The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-31

mn servant of Cuxco. See Inca aground. This dates back hum of $500 or s400 and even 5000. Such men work on the farm on the same conditions as the other Indians. and they live just about the same
 As rule the Indian will borrow all that he can He wants money for feast days and for marriages and fu- nerals. He is not afraid of debt. He has always been in debt and expects to stay so all his life. When he dies his debt must be paid out of what he leaves, or it is assumed by his widow and children.
 ITO STOW you how the indebtedness comes, continued the hacendado. T have here the accounts of some of my Indians. Here is Mariana Condori. who owes me 1899. Within the past year tha account shows that I have loaned him $365 Of this he has paid something on account and in addition has sold us 10 sheep at 20 cents each. and one bull for which we have credited him $750
 The next account is that of Manuel Jacinto who received $45 during the year and at the end owed s34. Part of the balance he paid in currency and he is credited also with 40 cents for the loan of his horses to us. He got S1 for taking train of llamas to Cuzco and bringing back food and meat. (Think of going 10S miles for, Sl, and carrying a ton load on your llamas all the way.) Here is the account of Facunda Casa. which shows that he souid us 30 sheep for $750 or for 25 cents apiece. The other accounts run much the same"
 But doesn't this method of carrying crops so cheaply to the markets compete with the railroads?''
 'Of course it does replied the haeien- dado. Why should I use the railroad to market any crops when I can have my Indians to do for nothing? I would not give a centavo to have a railroad pass my farm. If it did, myself and family would be the only ones who would use it. If l send my goods by the Indians on the backs of llamas it takes a little longer, but if the weight is short when they reach the market the Indian is responsi- ble. Suppose ship 100 pounds of barley to Cuzco by rail, and it comes in four pounds short. I could not get damages of the railroad but the Indian would have to make up the balance. He is re- sponsible for everything he carries, and If he should break plate or glass in the load of goods he brinks me he has to pay for it.''
 But how can you force the Indians to submit to such treatment?'
 "They have been used to it all their lives, and besides We can punish them in various ways For small offenses we can put them in the farm prison on a diet of water and very little else for a. couple of days. We can also whip them for stealing, provided we are careful not to let the authorities hear of what we are doing, or we can make them come to Cuzco to work here as pongoes for month or so. There are some cases in which the Indians are badly treated, and I know of an Inc stance on my own farm where an In- dian was tied with rope under the arms and raised to the top of euca- 1yptus tree and left there for two hours. If it had been found out, the overseer would have gone to jail for two or three years. Justice. however. Is more in favor of the master than the servant in this part of the world. and although the laws to protect the Indians are fairly good the Indian has little chance before the courts if one of the higher classes is the defendant"
 In further conversation, this man told me something of the Indian vil lages. and how they are governed He says the farmer works almost entirely through the Indian village officials. Each town has a native alcalde or mayor, who as a sign of authority. carries a cane as big around as ball club. which is decorated with silver ornaments, and he has in addition two other officers with smaller canes It is the business of these men to rectify offenses and to pass upon disputes. They are selected each year. In addi- ton each village has mandon.. who 10 n kind of overseer of the work Of the town, and of the Indians as emprqr~1 by the farmer. The farmer gives slI his orders through the mandon. and the Ia tter is responsible for seeing that the work shall be done. He has also charge of the farm tools, and is re- snon silsles for the success of the crops. This is a high office and is greatly de- sired
 | asked some questions as to the edu- cation of the Indians and was told that there are practically no Indians in the schools Tn the out-of-the-way provinces. They sometimes go to public schools in tic toSus. and there Is no regulation that prohibits thein from attending them. It is some trouble. however to establish a school on an estate far away from the railroad. sIt has to be done through the minister of public instruction. of whom there ts a Representative in every prov fnces To do this. rediiires money. time. trouble and Influence. and the majority of the landholders do not care. Some of them prefer1to have ignorant and willing laborers ito intelligent and independent ones ana they say. that 1t is the edu- cated Indian who usually causes most trouble. One of the haciendados told me that he found those Indians who had been in the army the most difficult 10 control. and that he wanted h.s Indians as worlyfrs and not as scholars or as ad- visers sor friends.
 Tn closing this letter would say that the conditions herein described are those current in the province of Paucartambo. and that they are not the same all over Peru. There are many places in which the Indians work only two or three days a week for the use of their houses and lands. and in some they are also paid uI small wage for their work Tn other places they have small farms of their own and raise their own stock and crops. AS rule however. they have but few riehts that the white and Cholos landowners are bound to respect; and there Is room for a great movement toward their education and civilization. and In the giving of them the liberty which we ali concede should be the right of every one in theoo mo6-