ucted at a cost of $25,000,000
DAfter the Cival war there was much
negotiating by our government for
venal concession, but when the Mica
Staua route seemed to be the favorite
tne Bogota government became impa-
% y 1T and gave the concession for a
< lama canal to Lucien Napoleon
Ralaparte Wyse, a French lieutenant.
wit made some maps and organized
boupany which sold out to the tinan-
cars with whom Ferdinand de Lesseps
dew associated himself
!i.s Albert Edwards in his admirable
~ re TX on Panama thus describes the
ma sinning of the tragedy Of de Les
1t j.s and his company:
uouThe digging of the Suez canal was
the. accomplishment of his life. All
owl vigor and energy had gone into It.
en- came back to Paris literally carried
;no the shoulders of his nation. The
made him 'comte' and
mes people called him lie grand Fran
hnas.' But he fell among thieves. The
sen man tumbled blindly into the trap
hgtspeculators, who foresaw rich har-
wNi'it in the drawing together Of his
lat name and the shady concession
a Lieutenant Wyse. They set the
lw,ge by summoning the scientists of
=. world to great congress to dis
inds an Atlantic-Pacific canal. A.
d )ugh it was called scientific con-
Drlhss, most Of it's 1876 members were
eculators and politicians. Only forty
81; o were engineers or geographers.
,a icy elected Count de Lesseps, rail-
.onaded through a resolution that the
Iesnama route was the only practicable
he e, and formed the Universal Inter
aveanic Canal company by buying the
'talyse concession for 10,000,000 francs,
ol fore the bona fide members Of the
ngress knew what had happened and
90 -, the face Of much protest. There
IN be little doubt that the congress
Ms packed like ward caucus, but
ndere is no evidence that de Lesseps
lotalized that 1t was.
;. THE company was launched with
- any banquets, fiorid speeches by lie
cand Francois, and champagne with
er 1t end And all the time those who
.ssere on the inside were playing the
irtarket from both ends, sending the
i9ocks tumbling down the steps of the
ef'ourse on a manufactured report that
y ,le United States was again waving
me Monroe Doctrine. shooting them
.cp again with misquotation from the
Aresident's message to the effect that
ene were enthusiastic in favor of the
iy rench enterprise. A sorrier exhibi-
non of constituencies finance has sell
ON been seen"
,r, Old de Lesseps, however, was in
N arnest. He sent over engineers who
o scovered that Wyse's maps were in
E s,cur2te and that yellow fever was
y ea.1iy. Then in December, 1879, the
eaidnt himself, with his wife and three
hIildren, arrived from France. After
a,ceptions and speech-making in Colon
MA crossed to Panama, and there, on
We thaary /, 1880, the formal opening of
Ter ternanal was performed with elab-
1ent to ceremony. Mile. Ferdinande de
lie Senatotruck the first blow of pick
nj to name theut where the canal was to
zee ana me prfic, each of the party fol-
'nCA. - 'ess'on Oh blow, ana there was
: or, r. ~ of applause and cham
mber OF the Sen
inst General Vandhrst the french com
ceeded in polling with troubles. AS the
!. Those back "a government under
inst General Van had to be let out to
placed at the ! many of these prov