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About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1913)
PAGE TWO Congo Atrocities Duplicated Putumayo Indians on Upper Amazon Enslaved by Rubber Companies and Subjected to Tortures and Cruelties That Overshadow Those of African Districts Several years ago the world was hocked by revelations of terrible atrocities perpetrated upon natives of tho Congo region in Africa by the Belgians under Ring Leopold. - Devel opments and investigations into con ditions in this district proved that the king was actually responsible for and shared in the profits of these cruelties. The toll exacted from the enslaved natives for the production of rubber was found to be never less than perpetual slavery, and often the life of the slave. The natives were held in a subjection so complete that fail ure to produce the stipulated amount of rubber each week meant flogging, torture, the loss of a finger, a limb or a life. The entire world was aroused by the recitation of these atrocities and pressure was brought upon Belgium to put a stop to them. But the lesson taught in this in' stance has not stopped the practice, for there still exist isolated sections where innocent natives are subjected to the cruel and inhuman rule of civ il'zed masters for the enrichment of the latter. Latest of these is the tale of the Putumayo abuses in Peru, the "British Congo," which for dire cruel ty and malicious tyranny surpass and overshadow those of the Congo. The truth about conditions in these 'dis tricts is just coming to light, follow ing investigations by a special com mittee appointed by the British House of Commons, and the world stands aghast tft the revelations of this com mittee. The Putumayo district is located on the upper waters of the Amazon River in Peru. Far from the incur sions of civilization, in forest so dense as to defy the advance of the for eigner unused to traversing the wilds of an Amazon jungle, the native In dians lived very much to themselves, caring little for the warpath and only fighting when their home was threat ened. For the Putumayo Indian is averse to bloodshed and peaceable by nature. Perhaps this fact made their conquest the more easy, for the en- . slavement of these tribes began early. Even in 1706 the story of inroads into this district by Spanish slavers was brought to the world, and the busi ness of enslaving South American In dians received quite a stimulus. Dur ing the years following Spanish sol diers were stationed at points of van tage along the Amazon to prevent the incursions of Portuguese slavorB into this "rich" country. Because of their peaceful dispositions the Indians were easy prey, and the country was re ported by a prominent official as "the most favorable district for catching Indians." Until a world sentiment against the enslaving of humanity, regardless of color, became so intense that civilized nations dared not practice it openly, the districts of the upper Amazon furnished their share of the slaves of the world. Then civilization found a new slavery, and under the guise of commercialism corporations kept un der subjection helpless tribes in places far distant from a disturbing public sontiment. The man who buys his rub bers in the heart of the great city, surrounded by every comfort and ne cessity, knows nothing of the toll of human life that has been exacted to bring the finished product to his use. The evils of our body politic, the sweat shop, the poor wage of the manufacturer's employe fade into in significance beside the awful story of cruelty administered npon the de fenseless back of the savage, who cannot return the blow. With crude, primeval weapons that cannot cope with the modern firearms of the whites, his tribe reduced to but a fraction of its former strength, am bition killed, strength wasted and courage all fagged out, he can but bow meekly to the subjugation of his master and toil the harder to stave off starvation. It is no crime to kill an Indian in the Putumayo district. In habits very little above the jungle beast, of in telligence cultivated only to the meager necessities of his uneventful life, wearing no clothing and prepar ing food only for the present, he pre sents to the unscrupulous overseer lit tle? more than the subservient pack animal. Satisfied with a few beads at first in return for the gourd of rub ber, knowing nothing of the value of his toil, the price paid fr each day's labor is lessened and the number of hours he must work increased. For the control of the overseer is complete. Gradually, as the system grew, the poor native found it impossible to secure the required amount of rub ber, and his pay was withheld until ho should bring in the Btipend. So he found it impossible to sustain life without putting in the greater part of the 24 hours of each day. If he failed to furnish tho stipulated amount ho was flogged, sometimes until the bonos were bared, given but a cr,ust of bread and kicked out into the . forest to make up the shortage. If he tried t escape into the forest to take up again his free life, the bunting party sought him out and brought him back, to sacrifice a finger or a hand for his insubordination. Often the thing that kept him at wort was the captivity of his wife or daughter to serve the lusts of the company's employes. Family ties brought him back again and again to camp when he might perhaps have effected his escape. Still finding it im possible to bring in the required amount of rubber each day or week, tho youngest members of his family were brought into service and eventu ally he found that the work of the entire family would barely sustain life. All this was made possible by a com plete system of private military patrol nnd intimidation. And these are the conditions that exist today as revealed by the late report. Some time ago an American engineer, W. E. Brandenburg, reported conditions in the Amazon country and the Pe ruvian government jnade pretenses at correcting the abuses. Their effort's were mere sham, however, for condi tions there today are more revolting than those 'of the Congo years ago. Sir Roger Casement, who wag sent by tho foreign office to make a personal investigation, attested to many of the revelations of the Hardenburg expose ii his testimony before the board of inquiry. One incident is related in which a small colony of Indians was discovered by scouts and the older members of the family barely had time to escape. They left 18 children behind in the huts, thinking they might be passed by and would later be recovered. The scouts, however, up on finding the children without the adults, brained the entire number by seizing them by the legs and swinging their heads againBt trees. The testi mony Bhowed that old and useless natives were ruthlessly murdered, as were also children too young to be of service. They have been tortured with fire oner water and in some cases cruc ified with their heads downward. The women have been subjected to outrages unspeakable and the men dare not rise up in their defense. Many have been sold into slavery at prices ranging from $100 to $300. To kill an Indian is not murder, for he has no human or civil rights. One Indian exhibited a flask of powder, a few fishhooks and some strings of beads as his remuner ation for three years' work. And dur ing all this time he had been sup plied with barely sufficient food for hit wants. In the Congo troubles it was shown that natives were supplied with a fair remuneration and with food for long journeys. In Putumayo in stances are related where Indians made journeys of 60 miles with no remuneration and no food for the journey. Much opposition is foun,d against the cause of foreign missions, the ar gument being advanced that there is work enough at home. But, eliminat ing entirely the religious element in the missionary movement, we can find justification for it in the publicity given such abuses as these and the resultant removal of them. For the world is interested in the promotion of the welfare of its people and civ ilization owes its advance to that element in it which has made it look to the interests of those less favor ably situated. The civilized world will rise up ami remonstrate against these abuses on the Amazon and those re sponsible for them will be made to feel the pressure of a greater power. Steps are already being taken to rec tify conditions among the Putumayo Indians and the abuses will be stopped. Would Restore Canteen Major-General Wood Recommends Return to Old System, Abolished Eleven Years Ago , Major General Leonard Wood has come tout in favor of a restoration of the army canteen, an institution that died by act of congress in 1901 and has been the subject of much discus sion pro and con since that time. At the time of its passing much bitter ness was engendered between its ene mies and its exponents, so high did feeling run as to the effect its re moval would have upon the army. From time to time since 1901 the ad visability of re-establishing the can teen as an army institution has been brought before the American people in one form or another and the old fire of opposition is kindled anew. These outbursts in favor of a re-establish ment are prompted by reports that while the number of applicants for tho army is increasing, the number of desertions, court-martials and guard house sentences is increasing in great er proportion. It is doubtful if the canteen as a government institution will ever be re-established, for the growth of prohibition sentiment makes its chances yearly more remote. It is well, however, to consider seriously the conditions that have arisen since the canteen went out of existence, to tUt end that abuses attendant npon the life of the young soldier may be lessened through the nredium of an aroused public sentiment. The army canteen, as originally es tablished, was no canteen at all. It was simply a sort of clubhouse where the soldiers could gather and pass the idle bourse in playing games and par taking of refreshments, all liquors be ing barred." Later permission was granted to serve beer and wine under the restrictions and supervision of the post officers. Gradually the institution degenerated into a drinking saloon, with all its attendant evils, well reg ulated in some posts, but grossly neg lected in others. The debauchery at tendant upon the worst of these places became the subject of severe denun ciation,- and a cry for the abolition of the nuisance, as it was believed to be, went up from all over the country, Some cried for regulation as the rem edy, and these numbered many of the most prominent and reputable men of the country. But the demand for ab olition was so strong that congress Third Impeachment in History of United States For the third time in the history of the United States a judge has been stripped of his office and forbidden forever to hold office under the Fed eral government. Robert W. Arch bald has been adjudged guilty of us ing the power of his office to fur ther his own Interests and those of his friends while judge of the com merce court. The particular offense related to intrigue with officials of the Erie railroad for certain coal lands in Pennsylvania, thirteen counts be ing found against him, on five of which he was acquitted. The trial was a long one, having started last sum mer. The trial is the ninth since the declaration of independence, six of which involved judges, one a sen ator, one a secretary of war and -one a president, Johnson. The convictions have all been in the rase of judges, President Johnson having fallen oue short of the necessary two-thirds in the senate. The career of 'Judge Archbald is an interesting one. In 1885 he was a partner in the Amity Coal Company, which was charged by the supreme court of Pennsylvania with so con ducting business that it was "an evasion of the law and a fraud upon the public." Archbald lost all he had in this suit, but continued to rise through the influence of Quay and Penrose. The same year the Amity Coal Company failed - he was ap pointed judge of the Pennsylvania court of common pleas and six years litter was made district judge. In 1910 he was named by Taft for a place on the commerce court, but did pot take his seat until the following year. I. ' V V yielded and the institution went out of existence. . During all the heated discussions relative to this important matter, Gen eral .Nelson A. Miles stood unequivo cally for abolition. He supported his contention with facts regarding drunk enness among soldiers before and af ter and laid stress particularly upon the decrease in court-martials after the canteen was destroyed. But con ditions are different today, hence the revival of this question. As soon as the canteen as an army institution disappeared, a new evil be gan to appear in the shape of a li censed saloon at the border of the camp. The liquor interests were quick to see the opportunity, and in fact, many suspected that the large liquor, interests had ' been strongest among the opponents of the canteen. For, it was pointed out, the canteen could dispense only beer and wine, while a licensed saloon, close enough 'to the post to command its patronage, eould sell anything at all, and there would be no limit to the amount a soldier coild drink. So the licensed saloon became a reality and along with it came the brothel and the joint. The result ii that today the soldier finds these institutions at his very door and no officer is there to call a halt when he has imbibed too much. Frequent fights and disorderly scenes, a- guard house sentence and sometimes court martial follow. Abundant testimony to these con ditions is given in the reports of Sec retary of War Stimson" and Major General Wood. Secretary Stimson says he has visited personally forty-nine of the military posts of the country and in every instance fonnd a formid able row of saloons and joints at the very gates of the barracks. He tea tines to the spread of certain diseases among the soldiers, which he attrib utes to the habits and associates of the post saloon. He makes a plea for regulation of the evil through a res toration of the canteen. On the other hand, those who know the canteen as it was in its last days are loud in remonstrance against its re-establishment. . It is reported that. far from being regulated as its expo nents would have it, the canteen was the scene of many a debauching epi sode. Soldiers received credit at the $1000 Net Profit Per Acre Does this appeal to youf Would yon like to own 10 acres of the most productive fruit land on earth! In Moses Lake Valley, jnst east of Wenatchee, Wash., right in the heart of the great fancy apple growing region. Price, only $100 an acre. Your own terms. Our booklet tells how growers are making the above profit. Send for it. Address: Dept. 21, Hallett Bros, 106 Pike St, Seattle. army saloon and drank their money before it was received. . When pay day came, the canteen collector was by the side of the paymaster and read out his claim against the pay check. Many of the soldiers had little of their small wages left when the drink bill had been satisfied. Men who know say that drunkenness was frequent, but that a sympathetic comrade was always on hand to assist the unfor tunate soldier to his bunk and sober him off. It is said that the officers had their separate clubrooms close to tho canteen where the selection ol Jiquors was not confined to the beer and light refreshments allowed by the government. Other incidents are re lated to prove the evils attendant up on the canteen, and should the mat ter come up before congress. the fight will be as bitter as formerly. It is well known that the abolition of the canteen was brought about largely through the efforts of the W. C. T. U. -whose object was to take front the government all semblance of a partnership in the liqnor busi ness. These forces will line np anew against the canteen should congress see fit to undertake its re-establishment. Whether the outpost saloon would ge when the canteen is re opened would have much to do with sentiment in regard to it. In his annual report Major General Wood sums up his own position en the subject as follows: "The great ma jority of officers of the army are of the opinion that the re-establishment of the canteen nnder proper su pervision would tend to improve the health, discipline and efficiency of the service through decreasing intemper ance and immorality. I concur ia this opinion." Robert W. Archbald, Lately Shorn of His Juaicial Honors At Soon ai Possible. Paddy Dolarr bought a watch from the local jeweler with a guarantee to keep it in order for 12 months. About six months later Paddy took it back because it had stopped. "You seem to have had an acci dent with it," said the jeweler. "A smalt one, shure enough, sor. About two months ago I was feeding the pig and it fell into the trough." "But you should have brought it before." s "Shure, Mike. I brought it at toon as I could. We killed the pig only yesterday. Country Gentleman. Theodore Roberts, the actor, says he can not afford to nav alimonv Therefore, he goes to jail. For a badly beaten ruler, the Sul tan of Turkey is making a pretty lively fight. Perhaps he is only tak ing a breathing spell. $1,100,000 is a pretty stiff bail to be taxed against 33 men. President Ryan seems to be the most favored, with $70,000 against him. Secretary Wilson's 10 years of ser vice have been fruitful ones. 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