Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-04
PANAMA INQUIRIES
Americans Taking lnterestin
the Waterway
ARE OF TWO CLASSES
THOSE WHO WANT JOBS AND
THOSE LOOKING FOR TRADE.
Mr.. Pepper Gives All the Benefit of His
Personal Experiences on
the Isthmus.
ARE OF TWO CLASSES

Written for The Evening Star.
With the arrival of the canal commission
at Panama the new era opens for the 18TH
mus. From the inquiries personal and by
letter l should guess that the interest of
the American people in the waterway is not
growing less Instead 1t seems to increase.
The meaning of many things is asked and
also hints about trade and the chances for
ambitious young men.
One phase of the subject does not d.
rectly concern the work of the commission,
but 1t Is fortunate all around that even the
possibility of complications between Colom-
bia and Panam;, has now disappeared. 1t
does not appear to be certain who is going
to be inaugurated as president Of Colombia
next August, yet the one thing which is
sure is that Bogota recognizes the inevi-
table, and the successor of President Mar
roquin will not be belligerent. A fortnight
ago positive advices were received from
Colombia that old Joaquin Velez had Sc
cured the majority of the electors. That
did not look well for Colombia's progress
though 1t was accompanied with the state
ment that Velez would avoid trouble with
Panama and with the United States while
enforcing an anti-foreign policy generally.
1t may be doubted whether any future
foreign policy and hold the two great de-
partments of Antioquia and Cauca. How
ever, Velez is reactionary enough and in
his way sincere enough to try it. To him
the loss of Panama. As governor of the
department OF Bolivar he started the move
ment against the ratification of the Hay
Herran treaty. He had the legislative
sembiy of that department adopt memo
I'll against 1t. Cartagena, BaranQulla and
Savanilla-an Caribbean portsmouth, have
h I'd the most benefit from the canal, and
they were within Gov. Velez's sphere of
influence.
Gen. Reyes Could Do Good.
kilograms from Paris have represented
Gen. Rafael Reyes as leaving for Colombia
with the expectation of taking up the du-
les of the presidency in August. 1t may be-
therefore, that the dispatches announcing
the majority of the electors for Velez were
wrong. 1t was understood when Gen. REYES
left New York for Europe that he would
not return to Colombia if his election was
in doubt. He would be able to do much
m re for the country than Velez Public
men who met him during his stay in WASH
ington were impressed by his amiability and
his good purposes in the midst of a dis
tressing situation His announced belief
that the differences between the United
States and Colombia and Colombia and
Panama can be arranged in a manner hon
orable to all concerned, is hint of his
policy II he becomes president. 1t may be
little difficult for people in the United
States to understand what the differences
between. this country and Colombia are
since diplomatic relations have not been
broken off, but they will not be over-crit-
ical in weighing this expression. What
Gen. Reyes evidently is limiting at is that
Colombia must get ready to recognize that
the republic of Panama is next-door
neighbor and that neighboriy relations
should be established.
Panama used to be called the reception
room OF Colombia. Geographically 1t is
still so. The only question has been whether
Colombia would try to keep the door closed
1t could not do this entirely because in
spite of itself, some material gain will re-
salt. The Colombian ranges restocked the
cuban plantations with oxen and beef after
the Spanish-American war. Oxen won't be
needed on the isthmus, but there will be a
great demand for beef and similar supplies
n only this but with friendly relations
established some plans for railroad building
and other enterprises in Colombia which
are more or less dependent on the canal can
be carried forward. However, these are not
matters concerning which most of the in
quirieS are mae.
Two Glasses of Inquirers.
There are two classes of inquirers One
wants to know about the chances for gov
eminent jobs. while the other seeks infor-
nation in regard to the canal contract and
the kind of opportunities which will be
opened up by them. The members of the
canal commission before they left Wash
ington were said to be buried under an
avalanche of applications. They can be lett
to work themselves out. The person who
isn't seeking government job is entitled
to know all that he asks.
Ny impression. formed both in Panama
and Nicaragua. was that the contractors
who built the Chicago drainage canal had
studied the prospective needs of the water
way very thoroughly and in all likelihood
their plans were matured before it was
known which route would be selected. In
November their representatives or persons
identified with the capital back of them
were going the ground nraftv
They were making estimates both as to the
utility of the disabled machinery which
the French company had and as to the i'm
provements which could be made in the
machinery employed on the Chicago canal.
The majority apparently thought the
French machinery worthless for the work
to do. and far as heard none of them
planned to utilize it except incidentally.
That, of course, was on the assumption that
they would make satisfactory contracts
with the United States through the canal
commission. From the start they took the
ground that the only way to do the work
would be under contract, and that the gov
eminent of the United States would not
become large employer of labor. Most of
the prospective contractors were making
careful studies Of the labor question and
with all of them the Jamaica blacks were
the basis of the calculation, though Chinese
and also Italian laborers were in mind as
well Japanese.
Character Of tbs Trade.
OF the trade which will be an incident to
the building of the canal an estimate can
not be safely made at this time. The bene-
fit to business men in the United States will
come chiefly on the jobbing and the whole
sale side. 1t is not likely that for while
at least many new American houses will be
established In Colon or Panama for retail
trade The Italians, the French, the Ger
mans and the Chinese have the bulk of that
and will keep it.
About the Cinnamon doing most of the
small business along the route of the cana
there Is no question. He already is there
and he will stay and multiply and get rich.
His most probable competitor is the Ar
menian peddler. A few Armenians were on
the isthmus six months ago. Some of them
had been in the interior of Colombia and
some in Venezuela. They fraternized with
the Greek sailors at Colon and they Clearly
were getting ready to remain.
It may be that some enterprising Yankees
will make a success out of the hotel bust
ness on the isthmus. 1t is characteristic of
the American who goes abroad and fails to
find the comforts of home that his mind at