The San Francisco call., 1913-07-18
Voice Of the People
All That Clistens Is Not Gold


NJ. Pezet. Peruvian ambassador to the
!, United States.
! In that article you state that M.
Fezet is a booster for Peru" ! agree
with you. About every 10 years
Peruvian booster" drops along It
/ takes 10 years for the disastrous re-
suits flowing from the last Peruvian
boosters, exertions to die from the
public mind
AS M. Pezet is a booster" he will
pardon me for saying that as rule,
the statements of boosters are seldom
correct. and. if taken literally, usually
result in much suffering and financial
| loss to the sucker swallowing the bait.
Not believing your paper would will
ingly misIead readers to their detri-
ment. write you this as warning
and protest against the statements as
cribed to the distinguished diplomat
from Peru; particularly his dream pic
ture that the Peruvian rivers fairly
sparkle with gold"
The placers of the western flank of
the Peruvian Andes have been worked,
and almost exhausted, for ages. Their
bedrocks have been secured clean by
the most keen scented, avaricfous and
expert gold miners on earth--the Span
ish- American miner; poems, whose scale
of living is so low that they will
abandon any other employment IL, with
their batea. they can wash out 10
cents worth of gold per diem. would
ask NJ. Pezet why, with their rich gold
fields and cheap labor, Peru remains
such a poor country and that it's gold
output in 10 years will not equal Cali
fornia's for one year; and also why
the Spanish Peruvian, who from the
time Of Pizarro has delved, digged,
murdered, robbed and devastated to Sc
cure his precious gold, is now adver-
tising their generous invitation to the
world to come and help themselves?
| see NJ Pezet states that Peru has
just granted vast mining concession,
etc, and the syndicate intends to soon
begin active opera tions. This may ac
count for the present boosting.
1t Is singular that from Harry Meiggs
day to the present-some so years
whenever foreign syndicate by graft
or purchase acquires a great Peruvian
concession; or a South American steam
ship line becomes greedy for large divi-
dends the Peruvian booster" drops
along and spreads broadcast these ac-
counts of Pizarro's robbery of Inca
gold and OF the tremendous richness of
Peruvian placers.
In the last so years / have known
of at least five sta mpedes' to the
Peruvian and Bolivian gold fields
stampedes created and encouraged by
published statements as these of NJ.
Pizet's- These expeditions averaged
a minimum cost of $1,000 per man for
supplies, transportation, etc. Most of
these adventurers were buried in
Peru's gold laden soil. and the sur
vivors returned broken in health, spirit
and pocket Their arms and ammuni-
tion had been conhscated; they had |
been taxed even TO the 'hair on their
heads, and In their wanderings they
had met with but hostility and in
hospitality were charged exorbitant
prices for most miserable supplies. |
transportation and accommoda tons, |
until presently, their means exhausted
and hopes disappointed, they were COM
PEELED to do the most exhausting
labor in an enervating climate, among
degraded people, before earning
enough to bring their emaciated bodies
and worn rags back to Gods country
And l now predict that any of my
countrymen visiting Peru and basing
their hopes on NJ. Pezets interview
former argonauts, who, if any still
survive, will bear me out in every |
statement made in this communication. |
Peruvian mountains and foothills |
have been combed by Spanish and |
SpanishPeruvian prospectors. Any of |
the old ledge mines, as every mining
man and NJ. Pezet knows. are now
and have been for years the property |
of various English. American. French |
and German syndicates. If these tre-
mendous gold deposits were there the
Spanish Peruvians would, instead of
inviting outsiders to the feast be now
sacrificing q peon or Indian life for
every ounce of gold obtainable.
In conclusion I would say that if one |
Is determined to make the fool venture |
he should join party. strongly bound |
together. of from % to so, and they |
should have a capital of not less than |
1900 each in money and supplies |
to insure their safe return with an
unforgettable load of experience. Ny |
last advice to them before starting for |
Peru would be:
Don't goi Pool your money; invest |
under advice and management of a |
competent miner in a gold or other |
mine of any of our own western min |
ing states, and you can live happily |
at home, develop your own country and |
will have a thousand chances of at |
least getting your money back. where I
you would not have one chance of get |
ting anything but misery, poverty and |
Ill health from the Peruvian wild goose
chase" J. CABELL BROWN.
San Rafael July IA.