The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-15

ianiiiaruy with lSthmian politics, to
which was to be largely due the blood
less establishment Of the Panaman
republic eighteen years later.
III.
In fact NJ. Bunau-Varilia's account
Of those old technical problems Of the
early SOS and Of their solutions or
evaslons can no longer very greatly
interest mankind. The problems and
the solutions have been so entirely
superseded by the discovery. which
not even our present hypergallican au-
thor can attribute to his native land,
Of the fact that the mosquito Is the
great malaria carrier and that TO
circumvent the malaria bearing mos
quito Is to arrest contagious diseases
Everybody can now zee that De Les
scps's brag about exposing his young
wife and his young children to she
1sthm!an miasma was Il pure bluff"
lf his ignorance OF tropical conditions
had been less he would have been, in
stead of rather foolhardy udventurer
suicide as regards himself and a
murderer as regards his family.
And when the French engineers came
to confront the actual physical condi-
tons naturally and necessarily they
FOUND that these conditions had not
been entirely considered ~ The theorists
on whose plans they were supposed -
I've werl;inS. This difference between
theory and practice IS Of course en-
countered 10y all persons who undertake
to push through = practical operation
OF which the conditions are 80 impcr-
fectly known beforehand as the condl-
lions Of cutting the Panama Canal We're
known To the French Investors Of the
SOS whose investments had been in
duced by their faith IN the great French
canal builder. And moreover. accord
Ing to our present author, the great
French canal builder lad sauguncly
overestlmated the results and san
gulnely underestiinated the cost Of his
second great undertaking. AS was said
at the time. he had 'cmptied the stock
!ngs of France" Consequently when
The Frcnch-Panafia came to n halt for
lack OF funds Cruelty !im." instead Of
"Hostnna'" became the cry OF France
From being national hero. poor old
Dc Losseps became Il national disgrace.
The story Is known in outline 70 al,
Intelligent and retrospective readers.
But NJ. Bunau-Narilla puts the dots on
the ~. He shows how, during many
tedious and disgusting months. the en-
tire politics OF France revolved around
the poor old mans ambitious project OF
Panama Canal, which was far from
having been conceived In sin or born In
'niquity. but which was naturally con-
sidered by the general French public TO
have been both. one "lie" NJ. Bualau-
Narilla certainly seems to succeed In
having nailed" That Is the abomina bic
story OF the commission that was sup
posed to have been conceded to Baron
Reinach for using his influence with the
French Legislature to bring about q
governmental support of the desperate
effort " the Panama Company TO re-
coup itself by means OF a governmental
lottery. The ingenious agitators who
worked this cry for 80 much more than
1t was worth succeeded in smirching
several fair names. and apparently in
bringing about u suicide or two But
absolutely. according to our present au-
thority, there was nothing IN It, II was,
he says, and the facts lie cites appear
to bear him out, nothing but an exhibit
ton OF political hysteria" But il
served its ipose. After the panama
scandal 1t became clear that the Pam
anna Canal would never be dug under
French auspices.