| Show A BURNING SHAME < There Is a popular superstition to the effect that corporations have no souls There is also a maxim among1 the owners or shareholders of corporations that no matter how good a case they may have or how weak the case that may be brought against them it is rare they the corporations get justice at the hands of a jury Both the superstition and the maxim have considerable backing a o a Here is a case in point The Kear I sarge was wrecked a few days ago on Roncador Reef a little patch of sand of less han three acres in extent ex-tent in the Carjbbean sea The crew to the number of over 200 managed to reach the reef with some food supplies sup-plies but the fresh water was lost After these men had been on this little lit-tle sand hill a hundred miles away from any other human beings for several sev-eral days word was finally received at Washington via Colon of the casualty WashIngon department at once set to work to effect their rescue but it was not until nearly thirtysix hours after the news of the wreck had been received re-ceived that the City of Para was sent to their aid There have been several reasons given for the delay but all were erroneous 1 S 5 The facts however have now come to light The delay was caused by the heartless conduct of the Pacific Mail and Panama railway companies in refusing re-fusing to permit the Para to leave until un-til the department had accepted the exorbitant rate charged for the attempt to rescue the castaways The railroad company not only insisted in-sisted that the department should guarantee guar-antee the payment of 6000 3500 of which was for extra insurance and 2 500 for the owners but proposed also to charge for the entire expenses of the trip and in addition the fares of the castaways from Colon to New York These fares at an average rate of 50 would amount to SSJfiO and it is expected ex-pected that at least 3000 will be charged charg-ed for coal and incidental expenses of the trip coal being put in at the usual I I exorbitant rates charged by the rail road company on the isthmus where the Pacific Mail and Panama people control a monopoly with which they frequently levy tribute on the navy S S SIt S-It is probable therefore that the department de-partment will be called upon to pay at least 17000 for the rescue of the Kear sarges company nearly all of which will be clear profit to the giant monopoly mo-nopoly that controls the isthmus trade for the Para has lost nether her regular regu-lar trip nor her customary cargo S S SIt S-It would hardly be safe I take i for the Panama people to ask for a favor at the hands of the present Congress Con-gress The action of the corporation is little less than devilish Two hundred hun-dred human lives hanging on a mere thread 200 men on a sand bank in the middle of the Carribbean s aa hundred miles from the nearest inhabited island is-land without water with insufficient food and in danger every moment of being swept from their resting place as flies are brushed from a wall and yet knowing all this the coldblooded villains of the Panama companies knowing as I say the circumstances in the case bargain for their pound of flesh and refuse to make one move towards to-wards the helplessperhaps dying men until the government which has made it possible for them to exist submits sub-mits to be robbed without a murmur S S SIs S-Is it any wonder that the people sometimes make the mistake of classing class-ing all corporations under the same head I think not DR FELL |
