The San Francisco call., 1904-03-03
Too Aspects of Panama.

go aspects OF Panama.
Panama is not without development
in the present or promise for the future.
even away from the zone of great ex-
pectations along the canal. Minerals
are in good evidence, gold, manganese,
copper and coal being found in prom
ising deposits. The central mountain
ranges are but little occupied, and
among them are many beautiful and
healthy locations. There is a flourish
ing commerce. and some of the places
along the seacoast are of Importance
Bocas del Toro and the Chiriqui Lagoon
region enjoy an active fruit trade, and
land is still offered on favorable terms,
some Of it Government land, to be had
for the taking. Probably the hill coun-
try back of the Chiriqui Lagoon will
become one of the most favored agli-
cultural regions in the tropics. From
Chiriqui southwark the coast is not
much occupied. Nearing Colon, cocoa
nut groves become prominent and on
southwark, among the islands of the
San Bias coast, such groves become
very abundant. In the interior of the
San Bias country are lofty, mysterious
mountains, little known because the
San Bias Indians are hostile. 1t is
stated that among these mountains
gold is abundant; and from their po-
sition in relation to other gold bearing
regions of Panama and Colombia that
is not improbable. Farther south the
limits of the republic of Panama are
IN the swamps of the Darien region.
Along the Pacific the land is not
greatly different from the Atlantic por-
tiOns Of the isthmus, excepting that IN
the northern portions the hills come
more frequently close to the sea and
at some places gravel bluffs and coral
limestOnes are exposed to the action Of
the surf. Well off the coast below Pan
anna City are the pearl fisheries, in the
waters surrounding groups of islands,
some Of WHICH are of considerable size,
and whose climate is said to be de-
lightful. Near the Costa Rica bound
ary on the Pacific side is the David
region, a rich country, hospitable and
eager for development, where Amer
leans are sure of hearty welcome
On the swelling tides of the Pacific
one sees great steamers passing up and
down the coast to the city of Panama,
where commerce awaits, impatient at
the barrier of less than fifty miles
separating the mighty tides of the Pa
cific from the waters of the Caribbean.
where the tide scarcely rises at all.
The waters on either side of the 18TH
mus are as different as the waters Of
one side of the earth can be from the
waters of the other side. Now the time
is at hand when they are to be united.
The great southern continent has
been for almost a century vitally in
terested in the various projects to con-
meet by canal the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans. But South America has
comparatively few voices of public
opinion, and 1T has been difficult to
ascertain just what the consensus of
opinion is among South Americans re-
garding the independence of Panama
and the relations of the United States
to the entire canal project.
The general tone of the South Ameri-
can press in its comments, so far as
can be ascertained, has been surpris-
ter opposition to what has been termed
"the Yankee policy of aggrandizement"
might have been expected, especially
in view of what we have been hear
ing in the last few years about North
American insolence and the imperti-
nence of the Monroe doctrine. The
present occasion might have been ex-
pected to figure as a sort of climax to
Latin American dislike for the United
States.
The animosity of Latin America for
Uncle Sam, however, has been a good
deal stronger in the newspapers than
in fact. The earliest comments on the
independence of Panama and the canal
treaty were very mild. but later there
has appeared a spirit of animosity.
aroused no doubt by the reports of
opposition to the President in this
country and the utterances of Senators
and other public men on the "unjusti-
fable interference of the United
States. This later feeling has influ-
enced most of the South American
countries to refuse recognition to the
new republic. Venezuela, Peru. Mica
ragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and
Cuba are the only Latin-American
countries so far to extend such reeog-
milton. The canal will so plainly and
largely benefit the entire southern con-
tinent that it is not surprising to find
so few expressions of fear or dislike
toward our Government for the part
il has played in bringing about the
present situation Review of Reviews.