TROUBLE IN PANAMA

Shannon News, 11 May 1926, Page 4

TROUBLE IN PANAMA

BREAD AND RENT RIOTS. ‘ UNITED STATES WORRIED. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23. With mingled feelings the Republic of Panama awaits the arrival of the United States fleets. Though the mercantile elements are cordial enough, the population in general evinces an interest almost casual, and in some respect actually hostile, according to an American corre- j spondent stationed in Panamanian j territory. 1 Military police from the armed \ forces of comprising a J regiment of the regular army, with the assistance of the Metropolitan Police of Panama under Major A. R. Lamb, an American soldier of fortune, will be thrown over the native and American quarters when the . first liberty parties from the fleet are landed. The men of the High Seas forces are being instructed on shipboard as to the state ofaffairs, and also how to care for their health while ashore. Members of the Panama Government are still hostile over the alleged rebuffs given by the Washington Government in settling the renewal of the Panama-American treaty in 1924, when the Panama Foreign Minister threatened to attempt to take. the canal from the United Slates by force. Mr G. I-C. Spencer, a well-known American journalist, in a dispatch td San Francisco, says: “This writer, to whom the threat was first publicly expressed by the Foreign Minister, at that time expressed the opinion that the state 'of Panama feeling would have repercussions not soon or easily stilled. The effect is now being felt. Conditions were not calmed by the action of the United States authorities, last October, -in acceding to an importunity from the Native Government to use American troops against natives who wer e engaged (in bread and rent riots. Populace in Riot. “The populace,, desperately poor,, overtaxed and ridden down by - a native aristocracy which holds Its power only in the shadow of the United States presence, rioted in October in a disorganised . manner, driven to frenzy by hunger and high rentals The brutality of the -Situation was augmented by official torpor and callousness of the * conditions. A native journalist declares that several dead bodies were picked up each morning, and, without attempts at discovering their identity, buried in a plot close to the native City without ceremony of any i kind. “A naval lieutenant of the medical corps in the zone gives the following first-hand description of the conditions: ‘The situation was caused by rent and food riots and the futile President of Panama called for American troops to uphold the profiteers. From the porch of the Century Club, whose back door, fortunately for us, was in Ancon, I saw four brigades of American infantry marshalled, load ball cartridges, fix bayonets and march down among the harmless blacks. A Flutter. “ ‘As the troops were lined tip all dressed in Flanders tin hats, and with G.M..C. (General Motor Company) trucks,: motor cycles, staff cars, etc., and th ft order to “load” given,, one of the men discharged his rifle accidentally, causing a scare and commotion —but nobody had been hurt. I expected to see fighting, but our men only succeeded in killing an unarmed 18-year-old boy and two blacks, who wer e innocent bystanders. The authorities quarantined all ships in the zone against sending liberty parties ashore.’ “While the recreation of the ships' crews will be cared for, every precaution will be observed for avoiding friction with the natives —people or Government. “The fighting is now approaching the ‘Nation’s Neck’ —the Panama Canal—for the testing of the canal defences since 1921. It is significant within the fleet that scarcely .any of the recommendations made by either Admirals Rodman or Coontz, who commanded the two previous canal zone manoeuvres, have been accorded favourable action by ! Congress, with the result that al- • most identical recommendations may b e made by Admiral S. S. Robison of the terminating of the action now about to commence.” "The importance attached by Robison to what is about to happen at Panama is indicated by the fact that the Seattle, his flagship, has taken over Control of the locad radio stations and is directing their activities.”