Chapter 347 What is the truth?
Compared with many of its peers who were questioned because of antitrust laws in later generations, Sheffield today can be said to be extremely arrogant and does not take these congressional masters seriously at all. If it were a country with the Soviet system, the slave owners would definitely not have the confidence to do so, for fear that they would not kneel down fast enough.
Things like this will happen in a country that places too much emphasis on procedural justice, just as gangs will always exist in the United States. After forcing the Republican congressman who was questioning to shut up, Sheffield took the time to light a cigar, waiting boredly for the next round of questioning. He took out his pocket watch to check the time, indicating that he was very busy and that if there was anything, it would be better to finish it quickly.
But this behavior of not caring about human life also angered many people. Although many people in society are dissatisfied with the rich, it is the first time they have seen someone like Sheffield today. "This is Parliament, please pay attention to the occasion, William."
"Is there a law that prohibits smoking cigars in Congress? If not, it is my freedom. Of course, many congressmen are here today. You can pass a law banning smoking cigars here and then arrest me." Sheffield said very considerately, if you want an imperial edict, you can write one.
"William, this involves tens of thousands of lives after all." A well-intentioned congressman spoke up and reminded Sheffield to be careful with his attitude. After all, this is no longer entirely a matter of a private company, but has involved politics.
"I am personally deeply saddened by the incalculable loss of life, but what happened is what happened, and what didn't happened is what didn't happen. It's the responsibility of the United Company, and I will never hide from it. I am ready to meet all challenges. But this brings us back to the starting point. The collapse of the Gatun Lake Dam must be thoroughly investigated. This is definitely not a simple accident. It may be related to local anti-American forces. If I have any responsibility, I have thought a lot about it these days."
Sheffield sighed and pretended to be sad. "Because of the local environment, the bodies of black workers are more suitable for tropical construction environments, which reduces the possibility of yellow fever. As a result, the company recruited a large number of black employees when recruiting workers. The move to recruit workers in Puerto Rico was also related to the disease. But I misjudged one reason, which was the moral standards of the two groups of employees themselves."
"After the construction began, the relationship between the two groups of workers and the local residents of Panama was very tense. On this issue, considering that these people are currently citizens of the United States, the local leaders are too partial to our workers, so the Panamanian residents have long been dissatisfied and the conflict has not subsided. If it is because of this conflict that this tragedy occurred, it is also reasonable."
"Do you have any evidence to support your statement?" Just after Sheffield finished speaking, a congressman stood up and asked with a serious expression. If the dam was really blown up, then the matter would be serious.
"I have no evidence as to whether the dam was attacked and collapsed. We have to wait for the results of the investigation. However, although not all crimes committed by construction workers against Panamanians were committed, the local person in charge reported less than 200 cases to the country." Sheffield said calmly, "Theft, robbery, rape, and murder have all occurred, but I suppressed them."
There was an awkward silence throughout Congress. Many members felt that Sheffield was too honest. If there was a reason, then even if there was retaliation, the Panamanians did nothing wrong. But this involved tens of thousands of lives. Should the United States publicly announce that the workers apologized to the Panamanian government for what they did in Panama? How could this be possible?
Roosevelt saw that things were getting a little off track, so he had to ask in person, "Mr. William, the cause of the incident is no longer important. I want to know, as the actual boss of the American Canal Management Company, you should be aware of the number of employees under you. How much do you estimate the loss to be?"
"About 40,000 or 50,000? I can't give a very accurate number!" Sheffield answered uncertainly, "After all, Puerto Rico and the black workers are not in the same place. Puerto Rico has not been occupied for long, and the two groups speak different languages. So for fear of conflict, they built separate settlements. The settlement hit by the flood is the settlement of black workers, with a population of about 50,000."
Fifty thousand people? Hearing this number, even these politicians who thought they were well-informed were shocked by it. They had not heard of such a large death toll since the Civil War. Even in the Boer War that just ended, the British fought for such a long time, but they did not seem to lose so many people?
This number was so shocking that many members of Congress heard it and shouted out loud, with different tones of "Oh my God" echoing in Congress. Some people were just scared, while others were scared and felt lucky that they were all black.
Sheffield was calm and collected. This number was enough to attack Pearl Harbor ten times. The Japanese navy came out in full force to bomb Pearl Harbor. The total number of American casualties was less than 4,000. The slave owner was somewhat impressed by himself for being able to accept such a large number of deaths.
Even Roosevelt was shocked when he heard the number. He did not expect such heavy losses. Looking at Sheffield's calm appearance, he was startled by the doubts in his heart for a moment. This calmness seemed as if he had planned it.
No! No one dares to kill so many people at once. There is no such person in this world, let alone a businessman who seeks profit and avoids harm. A businessman who makes money as his first goal will never do such a risky thing.
"It now seems that we must immediately determine the truth of the matter and not let so many citizens die in vain." Some congressmen immediately recovered from their shock. Even if the dead were black people, they had to give an explanation to the citizens.
"Immediately send an investigation team to Panama!" President Roosevelt used his presidential authority to make the final decision, "We must find out the truth about the collapse of the Gatun Lake Dam. If it was intentional sabotage, we must make the Panamanian government give us an explanation!"
The system of the United States is not inefficient in all matters. Take the current situation for example, the efficiency of the congressmen is still very high. They immediately approved the proposal to send an investigation team, showing a very efficient side.
At this point, all this had nothing to do with Sheffield. Two hours later, the slave owner walked out of Congress leisurely and returned to his employees.
"Boss, you finally came out. I hope those old guys didn't make things difficult for you?" The bodyguard who came over asked cautiously, but did not deliberately avoid the congressional security personnel not far away.
"What else do they want to do to me? What can they do?" Sheffield moved his stiff neck. "From the beginning to the end, United Company has been the victim. This is a fact. I cannot be treated unfairly just because I have some personal property. Everything should be fair."
Outside the heart of the modern Roman Empire, the slave owners spoke a lot, and every word was ready to give this heart a myocardial infarction.
Deep down, everyone from the president to the congressmen are fulfilling their obligations, which is to stop opposing just for the sake of opposing, and to unite as one to make things clear before speaking out.
As for Sheffield himself, he simply came here to accept questioning and answer questions. After answering, he can leave and wait until the results of the investigation come out, and then he will agree with the federal government's investigation.
Now! The slave owner was so busy every day, preparing to go to the Rockefeller estate in New York to rest. Before leaving, he told the night soil workers to say hello, it was time for the night soil workers to work hard, and they should focus on the conflict between black people, Puerto Rican workers and Panamanian residents. The slave owner had not eaten enough of this bloody man.
If the workers who died were all white, let alone profiting from the loss of their lives, any dung collector who dared to raise objections would have his newspaper office smashed, and his personal safety would not be raised. But since the dead were black, it is still possible to use this as an excuse. Coupled with the actions of the female boxer last year, the issue of black people has attracted public attention, and political jokes about black people are widely spread. It can be said that since the Civil War, more than 30 years ago, public opinion about black people has never been so harsh.
The dung collector, who is good at making up stories, will not let him down. It is only halftime now. The United Company quickly issued a statement explaining why they use black people as workers. Each of the reasons is very reasonable, such as supporting the self-care ability of black people, allowing black people to improve their living standards through work, and black people can better adapt to the local environment.
The statement of the United Company also triggered a discussion on the use of black people. Some newspapers made a very explicit comment: "The facts have proved that the black group does not have the ability to survive in modern society. If they were not unrestrained, they would not have caused the retaliation of the Panamanians."
The New Orleans Morning Post immediately published an article to refute the allegations. "Even if that is the case, now is not the time to report it this way. Even if they are all criminals, they are criminals of the United States. They cannot die in vain in Panama."
The New Orleans Morning Post seemed to be refuting, but in fact it confirmed the newspapers' definition of black people, and indirectly admitted that it was the revenge caused by the black people's lack of discipline! The busy and overwhelmed Washington did not discover this deteriorating public opinion in the first place. By the time it was discovered, it had already become a consensus among many people.
The investigation team has set out from the port and headed to Panama to investigate the truth of the matter.
(End of this chapter)
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