Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-12-28
THE PRESIDENTS
PANAMA MESSAGE
Continued from Page 8


days informed me that it was precise
ly like the meals they had been get
ting at other government hotels.
came to the conclusion that. speak
fng generally, there was no warrant
FOR complaint about the food
Alien Employees.
OF the day laborers employed on
the canal few hundred are Span
iards. These do excellent work,
Their foremen told me that they did
twice as we'll as the West India labor
ers. They keep healthy and no diff
way Some italian labrers are also
employed in connection with the drill
ing. AS might be expected, with Ia
Dor as high priced as at present in
the United States, it has not so far
| proved practicable to get any ordi-
nary laborers from the United States.
| The American wage-workers on the
isthmus are the highly paid skilled
mechanics of the types mentioned
| previously. A steady effort is being
made to secure Italians, and especial
ly to procure more Spaniards, because
of the very satisfactory results that
have come from their employment;
and their numbers will be increased
as far as possible. 1t has not proved
possible, however, to get them in any
thing like the numbers needed for
work, and from present appearances
we shall in the main have to rely for
|
upon colored laborers from the West
Indies, partly upon Chinese labor 1t
certainly ought to be unnecessary tc
point out that the American working
man in the United States has no con-
cern whatever in the question as to
whether the rough work on the 18TH
mus, which is performed by aliens in
any event is done by aliens from one
country with black skin or by aliens
from another country with yellow
skin Our business is to dig the canal
as efficiently and as quickly as possi-
BILE: provided always that nothing Is
done that is inhumane to any labor
ers, and nothing that ilterferes with
the wages of or lowers the standard
of living of our own worl1men. Hav-
ing in view this principle, I have ar
ranged to try several thousand Chi
nese laborers. This is desirable both
because we must try to find OFT what
laborers are most efficient, and, fur
thermore, because we should not
leave ourselves at the mercy of any
one type of foreign labor.
I The West India laborers are fairly
! but only fairly, satisfactory. Some OF
the men do very we'll indeed; the bet
ter class. who are to be found as
foremen, as skilled mechanics, as po
I licemen, are good men; and many oI
the ordinary day laborers are also
good But thousands of those who
were brought over under contract Cal
4 our expense) go into the jungle tc
., i've or loaf around Colon, or work sc
badly after the first three or foul
days as to cause serious diminutioI
I of the amount of labor performed.
4 Quarters of Negro Laborers.
saw but one set of quarters fol
colored laborers which I thought poor
! and this was in an old French house
The barracks for unmarried men are
. roomy, well ventilated and clean, witt
canvas hunks for each man, and {
kind of false attic at the top, where
( the trunks and other belongings o.
. the different men are kept. The
!. clothes are hung on clotheslines
! nothing being allowed to be kept OF
4 the floor In each of these big room!
4 there were tables and lamps, ant
:. usually few books or papers, and il
I almost every room there was Bible
the books being the property of th'
4 laborers themselves. The cleanliness
|. of the quarters is secured by dali.
! inspection. The quarters for the mai
y ried negro laborers were good. The,
n were neatly kept, and in almost ever
!. case the men living in them, who's
. wives or daughters did the cookin
y for them, were far better satisfie
4 and of higher grade than the ord
= nary bachelor negroes.
|. The negroes generally do their ow
y cooking, the bachelors cooking Il
d sheds provided by the governmen
|. and using their own pots. In the dil
!: ferent camps there was wide varis
tlon IN the character or tneSe cook1n
d sheds. The laborers are accustome
IA to do their own cooking; but ther
. was much complaint, especial
Y among the bachelors, as to the quar-
b tity, and some as to the quality, c
n the food they got from the CON
|. missary department, especially as rt
Y CARDS yams. On the other hand, tn
n married men and their wives, an
4 the more advanced among the bacl
I. elors, almost invariably expresse
Y themselves as entirely satisfied wit
n their treatment at the commissar
\ stores; except that they stated tha
I. they generally could not get yam
Y there, and had to purchase them ou
u side. The chief complaint was tha
q the prices were too high. 1t is III
|. avoidablo that the prices should b