The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-22
Labor Question VIII Prove Seri-
Gus and May Cause a Great
Amount Of Trouble.
COOLIES BEST WORKERS
But Panama Is Discussing the
Passage of a Chinese Exclu-
sion Act.
NOT ENOUGH NEGROES
Natives Are Lazy and West In
dianS Shiftless, and Cannot
Be Depended On.

From the Journals Special Commissioner.
COLON. December %. 19O3.-If the Ameri-
can plans for an interoceanic canal offer
no serious or forbidding engineering diff
culties. there are other problems grave in
character that we shall have to solve.
Foremost among these is that OF applying
the laws Of sanitation 70 the isthmus and
of forcing obedience 70 these laws. OF that
problem l have already written exhaustive
~. The other most serious one deals with
the question Of labor.
There has been, ever since the Republic
was established. a very determined agita-
ton against the Importation of Chinese
coolies for the canal work. The argument
IS advanced that the isthmus and the West
India islands can furnish all the labor
necessary. This Is, OF course, fatuous. II
does not. however. deter the leading spir-
its in the Republic from very vigorously in
sisting upon the passage at an early date
OF a Chinese exclusion act. The Star and
Herald. official organ Of the Republic, has
demanded. editorially. the passage of such
an act and DR.. Amador IS understood to
strongly favor the proposition.
This opposition is purely selfish. There is
no labor on the isthmus that would be
deprived Of opportunity through the pres
ence OF Chinese; there is no society here
that would be contaminated, more than
contamination has already been spread. by
the coolies. They are, however, a serious
menace 20 merchants, large and small. The
French Canal Company brought coolie Ia
Dor in large quantities to the isthmus. Those
that survived the pestilence which ragged
in those days have gone into business, and
so developed that they now control in a
IL
vending at Panama, Colon and between
these two cities. Here in Colon they almost
entirely monopolize the regular local trade,
and at Panama they have come to be a
powerful factor. In the forty-seven miles
across the isthmus their command upon
trade is practically complete
The ability OF these people 10 live cheaply
Is more pronounced here than IL is in any
other country outside OF China. The item
OF clothing Is almost entirely eliminated
from their expense accounts Here, as in
China. they conduct their little pigeons"
in the front OF the buildings they occupy
as residences. Fuel, except for small char
coal fires for cooking is never requires
an an able-bodied Chinaman can feed him
self on the isthmus at the expense of a
few pennies a day. In consequence they
can underseu any Of the other merchants
on the isthmus. especially as they import
largely and directly from China. These ad-
Nantages, with that clannshness charac-
terlsuc or the yellow race. strike terror TO
the hearts OF the Caucasian merchants.
They know that millions Of dollars will
be disoursed here In wages, TO flow later
through the regular channels of trade. They
are afraid that II coolies are brought here
70 iornl majority or the Wage-earners they
Will patroniZe the Chinese merchants eX-
clusively. thereby depriving local Caucasian n
merchants of the riches they hope TO ac-
cumulate This fear is of course well
founded: but what alternative offers?
WEST INDIANS POOR LABORERS.
The Panamaians say the United States
should employ native and West Indian ne
gro labor. That sounds like a sensible
proposition, but unfortunately the mega
tive contention weighs down the affrma-
tive In the first place the native labor.
II such thing can be said to exist, is alb
solutely worthless. The native Iaborer is
lazy. shiftless, irresponsible. and generally
of no account. Why should he toll in sun
baked or rain-hooded trenches for eight
hours day when he can live as well as he
wishes TO live by idling all the time trap
ping his meat and going into the forest
and jungle for vegetable supplies? That is
q question the opponents of coolie labor do
not answer. II Is a question they cannot
answer, for the natives during the score of
years since the canal work was started
have answered II so effectively that none
save the locally selfish longer consider the
native element. Even If the natives ten
In return for fair wage. they could not
be considered. for there are not enough of
them available to constitute a small divi-
sion or the immense corps of laborers that
VIII be required to complete the canal with
In a reasonable time.
AS for the other plan-that of bringing
west Indian negroes to the isthmus-it is
advanced without any intelligent idea as
10 its pracucadlity. The stock argument
used BY its champions and the opponents of
eoohe Importation Is that these negroes
stand the climate better than does any
other class. That is true. During the pc
rtod of active work by the French every
class OF labor known TO large employers
was called into service, and the West In
dian negro proved more efficient and better
adapted 10 the climate than did any other
-tnat ls, Tor season. He did then, and
Will now, live longer on the isthmus than
will the Chinese, Mayalans Africans. Syr-
ians or any other. For a little while he
VIII work steadler and accomplish more
than will the other classes but his in
herent shiftlessness soon overcomes him in
this enervating climate. and he lapses into
Al idleness from which it is almost impos-
sitle 10 arouse him. Add 20 this the fact
that he IS naturally most immoral court
Ing rather than stunning the most oath-
eesses and especially fond OF dedicatine
MS nights 10 Wild revelry and the worst
cAIouses, and II Will be seen that the tenn
PoraFy advantage resulting from his labor
II more than Offset by the harm he does
nlmseif and 10 society I'm general The
isthmus mas as many OF these idle and
TOT TO bring more would only Increase
the sociological problem that will sooner
or later nave 10 be solved
NEGROES NOT, PROCURABLE.
Besides this phase of the West Indian ne
gro problem there is thar one OF securing
this class Of laborers. The former efforts
10 contruct this canal resulted in a heavy
depopulation OF the West Indian islands
Should We determine 10 use these negroes
In our attempt We could easily exhaust
those Islands Of ablc-bodied men. Their
champions say they can be secured in lin
itless quantities. That is entirely false
When We have grappled with the task OF
building the canal and got it under ful
swing We shall need almost innumerabl,
thousands OF labore~s. The most optfmisti,
estimates are that with 10000 men We car
complete the waterway In eight years II
II more reasonable % presume that 500
men VIII have IL ready 10 open I'm ten years
Tor II there is one thing must avoid
II We would succeed where the French
failed. II Is the undue optimism which
cursed the whole French effort Should w,
determine 20 PROSECUTE the work steadil,
through every twenty -four hours OF IN,