Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-17
Women Do the Business.

tain are ruins Of castles, once the strong
hold Of the Zapotecos. One story Is that
the Aztecs made war, pretended friendship
and invited the chief to come from his
stronghold and enter into an agreement for
peace taking the daughter Of the chief Of
the Aztecs for his wife. He came, and was
promptly assassinated. The other story is
that the chief Of the AZtecs fell in love
with the daughter Of his adversary and de-
clared the war off In any event, the sur
vivors of the tribe of Zapotecos founded the
city of Tehuantepec, and those Indians in
habit the city today. The men are seldom
seen, and do not frequent the streets. The
women are everywhere in evidence. They
are polite, modest, intelligent and happy. 1t
is said that they are so Shrewd In business
that no foreigner can compete with them.
One of the amusing things is that they have
no idea of wholesale rates. When an entire
stock is wanted they will calmly compute
the price at retail rates, and no argument
can secure reduction of one cent on the
whole. Along the line Of the Tehuantepec
railroad the men are called mozos-laborers.
1t is not an efficient sort of labor. The best
construction work is done by Chinese or
Japanese. The Americans do all the skilled
work The moZoS are good at cleaning the
land. They work effectively with the ma
chete, but no amount Of training can make
them proficient agricultursts. They are I'M
der a system of bondage, of necessity, and
are held and kept at work only by fear OF
imprisonment. 1ney Will uTdW u any per-
mitted extent on future wage, and the
money is spent at the festas, or feasts for
aguardiente. They are then compelled to
work out the pay advanced, and the prison
is the penalty for fraud Ii they do not.
They occasionally leave the country, and
the per cent of loss is considerable on this
account. They are not energetic laborers
at best and the labor problem Is one Of the
serious ones with Americans doing business
on the isthmus. 1t Is well understood that
an emergency may be met at any time by
the importation Of Chinese or Japanese la
Dor but there is some fear of a race war.
At present there are comparatively few
mozos willing to work, and the demand has
resulted In unnatural conditions. Wages
out of all reason have been paid and ac-
counts assumed at great risk For instance
a mozo was taken who was behind 500 in
Mexican money on his account. The new
manager assumed this debt to get him. II
he should die or leave the country there
| would be loss. There is active COMPETE
| not equal to the demand Rations are fur
| nished as part of the compensation from
necessity. The mozo would starve to death
| Otherwise. He cannot take care of the
future An American anxious to get labor
offered meat as part of the rations Every
| other American seeking to retain his labor
| ing force had to meet this competition and
| while the original American gained no point
| in his offer, the expenses of all the others
have been materially Increased. The labor
proposition is a serious one on the isthmus.
| 1t is almost impossible to secure labor that
will accomplish anything The best labor is
| bad. 1t would not earn half dollar a day
| in the United States. w. s. WRIGHT.