The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-10-04

some muselina for wearing apparel. At
/ the end Of the year there is a footing
! up. The peon, of course, supposes
there is something coming to him
| above the debt. Instead he finds he
has overdrawn by some % to so
| pesos, and that the original obli-
CATION had increased % per cent or
more. The ranchero does the figuring
because the pe0n Is unlearned. Castro
and his wife dare not run away be-
cause they would be recaptured and
thrown into prison, with the probable
tty Of a severe fogging. There is no
such thing as a peon escaping under
present conditions. The family in
creases and there are more mouths to
feed.
"For the first few years the peon
works hard and tries to discharge the
debt, but by and by he finds that in
spite Of his efforts he and his wife are
gradually sinking deeper and deeper
in the tolls of the plantation owner,
and they lose hope. Their children are
reared to know only labor, without
the glimmer of freedom. There are
thousands and thousands Of families in
this miserable condition in Central
America. Some nate been forced 10
contract obligations on account Of sick
ness, some to pay for proyisioats of a
house or a piece Of land, Thes5 are all
fish for the landowners net, and he
holds them with a never relaxing grip.
The law is entirely u his favor.
81 have spoken % some of the big
ranchmen and IOns about this system
and they laughed at my Indignation
why, senior they say, these people
| would starye to death if we were TO
| let them go. Give one Of them l,OOO
;oesos tomorrow and in month lie
would be asking to be reinstated.' Ihat
may be true, but the time is coming
now when these poor people Will De
taught how to value their labor and to
| drive a fair bargain. The canal VIII
bring into Central America thousands
of investors and promoters from the
United States, England and France
Labor will command a price, and Wnen
| the Moons find it out they VIII break
away and go to the companies where
they can get something for their labor
"Of course the large haciendados are
| not anxious to see the canal built, De-
cause they see in it an end or thelr
life Of ease and luxury, but later on
when they find it means dollars where
thew are now getting cents for then
products, they will change their minds.
lust as the railroads of Missouri opened
I'M market for millions Of dollars
worth Of wasted produce in the fft1es,
60 will the canal and the roads lead
ing to it furnish a worldwide marker
for the delicious fruits OF Central
America. In Costa Rica, Nicaragua
and Honduras-in fact, in all the 18TH
milan states-they raise strawberries
the wear round and practically give
them away at from 10 to 10 cents q
| Gallon. Pineapples that would cost
40 and so cents in Kansas City ana
st. Louis go begging there at from
to 8 cents apiece. It's the same way
| with lines, oranges and bananas. Ihey
are a drug on the market.
'sThere are untold millions IN the
mountains of Central America waiting
ldeyelopment of Yankee capital and en-
+erprise. The only reason this WORE
has not been done sooner is that II
means death to the average citizen OF
the United States to live in Central
America. The yellow fever and black
smallpox are prevalent there until the
middle of October With the building
of the canal and railroad, progressive
naople will see to it that better san
itarv conditions obtain in the towns
and that the dangers Of disease are
greatly reduced.
'In the very near future Central
America will be the garden spot of this
continent. Nothing can stop it when
yankee energy and Yankee systems OF
sanitation are planted. The creator
made the land all right in the hrsI
Mace. but it happened to fall into I'm,
appreciative hands. The canal VII
raIaoate the stick pIow and the peon
and give birth to an era Of as remark