The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-22

ment on the isthmus during the flush times
of active canal work.
THE COOLIE A STEADY WORKER.
Another thing which inclines experts to
favor the employment Of coolies is their
general tractability. 1t was the experience
of the French that it was almost impossible
to exercise control over other classes of
laborers. The coolie works steadily, reg
ularly, contentedly, and in his hours off,
while an inveterate fan-tan player, is lit
tie addicted to boisterous living and ex-
cessive drinking. Exactly the reverse was
found to be the case with other laborers
during the period of French activity. The
West Indian negroes were absolutely
comfortable. They would work in their
lazy, shiftless way. requiring the services
of veritable taskmasters for overseers, and
then In their hours off they would indulge
in the widest orgies. Night after night
they would devote to dissipation in all the
forms common 20 the isthmus, gradually
weakening their systems until they were
wholly unable to resist the approach of
fatal disease And then there were their
regular seasons of idlenesS, during which all
work was stopped. The French practice
was to pay on alternate Saturdays, and
the major portion of the payroll was COM
puted on the basis of piecework. Early
on Friday afternoon before payday these
negroes would invariably quit work, and
in anticipation Of receiving their bimonth-
ly wages begin drinking. On Saturdays,
when the money was handed over to them,
there was no work at all On Monday a
few who had quickly exhausted their store
OF cash would struggle back 10 work. Tues
day few more would appear. but not until
Wednesday would the work be in full swing
again, the intervening days having been
spent by the great majority in drunken
revelry, totally uniting them to return
even on Wednesday to render full and eff
cent service.
have to expect with the West Indian
groes employed. would be experienced with
coolie labor. The coolies place too much
value on money and are naturally to provi-
dent 10 deplete their earnings on account
of lost time.
LABOR MUST BE DEPORTED.
The last argument advanced by the cham
pions of cooie labor is one we must not
overlook. An immense population will be
brought to the isthmus and maintained
there during the eight or ten years that
will be covered by the construction work
When that work shall have been completed
it will be necessary for us to reduce the
local population by removing the greater
number of these laborers. With the canal
In operation the railroad traffic will drop
to almost nothing, and there will be scant
opportunity for any body of laborers. be-
side that the native population will be
able to provide, TO find employment. We
must therefore, contemplate the necessity
of expatriating this labor after its useful
ness has departed.
Some of the laborers will. if West Indian
negroes are employed, go into the wilder
ness take I'D claims and settle down to
be self-supporting citizens of the Republic.
Our experience with the greater number
would, however, almost inevitably be the ex-
perience of the French-an experience which
has crowded the line OF the isthmus with
an idle, disSolute horde that contributes
nothing whatever to the productivity of the
country. Should coolies be employed we
could male 1t a stipulation of the contracts
under which they would be brought here
that upon the completion of the canal the
survivors should be returned to China; nor
would we encounter any serious trouble or
resistance from the coolies when IL came
to the task of deporting them. With the
West Indian negroes deportation would be
a practical impOssibility, and the ultimate
effect of their emplpyment would be to
burden the isthmian Republic with popu-
lation of no earthly account in the long
run.
Such are the general aspects OF the labor
problem as it will be presented by the rati-
fication of the canal treaty. This problem
shall have to face the moment that
treaty becomes operative and our interests
assume a vested nature The advantages
TO result from the employment Of coolie la
Dor are a. positive a are the disadvantages
that would follow the engagement of any
other class Of workers. The patent inabil-
ity of our government to use either eau
casion or negro laborers from the States
on the actual work of excavation places the
coolie proposition in a light entirely diff
ferent from that in which it appears when
the consideration is one of Cinnamon go
ing to the States. Without, therefore in
any way compromising the stand it has
taken on the question of excluding the
Chinese from our own country our gov
eminent should sit down very hard upon
the suggestion that this new Republic pass
a Chinese exclusion act. This might as
we'll be done now at any other time for
even if we should start out with another
idea. we shall sooner or later be driven
to realization of the fact that the coolie
alone can solve the labor problem as II
will appear in the construction of the canal
MERRILL A TEAGTTF