The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-08

mi
a land of almost boundless possibility
for the right sort of men. Rich in
,asources of all kinds, it remains to
+bis day entirely untouched by the
hand of developing genius. The prog
ross of commercial enterprise has never
generated the interior of this country,
where great stretches of plain lie who'll
i, dormant, and where abound ranges
If low mountains teeming with min
oral wealth. That interior is place
where the forests brood for well-nigh
,,roitless miles: where the vegetation
r,rows with excess. eloquently testify
ing to the richness of the soil, and
,,,bare wealth is to be won by the
hardy and enterprising in exchange
cor minimum amount of labor.
AS it stands to-day, however. Pana-
ma is a land of absolutely no CONNER
oiaI consequence. It's entire CONNER
rial activity is limited to the care of
tho transisthmian traffic. Everything
also of a commercial nature in the new
ranublic could be wholly destroyed
without imposing upon the world at
,oraa the slightest burden of depriva-
.;on The fruit trade, which is carried
~, from Bocas del Toro, in the extreme
western portion. could easily be sup
DIied from other sources; the pearl hsh-
cries about the Bay of Panama are not
If general public benefit; the cocoanut
croves that line the beaches are not OF
sufficient Importance to entail any serl-
ous loss should they be destroyed while
+be cattle-raising, rubber-growing and
eold-mining industries are in a condl-
zion Of such pulling infancy as to be
virtually negligible quantities.
CoIombia's BIighting in Policy
Tor exclamation of this backwardness
pne must look in the main to the
tligbting effects of Colombian admin
,stration. Under the concession which
Colombia granted to the Panama Rail
road that concern was given an abso-
Iu+a monopoly over all transportation
facilities on the entire isthmlan STRIP
Result: the railroad is the only high
1yav on the isthmus, there belng, .eX-
cent for it. no thoroughfare over which
60 much as a mule cart can be driven.
Again. Colombia, by the terms of the
cattle-killing concession, ruined all pros
poets in that direction. There was no
opportunity to make money out of cat
+le on the isthmus while the herder
was compelled to pay fee of 81 head
~ the concessionaire for the privilege
of Strengthening his stock, and then
surrender the hide to the Colombian
government. On a level with these
policies has been that of the Panama
Railroads. policy in which there has
been some recent modifications-of fix
ing rates for local traffic over it's line
at a figure so high as to entirely eliml-
nate the possibility of money being
made from the cultivation of the land.
Coupled with these, there must be
considered the natural shiftlessness of
the people and the lack of adequate
government control over large areas
of the country. The Panamaians are
an habitually lazy people. 1t is too
easy for them to live by building
matched huts for homes, by grubbing
in the ground for yuccas and yams,
which grow Wild trapping birds and
catching fish for meat, and by going
into the Jungle to gather bananas and
oranges for fruit, for them to think of
eXerting themselves when the only re-
ward would be a little more, and
wholly unappreciated, comfort. From
this condition of slothfulness Colombia
never tried to raise the people. Rather
did she encourage them in idleness, for
her policy has been to let out the land
to concessionairies, thereby destroying
the peoples opportunity to cultivate 1t.
Land of Offering Promise.
1t is impossible to expect that the
Panamaians will ever so raise them
selves above their present condition of
idleness as to properly make use of the
resources that have been laid at their
door. Certainly they will not do so ex-
cept it be after a long term of years,
and until after they have had the edu-
eating advantage of examples set by
more enterprising races. Utilization OF
the country's natural resources and the
development of her commercial posi-
bilities must, accordingly, wait the ad-
vent of men who are willing to labor
as pioneers. For such as these, Pana-
ma is a land of golden promise, for no.
body knows. nor can anybody est1-
mate, the extent of the countrys pos
sihilities.
In its present wild and uncultivated
state, it offers glittering inducements.
tere is an area equal in extent with
that of the state of Indiana, having
climate like perpetual summer: 100 eX-
cessively watered, perhaps, by the enor-
nous annual rainfall. but with SOIL
OF Incompatible richness and lmneas-
urable productive capacity. Anything
growable will grow here, and grow
rapidly-proof of this lies in the Iact
That green timber set down for renee
posts Immediately takes root, ana III
less than a years time where was
meant to stand line of fenceposts VIII
De row of sturdy saplings.
Under these conditions bananas, or
anges and all other tropical fruits
Hourish most abundantly. Along the
sandy beaches cocoanut trees will reach
the bearing stage in from five to SIX
years, and thereafter produce an aver
age of four nuts month per tree, and
Cocoanuts are worth from $25 to $45
thousand. Rubber trees will begin TO
run gum at from six to eight years,
reaching maturity at ten years, ana
produce an average of 81 worth OF
gum to the tree. Corn grows WE'LL
ana two crops a year are possible;
e eiIe meadows are perpetually green
furnishing year-round grazing for cat
We IN the forest hardwoods of all
sorts abound, and in the mountains
90 ote unknown and unprospected stores
sold' manganese, coal and other