Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-02-25
PROMISES
TO END CRUELTY
Minister TO United States Gives
Assurance Of Reform.
FOLLOWS FULLER'S REPORT.

American Had Made Searching inVes.
tigation and Disclosed Long List Of
Atrocities Worked Upon Natives In
Putumayo Rubber Observation-Disclosures,
Flogging and Torture Were System.
Peru will undertake to put a stop to
the atrocities perpetrated on the In
dians in the Putumayo rubber country
and to prevent repettions of the out
RACES. This promise Is contained In
a communication from Senor Pezet,
/ Peruvian minister to the United States,
to the department of state.
The assurances of the Peruvian gov.
ernment come in the wake OF invest-
cations conducted by Stuart ]. Fuller
In behalf Of the United States and Sir
Roger Easement, British consul gen.
eral at Rio de Janeiro, who journeyed
to the very heart Of the Putumayo jun.
giles and then submitted reports to
their respective governments.
Mr. Fuller's report, together with a
message from President Taft, was sent
to congress recently. The state de-
partment was furnished with a mass
of information by the special envoy,
but only the essential facts were CIV
en- to congress. The report sent to
congress says:
Beginning in the year 1904, the 1rm
of Arana Bros, which later became
the Peruvian Amazon company, Inn
ported number of Barbados men,
who had been recruited in the island
Of Barbados, with whom they entered
into contract to serve as laborers In
the Putumayo for a. term of two years.
The number Of men so imported
amounted altogether to about two hun
dred.
Upon arrival at their destination they
were armed with rifles and a large sup
ply Of cartridges and we're dispatched
through the forests to different parts
of the region. with view to enslaving
various tribes Of docie or at any rate
Of easily subdued. Indians who dwelt
along the courses of the Caraparana
and upper and middle lgaraparana riv-
ers, and occupied the country between
those rivers besides the neighboring
regions.
Murder, FIosgins and Torture.
In the exercise OF this illegal COM
pulslon, frequently accompanied by
gross outrages upon the indians. IN.
Guiding murder logging and torture.
the company, through It's agents. fore
ed the Barbados men actively to par.
tiCipate. Threats and in some cases
violence were used as means of COM
pelllng them to commit illegal acts
upon the Indians in order to induce
the latter to labor or bring In india rub
Der upon their backs from the remote
districts.
The Barbados men themselves com.
planned that they had frequently sur-
lfered Ill treatment at the hands of the
agents Of the company and that for
long periods their food consisted OF
what they could get for themselves or
obtain by some means from the lndi-
ans.
After describing conditions In the
rubber regions the report to congress
sums up Mr.. Fuller's findings as fol.
lows:
There Ia evidence that the company
has mended its ways to some extent.
at least for the present All OF the IN.
dams present looked we'll fed and Wig
orous, although a considerable number
In various posts bore the scars OF old
aoggings They are a small people.
not overstrong physically, and, what
ever they may have been In past gen.
erations, they are not now. and were
not ut the time the atrocities took
place, wild, untamable cannibals, but,
on the contrary. mild, docile, inoffen-
Siye and childlike, Just as described by
Sir Roger Easement
As the region Is 30 remote from the
capital and from all governmental au.
thority, the whole zone is apparently
left to the company to manage as It
sees ut, Notwithstanding the occur
rences Of the past Up to the present
the administration Of justice through
Dnt the region has been In the hands OF
the company's section chiefs. Several
Of these admitted that they had put
both Indian and white employees In
stocks for minor offenses.
system Of Psonaae.
The labor OF the Indians Ia secured
by system OF peonnge based on ad.
vnnces Of merchandise. PAYMENT is
made for this labor; but. nevertheless,
It Is nothing more or less than forced
labor The temptation to abuse Is i'm.
mlnent and strong, especially since the
white star is offered a bonus for vigi.
lance
Considering the lnaccesslbllIty Of the
region, the heavy export tax aud the
inferior quality OF the rubber. It Ia DIFF.
6cult to see how the enterprise can be
made TO pay without harsh treatment
VI the Indians The amount OF rubber
produced by the company continues to
Increase In spite OF the fuct that the
native population OF the district has
grently decreased II In questionable
whether, In the absence Of govern.
mental machinery In the zone, the
withdrawal OF the company would bet.
ter the lot OF the Indians, for the ter.