OCR Text |
Show tk i N E Y JAKES REPLY Says He Attacked Not Canal but Graft Connected Con-nected With It Washington, Feb. 22. Asserting that his recent speech in the house relative to tho purchase by the United Unit-ed States government of the Panama canal had brought upon himself "vll-llflration. "vll-llflration. misrepresentation and abuse almost without a parallel In tho history his-tory of that body," Representative Rainey of Illinois today delivered In the house of representatives a lengthy speech in reply to the charges that the Information upon which his remark were based was obtained from "cy-' convicts and blackmailers." This accusation ac-cusation was made openly in the house by Representative Lovciing of Massachusetts. Massa-chusetts. "True loyalty to this great enterprise," enter-prise," Representative Raincy said, "moans that you must expose and de-nounco de-nounco all kinds of graft In connection with It In order to avoid the pitfalls In which the French companies fell, and I propose to do this whether it meets with the approval of the next president presi-dent of the United States or not. 1 want to say to all those who are spending so much time abusing me that I have not yet commenced this fight. I have only trained my guns on some of the least objectionable features In connection with Panama matters." Representative Rainey declares that ho did not attack the canal, but simply simp-ly attacked the graft connected with the enterprise. He asserted that Representative Rep-resentative Loverlng had not attempted attempt-ed to deny a single fact he had stated, but after making his charges proceeded proceed-ed to eulogize William Nelson Cromwell. Crom-well. "I never heard until he made his speech that any persons were trying try-ing to get Mr. Cromwell to purchase any alleged evidence of the guilt ot Mr. Cromwell," he said. "I knew nothing of any story to the Democratic Demo-cratic national committee until the gentleman made his speech on this floor." Mr. Rainey further stated that In the evidence he produced in supporting support-ing his charge of grart ln connection with the buying of the canal, nearly all was obtained from Panama. Then he added: "The attack I made was entlroly unexpected and the next attack 1 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 (N. Y.). has seen fit to discuss his present efforts ef-forts to conclude a treaty between Colombia and Panama In which he refers re-fers to the necessity for some contribution contri-bution from Panama to Colombia as her proportion of the public debt ot Colombia." Referring to these as the "proposed Cromwell treaties." Mr. Rainey asserted assert-ed that 'Mr. Cromwell proposes to so change the Hay-Bunau Varllla treaty as to impose upon this country an ad-tHtlonalv ad-tHtlonalv burden of $1,250,000, "And he proposes that this sum shall be taken from our treasury and paid, not to Panama, but to Colombia. In addition ad-dition to that, he proposes that for five years after 1913 the $250,000 we agreed to pay Panama shall be 'paid to Colombia direct. In other words, by the treaties, of which he Is so proud, Panama deprives herself for five years of her fixed source of revenue, reve-nue, and consents that it be paid to Colombia, and the United States contributes con-tributes from its treasury $1,250,000 and pays it to the treasury of Colombia. Colom-bia. I know of no precedent for Mr. Cromwell's treaties. No people in the world, after successfully completing a revolution, have eve? been called upon to pay any portion of tho debt, torelgn or domestic, of tho country from which they separated. "The situation Mr. Cromwell Is endeavoring en-deavoring to force by the treaties is that the United States Is to be required re-quired to increase ita treasury deficit and to pay to Colombia $1,250,000; Panama impoverished herself by giving giv-ing up the $1,250,000 clearly belonging to her, and give up for five years alter al-ter 1913,' the revenue we propose to pay her. In return for this, Panamans are to be admitted to the lucrative positions po-sitions on the canal zone in our service ser-vice and ultimately In order to permit Panama to recoup her losses, on account ac-count of the Cromwell treaties, she is .to be permitted to levy taxes upon the army of Americans and other employes em-ployes we have sent to the isthmus for the purpose of building up the canal." ca-nal." "These treaties," continued Mr. Rainey, Rai-ney, "have already been approved by the administration in this country. It remains to be seen whether they will be ratified by tho general assembly ot Panama and by the senate of the United Unit-ed States." |