Chapter 259 Panama Independence
"For us, Panama will become a stable profit point, but no one can deny that this canal is actually more important to the country than to our company. At the appropriate time, we can consider letting the state take over. Our task is to buy low and sell high and wait for the federal government to take over." Sheffield was at the dock in New Orleans, seeing the busy scene of the port, his eyes were full of relief.
After the Civil War, this southern center finally regained its former bustle. The Spanish-American War brought a huge boost to New Orleans, without the annoying Spanish bastard. The Caribbean Sea under the control of the United States was equivalent to untying a layer of shackles for New Orleans.
The United Company could not break free from this shackle by relying on smuggling. Sometimes, appropriate war is indeed a good way. But this is not enough. Back then, these slave owners were able to accept the black population because they had powerful armed forces to control the plantations and were able to confine these blacks to a certain range.
Now it is different, blacks can migrate freely. But on the other hand, since slave owners do not have to take care of the birth, aging, illness and death of blacks, everything is based on profit. Blacks do not bring benefits but trouble. We must find a way to take New Orleans back from blacks. The best port in the South should not be full of blacks.
"To ensure the progress of the project and save costs, it depends on whether you two can squeeze more value from the most basic labor. But this is what we are good at, isn't it?" Sheffield retracted his gaze and walked back with his two friends, saying slowly, "In fact, I don't want them to come back. Do you have any ideas that would benefit the country? In this way, even the federal government will actively cover up our actions."
Since everyone was from Dixie, Sheffield did not hide his concerns about black people. If there was one thing he had learned from his previous life that he always thought made sense, it was that those who were not of my race must have different hearts. Whether it was right or wrong from a national perspective was still debatable, but from a racial perspective, it was basically not debatable.
"William, you mean that eliminating normal diseases is not enough? If that's the case, then we really should think of a solution. This is no small matter!" Gale was silent for a moment and said, "You also know that when it doesn't involve their own interests, there will always be people who like to make sarcastic remarks."
"Yes, that's what the Yankees did. But the project is overseas, so as long as we do it cleanly, we can give it a try. It can also save some costs." McHale lowered his voice and said sinisterly, "How much less salary can we pay?"
"Pay less salary? Doesn't that mean more pension? You're talking about us doing it more cleanly? Can we do it ourselves? How to cover it up? There are so many people involved, how to cover it up? If this happened in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, it would be much easier. No one would care about it, but the Panama Canal has already aroused the concern of citizens. It's too risky to do it ourselves." Sheffield rejected the opinions of his two friends, but still said, "There must be a smarter way to clear our suspicion and benefit us and the country."
At least Sheffield's view on blacks was consistent. Since this group could no longer provide unpaid labor, the rest would only have negative effects. He thought of many ways, such as giving priority to blacks in northern industries to attract blacks from southern states to leave. The Panama Canal project was no exception. If blacks could not create value, they would be useless to the United States and should leave.
"If these workers died at the hands of local residents, it would be more advantageous for us. Black people are citizens of the United States after all. In this case, the federal government would make some gesture, such as issuing some kind of pension or something. The money would first go to us and we would distribute it to the families of the deceased workers."
Back in Oak Manor, in the peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, the slave owners were discussing the real blood-soaked steamed buns more and more heatedly. McHale had been thinking about how to have the best of both worlds, so he proposed this idea, "For us, this way, we can avoid the workers returning home after the completion of the project, and it can also give the federal government a greater opportunity to intervene, and even allow the stationing of troops, which is also good for the country. I believe that this little money can be exchanged for the intervention of the country, and Congress will thank us."
"If tens of thousands of workers died, it would be such a big deal, the federal government would at least show some respect." Gail also thought along the same lines, "If the whole country is paying attention, the compensation would be quite a bit of money."
"You are committing fraud, insurance fraud! The target of the fraud is the country!" Sheffield changed to a comfortable posture and leaned back, saying lazily, "But the idea is right. There are only two private insurance companies that will not pay compensation, this and that. The idea of letting the country pay is right. The operating rights of the canal are our bargaining chip with the country."
Finally, Sheffield ended the topic with a heavy heart of condemnation, and ended the discussion with a lingering feeling, "I didn't hear anything about what happened today. It was all a natural disaster. It was just like a mine collapse that buried some miners. But the scale was hundreds of times larger, so you have to think about it carefully. If you have the courage to deceive the country, you must also have the means to deceive the country."
In the discussion among several slave owners, an idea gradually became clear: now it was just a matter of borrowing a knife. However, there was still plenty of time, and the construction period would take at least several years.
Although they had just recruited workers with the intention of killing the donkey after it had done its job, and were ready to make a big profit from it, the world was so big that there were many bizarre things. What the United Company did was not excessive, and was even considered a small matter in this era, and was not a big deal in the eyes of the European and American powers.
Even countries that are not great powers can do more outrageous things. Belgium is just a bystander in Europe. The method Belgium often uses to treat colonies is to chop off their hands and feet. If these people cannot complete the task, they will be executed immediately. However, the execution is not on the slaves themselves, but on their families, usually children. Because if you do this to slaves, they will not be able to work and have no value. On the one hand, attacking their children does not affect the labor of the slaves themselves, and on the other hand, it has a greater effect. After all, parents are pitiful. They are really willing to fight for their children.
It is said that in the past ten years, about 15 million people died in Belgium because of this method. The United Company only needs 100,000 workers. Once it is successfully implemented, the federal government can have an excuse to expand its presence, and the United Company can get a compensation, and it can also share some of the workers' families through the trickle-down effect. As a black man, these families should not ask for too much, it is good enough to have some.
"Yes, let's think carefully about how much benefit we can get from the federal government by using this canal." Gail and McHale nodded, knowing that they couldn't rush into this matter and do the worst possible thing, but they had to use the safest means.
"As for this matter, only the three of us know about it. Even the woman who slept with you cannot tell it." Sheffield fiddled with his fingers and said in a serious tone, "For now, let's see if the two warships of the United Company can scare Columbia. If Columbia can hesitate, the federal government will have no scruples. As a private enterprise, we are all working for the country, so it is not too much to ask for a small reward."
"That's right. It's not an exaggeration at all. Everything in the world has a price." The two nodded solemnly. They would do anything as long as they could make money. If killing people could make money, then they would kill people.
"If this movie is directed well, it will be very interesting." Sheffield glanced at his two companions, "Just wait and see, John Connor and his men have already set off."
In Panama City, the Colombian commander in Panama, Huertas, stared at the stacks of dollars in front of him. Keane said reservedly, "You can't make so much money even if you work for Colombia for your whole life. I believe the commander knows better than anyone how the residents of Panama see you. Now the opportunity is in front of you. Take the money and become the leader of the new republic. You don't have to worry about anything in the future. To be honest, with the assets of our head office, we can buy the entire Panama, and the entire scope also includes the lives of 300,000 Panamanians."
“Who doesn’t like money?” Huertas’ eyes never left the dollars as he grabbed them in his hands and said, “But I’m risking my life to help your company. If something goes wrong, you can’t just ignore it.”
"If the commander is a true Panamanian, he will know that we will not ignore Panama." Keane emphasized the word Panama, and its meaning is self-evident.
With Huertas' order, communications between Panama and Colombia were cut off. At the same time, he, the nominal commander, used the limited armed forces at his disposal to block the roads between Panama and Colombia.
The defection of the garrison was a good thing for the forces that wanted independence. Under Keane's repeated assurances, they decided to formally declare Panama's independence, but the whole of Colombia knew nothing about it at that time. Colombia did not quite believe that a private company would dare to be an enemy of a country, and was relatively lax in its precautions.
There was nothing to be afraid of. When Sheffield received Keane's message, he immediately called back and did just that. In the first week of the new century, the Panamanian Patriotic Committee officially announced its independence from Colombia.
"Long live America, long live Panama, long live the Panama Canal!" Arango and his son led the Panamanian citizens who were shouting slogans and marched towards the Panama City Council.
(End of this chapter)
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