The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-23
NO PERSONAL LIBERTY.
People Of Panama Had Few Rights
which They Could Call Their Own.

People Oh Fdnama uau rcW hA8hts
which They Could Call Their Own.
Brooklyn Eagle.
A man who has seen much of Panama sat
In his office this morning and talked for a
time about that spot upon which so many
interests are at present fixed. He knew the
isthmus well. He was quite as much at
home upon the plaza of old Panama City or
upon the quay at Colon as he is on Broad
way, in Manhattan. He has known the
residents of the volatile little Land of Great
Promises as well, and assuredly under
stands their freaks and foibles. 1t was
upon the characteristics of the folk of that
land that he laid the greatest emphasis.
They are not a bad people," said he:
"only they are like lot of cattle, impul-
sive, rattle-headed and following blindly
the leaders that are given them. They have
been the objects of very great misunder-
standing. You see. in the first instance they
have not what New Workers demand-per-
sonal liberty. The laws that guarantee
them personal liberty are apt to be re-
pealed at any moment, and they are power
less to protest. AS a matter of fact, CO.
lombia, well almost all of the South
and Central American republics is more Of
a
nally they are republics, and they are rec
ognized by the United States as such, but
in reality they are something different. The
great mass of the population is ignorant.
as rule, and Is controlled, body and soul,
by a padrone system. These leaders or
padrones absolutely control the country.
Upon the isthmus they are absolutely
and to unit in favor of the present revo-
luton. The Colombian government has
been growing leecherous and absolutely
insufferable. and the rejection of the Hay
Herran treaty was the final straw that
broke the camefs back. To understand
the crushing disappointment that that step
at Bogota brought; you must fully. under
has been the digging of the canal Every
thing else is dead. and Panama lives in
its past glories and the hopes of the future
These hopes had been vastly strengthened
by the action of the United States and the
rejection of the treaty filled Panama with
anger and disappointment. Back of these
was an expressed determination that Pan
anna should hereafter administer her own
government.
This determination has been realized
after the recent remarkable revolution, as
decisive as II was bloodless- The sugges-
ton that the United States was in any
way. shape or manner responsible for the
overthrow of the government upon the
isthmus is worse than senseless. The revo-
luton was engineered absolutely by the
padrones, who saw their only hope in the
digging of the canal and the only possi-
bility of the canal being dug rested
with the United States. As you very well
know, all the Colombian troops, both in
Panama and in Colon, and from general
tC vivandiere, went over to the service of
the new republic as soon as the movement
TO establish IL was announced. AS "A re-
suit of this sweepingly unanimous senti-
ment the Republic OF Panama Is stable and
oil "a firm foundation
Just think of the way that the isthrnus
had been governed. even before the treaty
was rejected. 1t took from two to three
weeks, under the most favorable condi-
lions, to reach the capital at Bogota from
Panama. TIE journey Is unusually haz-
ardous and dangerous. The postal and
telegraph service similarly inefficient
and sometimes. for reasons best known II
the Bogota end of the route, are absolutely
suspended.
.sTo further realize the isolation of Bogota
from Panama you must understand that al
costs of any Importance on the isthmus
| have been filled by men sent down from the
| capital-men who have been out OF touch
| and out Of sympathy with the people they
were sent to govern 1t was hardly to b<