Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-11-19


Cali, town far away in the interior of
his country You Americans would
construct the canal at Panama. anil
you say it would bring much COM
merce and great riches to our coun-
try. Bueno! But what then? You
would make slaves OF our people. You
would overrun the country, introduc-
ing all manner Of vice and crime and
disease. You would even'-th1s as q
final, unanswerable argument-"build
railroads"
We'll, asked the american. "and
wouldn't that be good thing Tor your
"A good thing," The Colombian
grew more excited than ever, and
waved his arms frantically. why, 1t
would spoil my mule business: What
should we all do with our mules when
everybody sent goods by the railroad?
We should have to eat them!
We do not want you strangers to
come here and worry us. You can
not make even five cents in your own
country, so you come to ours to make
money, out of the honest, trusting
truthful Colomhians who know moth
ing of your scheming ways. We wish
to have nothing to do with you. we
get along very well by ourselves"
This man expressed the sentiments
of his race and of most Spanish
Americans. Even wealthy and edu-
Gated Colombians share his views.
They dislike and despise foreigners
and firmly believe that Colombia is the
biggest pebble ON the beach. Out
side OF its borders, they hold, there is
little or nothing worth counting
Spain is the one foreign country they
indorse. The dwellers on the lsthmus
of Panama are the only exceptions to
this general rule. They believe in for
eigners and foreign institutions, and
are naturally anxious to see the canal
finished. But then a Panamanian is
not reckoned as a Colombian by the
other Colombians. He is a despised
"gringo," just like an American or an
EngliSi1man.
The untraveled South American is
absolutely incredulous when he is told
about the wonders of foreign lands.
Queer Views of the United States.
when | lived in Cali said an Eng
iishman, who had just come to this
country after residence OF several
years in Venezuela, there was man
from Dayton, Ohio, staying there.
One evening we were with some Co
lnmbians, and he started telling them
oil inc n,
ton, Ohio-the cars that ran without
mules, the four-story buildings and
the fire engines. They were politely
incredulous, so ] thought | would
strain their faith a bit more by telling
them about New York.
Il described the Brooklyn bridge and
the twenty-story skyscrapers-l dared
not go higher When told them there
were seven roads on the bridge and
that hundreds of thousands of people
passed over it every day, they looked
at me. sadly and reproachtuIly and
overheard one of them whisper to an
other 'Caramaba. lat man lies
much better than the other one
DO you have butter and milk in
L
an American. You can't have. You
say that the place is nothing but
houses closely packed together
Where then, do You keep the COWS 2
Are you married " the same man
Inquired ''You can't be. You were
not married here, and | know there
are no churches in your country. You
oil n
you pretend to be Catholics when you
Gene here"
Aud nothing would persuade him
that the United States was not entire,
ly destitute of the means OF grace. III
Colombia and other South American
countries the people have curious
ideas regarding social clubs. They
think a club is simply superior Kind
Of saloon into which any well dressed
man can walk and order up drink.
Their own clubs are conducte,- on that
principle.
When the foreigners residents in q
certain. Colombian town started club
Of their own they found it necessary
to put a notice over the door: The
OITd0ReFS AJIuD 10 ANOI q L UNIV L -t@NN-
That enraged the natives. How dare
they forbid Colombians TO enter their
club?" one of the local newspapers
asked, Indignantly. IF they have the
insolence to do this now what will they
do when the Yankees build the canal?'
Colombia Defies the World.
OF the power OF foreign countries
the average Colombian has no concep-
ton The Colombians, fer example,
think that their two or three leaky,
rusty little gunboats constitute the
greatest navy in the world. A few
months ago, when irritated by foreign
criticism. the newspapers in Bogota
advocated an immediate declaration OF
war against Ecuador, Venezuela. the
United States and Germany. They put
the four countries on level for mill
tary purposes.
Let u.s. they said, show these peo-
pie that we will not endure the things
they say about us. Let US fight them
all, and show the whole world that