Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-12
THREE THOUSAND WEST INDIAN
NEGROES REFUSE TO WORK
AND ARE IDLE. =
DEMoRALlzE OTHERS
WHO ARE AMBITIOUS
Difficult Problem confronts Canal
Builders - Commission Decides to
Pay Mon Only What They Are
Worth-Nelson Suggests Impropri.
ETY. in Some Of Senator's Votes.
Especial Correspondence

piopleHl is once more giving trouble
on the Panama canal zone. For some
time there have been outcroppings of
the difficulty, which has affected both
the European contract labor and the
West Indian negroes employed.
| There are now about 5000 idle West
Indian laborers on the zone, who re-
fuse to work, and the situation is get
ting serious, because the idle ones are
demoraiizing those who ordinarily
would be willing to work. Recently,
according to reports from the zone, a
cargo of 532 Barbadians were received
at Colon, and next day 100 of them
were put, at work in one place. The
second morning less than one-third of
these reported for work. The rest had
distributed themselves along the line
or to the cities of Panama and Colon.
1t is explained that those who re-
fused to return to work were probably
men who had been on the zone before
but had returned to Barbados. Get
ting the opportunity for a free trip to
the zone, they accepted employment,
which they did not continue when they
arrived, perhaps because they were not
sent to the places where they wanted
to work.
These West Indians have the. "bush'
habit, and 1t is thoroughly demoraliz-
ing. That IS, they are given to with
drawing themselves from the regular
barracks for laborers and establishing
hl1fS nf ihpir in ha nf al
jungle. So soon as they get thus To-
Gated. they get careless about appear
ing for work, and either quit working
on the canal, or else appear OCCASION
ally, evidently satisfied to earn enough
to exist, and no more.
On March "a the steamer Solent
landed 532 Barbadians at Colon, and
on April 81 1t brought $50. 1t is an
nounced that still more will be brought
if they are needed from time to time
Further, Chief Engineer Goethals has
decided that it is useless to allow any
West Indian laborer who has previ-
ously been on the scene to be brought
there second time, because they are
generally too wise to the ways of life
there to be Of much use as workers;
they take to the habits of the bush and
occasional working.
But this is not all the grief the COM
mission has on it's hands. Some of the
Spanish, Greek and Italian laborers
have not been giving satisfaction, and
the commission has found it impossi-
BILE to pay them the 20 cents per hour.
American money, which it had been
contracted they should receive. Many
of them have not earned the money,
and so the commission decided to
abrogate the 20-cent contract and pay
such inefficient laborers whatever
they earned.
This determination caused COM
plants to be made to the consular
agents of the countries whose subjects
felt thus aggrieved. with the result
that Colonel Goethals has had to make
careful explanation of the policy and
procedure to the representatives, Of
these nations. They have been asked to
explain, in turn, to their complaining
fellow citizens, the policy of the COM
mission. 1t is not anticipated that any
serious difficulty will grow out of the
differences, but in general the labor
problem is not in satisfactory condi-
ton at present. The possibility Of get
ting a constantly increasing number Of
unemployed laborers on the zone in
wolves danger of increasing complica-
lions, and of difficulty maintaining
good order.
This magnificent fight we made on
! the lead schedule, even If we did get
beaten" observed a western insurgent
senator, makes me think of the story
about the man who went to sleep in the
haunted house, just to see what would
happen.
In the middle of the night he was
suddenly awakened by the approach OF
a shadowy looking man, carrying his
decapitated head under his arm. The
man jumped out of the window and ran
four miles without looking back. Ut
terly exhausted, he stumbled, fell, and
crawled up on a log to sit for mo-
ment, when the wrath glided up and
/ sat beside MIN.
Morning. spoke up the head. Nice
lively little run we've been having
as WE'LL replied the man you may
think so; but it amt a circumstance tc
the one we're going to have as soon as
l get my breath back
And that's the way with us insur-
gents" concluded the senator.
Its been nice little brush, but II
amt anything to the ones we're going
to have little later"
Senator Nelson, of Minnesota, is the
1 first senator who has ventured to sug-
gest the improperly of statesmen vot.
| ing for duties that affect industries il
which they have their fortunes in
vested. He managed to be distinctly
personal in his observations, alludine
| directly to Senator Smoot, who is {
wooden manufacturer, to Scott, who i!
deeply interested in glass, to Guggen.
helm, who is affiliated with the mana.
gers and dominators of the smelling
trust, to Stephenson, of Wisconsin, ant
Smith, of Maryland, whose fortunes
are in large part the result Of lumber
operations.
1t is reported that before the debat,
is at an end another, senator of thu
insurgent persuasion will be still NOR,
direct, personal and unparliamentary
and that in fact he proposes to take vi
somewhat seriatim and in detail tn
financial interests Of statesmen in tn
Legislation under consideration. 1t ha
not been possible to learn just wha
senator's have been looked up with TIN
purpose of such friendly attention, o
when the discussion of private fortune
as an incident of interest in tariff max
ing will start. But 1t Is pretty definitel,
known that some OF the wealthy sena
ltors have coming a consideration 0
! 81 Il 4 q