The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-02-16
GOV. MAGOON
is NOT IN FAVOR OF EIGHT HOUR
WORK ON CANAL
Verifies Government otfieials' Reports
and Diseredits the Charges of
PouItney Acknowledgment
ture in Panama.

Washington, Feb. 13--In his exam
ination this afternoon by the senate
investigating committee Governor GEN
eral Magoon of the canal zone was
asked by Mr.. Simmons why the peo-
pie OF Panama were not engaged
mere in agriculture. He said that he
had questioned that. himself, because
it had aggravated him to see wide
plains of rich soil uncultivated, and
had been told that it was because OF
the fear Of revU-udons. That fear
had now disappeared. and there was
already a wonderful development in
the interior as a result Of the feeling
that the United States is there and
that the days of revolutions are over.
Two crops of corn a year were
easily to be raised, and in some cases
three were possible. One reason that
more market gardening was not done
was that the laborers could make as
much working eight hours a day for
the canal as 18 hours under the hot
sun in the fields.
DO you think the eight hour linn
itatiCn on any class of labor there
is conductive to the progress or well
being -of the work." asked Senator
Morgan.
Il don't" replied Governor Magoon
He said that the laborers would
come early in the morning and sit
down on the work waiting for the
hour of seven o'clock to come to be-
gin work. They did nothing to i'm
prove their condition in the extra
hours of leisure afforded them by the
application Of the law, and he did
not believe they were prepared to re-
ceive the benefits of the eight houI
| law. He himself had never believed
| that that law should apply to any la
Dor outside the limits Of the United
States
In reference to the accusations made
| by POultney Bigelow, Governor Ma
goon said that he fully endorsed Sec
| retary of War Taft's and Chief Engi-
neer Stevens reply He produced let
| ters from II consuls representing Il
| governments whose citizens are en-
| ployed on the canal showing that the
| present conditions of the laborers is
| better than it was at any time during
! the last 25 years. ,Tne iaborers arc
! accustomed to appeal to their coun-
sells with every kind of complaint
While there were many such COM
plants at first, there are now almost
none. Governor Magoon also pro-
duced afIidavits from several ministers
of the gospel en- the isthmus declar-
! ing that the Martinique women on
the zone were living good lives, and
afFidavits from 167 women themselves
He laid before the committee photo
graphs of the interior and exterior
| of the houses, barracks and hotels
which have been put up for the use OF
I the labOrers, to prove that they were
comfortably cared for.
In answer to the question as to
whether the United States would not
have to take a larger hand in the fu-
ture in order to protect our interests
in the canal and against disease, Gov
ernor Magoon said he thought that the
United States was eNercisig now as
many powers as would ever be neces-
sary, unless there should be revolu-
ton. He declared that Panama was
not thinking Of or desiring annexation
The committee has asked William
Nelson Cromwell, the general counsel
of the Panama railroad and fiscal
agent of the Panama republic and j.
r. Markell, whose contract to feed the
canal employees was abrogated, to
name days next week when they will
appear to testify.