Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-01-06
PEOPLE OF PANAMA
Have Had Pew Rights They Could
Call Their Own.
Laws That Guarantee Thsn Personal
Liberty APT 60 Ne Repealed at
Any Moment-Thefr Gov-
eFnmont.

- MAM WV ma A"-A AAAA "a AA-
ma sat In his enace recently and talked
for q time about that spot upon which
% many interests r at present fixed.
He knew the isthmua well. He was
quite rs much at home upon the plaza
Of old Panama City or upon the quay At
Colon AZ he is on Broadway. in Manhat-
tan. He has known the residents Of the
volatile little Land Of Great Promises as
well, and assuredly understands their
freaks and fOibles. II was upon the
characteristics Of the folk Of that land
that be laid the greatest emphasis, re-
ports the Brooklyn Eagle.
"They are not q bad people" said he;
"Only they are like q lot Of cattle, impul-
sive, rattle-headed and following blind
~ the leaders that are given them. They
have been the objects Of very great mis-
understanding. You see, In the first in-
stance they have not what New Workers
demand-persond liberty. The laws
that guarantee them personal liberty are
apt to be repealed at any moment, and
they are powerless to protest AS a mat
ter OF fact, Colombia, as wells Is almost
all Of the South and Central American
republics, is more Of a despotism than
Russia herself. Nominally they are
republics, and they are recognized by
the United States as such, but In reality
they are something different The great
mass Of the population is ignorant, as q
rule, and is controlled, body and soul.
by a padrone system. These leaders or
padrones absolutely control the country.
"Uponthe isthmus theyare absolutely
and to unit in favor Of the present revo-
luton. The Colombian government has
been growing leecherous dabsolutely
insufferable, and the rejection Of the
Hay-Herran treaty was the final straw
that broke the camel's back. To under
stand the crushing disappointment that
that step at BogQta brought, you must
fully understand that the only hope OF
the isthmus has been the digging Of the
canal. Everything else is dead, and
Panama lives in its past glories and the
hopes of the future. These hopes had
been vastly strengthened by the action
Of the United States and the rejection
Of the treaty filled Panama with anger
and disappointment. Back Of these was
an expressed determination that Pana-
ma should hereafter administer her own
government.
This determination has been realized
after the recent remarkable revolution,
as decisive as It was bloodless. The sug-
gestion that the United States was in any
way, shape or manner responsible for
the overthrow Of the government upon
the isthmus is worse than senseIess. The
revolution was engineered absolutely by
the padrones, who saw their only hope
IN the digging Of the canal and the only
possibility of the canal ever being dug
rested with the United States. AS you
very well know, all the Colombian
troops, both in Panama and in Colon,
and from general to vivandiere, went
over to the service of the new republic
as soon as the movement to establish It
was announced. AS a result Of this
sweepingly unanimous sentiment the
republic Of Panama is stable and on q
firm foundation.
Gust think of the way that the 18TH
mus has been governed, even before the
treaty was rejected. It took from two to
three weeks, under the most favorable
conditions, to reach the capital at Bogota
from Panama. The journey is unusually
hazardous and dangerous. The postal
and telegraph service are similarly In
efficient and sometimes, for reasons best
known at the Bogota end of the route,
are absolutely suspended.
ITO further realize the isolation Of
Bogota from Panama you must under
stand that all posts Of any Importance
on the isthmus have been filled by men
sent down from the capital-men who
have been out Of touch and out Of sym
patty with the people they were sent to
govern. It was hardly to be expected
that they could or would give other than
inefficient and sloyenly administra-
tions."
Bedsteads of History.