The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-28
Commercialism Its Foundation,
Instead Of Patriotism and
Desire for Liberty.
LACKS SELF RELIANCE
Its Government an Impossibility
Without Support from the
United States.
NO NATIONAL PURPOSE
And No Cause for Resentment
Against Standardization
of Sentiment Probable.
rom the Journals Special Commissioner.

From the Journals Special Commissioner.
PANAMA, r. p. Dec. 16-It is not neces-
sary to go far afield when seeking justifica-
tion of the judgment that the Republic of
Panama stands as a contradiction among
nations. The American colonies revolted
against England and set up their independ-
ence under the provocation of lesser griev-
ances than Panama for years has been
charging up against Colombia; yet Panama
never found cause for rebellion and seces-
sion in Colombian oppression. That the new
republic was born without the incentive of
patriotism and with no higher purpose in
view than the purely commercial one of Sc
curing the construction Of a ship canal
across the narrow isthmian strip has al
ready been shown in this correspondence
Lack of resentment toward Colombia because
of her oppressive administration, lack of pa
triotism and lack of a national purpose. po-
litical in character, constitute three striking
contradictions that rest at the very founda-
ton of this new republics existence and
that serves to isolate 1t from other nations
that have won their independence. The en-
tire absence of anything resembling self-re-
lance, and the implicit confidence shown in
the United States. upon which the whole
support and maintenance. is a fourth in the
list of strange contradictions dscoverable
here. There are others equally striking that
may be traced without in the smallest way
compromising the fact of the republics ex-
istence-an existence as actual it is well
come to the people of the isthmus These
contradictions form a vital chapter in any
story which purports to cover the situation
j.. ft- ~ tt,o,v
must be considered.
In order to get at and present them prop
erly it may be well TO start with the general
proposition, anomalous though it may seem,
for the republic is a fact that judging by
accepted standards, the Republic of Pan
anna is nonexstent. The territory known to
the Colombian federation as the Department
of Panama, and now embraced by the re-
public, is long, narrow strip of land ex-
tending in a generally easterly and westerly
direction. 1t is about 475 miles long. meas
ured i'm a straight line andvaries. in width
from about fcrty-seven miles, between
Colon and Panama, to something more than
one hundred miles in it's eastern extremity
and along the eighty-first parallel of longi-
tude. On the west it is bounded by Costa
Rica, with which nation there is a long
standing boundary dispute, while on the
east the Gulf Of Darien and the Atrato river
mark its separation from the South Amer
lean mainland and the great body of the
Colombian Republic. The coast line consid-
erably more than 1900 miles in length, is
rough and broken. The surface of the coun-
try is generally mountainous. although i'm
mense swamps and stretches Of treeless up
land are frequent Except along the coast,
the country is almost entirely uninhabited,
all of the towns and cities of any conse-
quence being located next the or very
near il. In the interior arc bands of In
dians two or three of the more important
tribes of which have rarely been communi-
Gated with. Vast areas in the extreme east
ern and western portions of the country re-
main wholly uneXplOred, and the knowledge
of what the interior holds is most limited.
In this territory there supposed TO live,
including Indians, about 10000 persons No
attempt has ever been made TO take a CEN
sus of the population, so the figure named
can only be taken as a more or less accurate
estimate.
PEOPLE HAD NO VOICE.
This territory. while it stood in the Colom-
bian federation as the Department of Pan
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5, COL. A.