Chapter 62 United Fruit Company
Although there was pressure from Britain and the economic depression, people could only feel comfort and tranquility in this oak manor. Under the huge tree canopy, Sheffield and Anne lay on the recliner. Before long, more than a dozen guests arrived one by one and made gestures for them to sit down.
Gail, who came last time, was also among the group of people who came. When he saw Anne next to Sheffield, he politely greeted her and said, "Before you came to New Orleans, I heard that you went to Europe and brought back a count's daughter. I didn't expect her to be so beautiful, enough for any man to envy."
"The word 'kidnapping' is not well used. My family has not been in the labor trade for a long time. Annie came to the United States to study, and will go to the Austin campus in a while!" Sheffield stretched out his finger and shook it, correcting the other party's description error, and then his eyes fell on other people. Not everyone he knew, there were some strangers here, but they should all be like Gail, all Brazilian plantation owners.
However, Sheffield's eyes lingered on one man for a moment, and he shook his head secretly. What was the other person's skin color? There was nothing wrong with the young man's clothes, but he had some characteristics of people of color. To put it bluntly, he was mixed blood! But not as serious as black people, and this is a big deal in the current southern United States.
Discrimination in the Southern states has always been more serious than in the North, although in reality it is the same. The Dixies do not hide it and the Yankees do not say it, but this matter can be a big deal or a small one. You have to know that there are many laws. If this person's appearance is explained by the one drop of blood principle, he is a black man.
The mixed race in Latin American countries is very serious, and those who can maintain their white appearance are a minority among the minority. The white people defined by Latin Americans in later generations actually look like the alien Ronaldo. As for whether people from other ethnic groups around the world, in addition to Latin Americans themselves, also think they are white, we will talk about this later.
"What's going on?" Sheffield asked Gale about this man under the pretext of getting the wine himself. "Although it's not serious, it's still a little obvious."
"He is the son of a maid. Unfortunately, all his father's non-mixed-race children are girls. The plantation can't be passed down to a woman, right?" Gail explained helplessly. "You also know that Brazil's definition of ethnicity is much looser than that of the United States. No one expected that they would end up fighting, but his position is definitely on our side. McHale's estate recruited many soldiers to fight against the Paris government forces."
"It's a good thing he came to Louisiana. If he went to a state heavily influenced by Virginia, he would be defined as black just by his appearance." Sheffield said weakly, "But it's not that we can't help. My family has some connections in New Orleans. Besides, the law governs civilians. We are heroes of the United States and have shed blood and sweat for the United States in the past. It's not that we can't help."
As the two walked and talked, Sheffield said slowly, "Our best specialty is plantations. I believe you will not deny this. You have lived in Brazil for a long time. Everything has two sides. You should be familiar with the subtropical climate. Except for a few limited coastal areas in Louisiana, the climate in the entire United States is relatively cold. We have long relied on imports for tropical fruits and crops."
The climate in North America is really unpredictable. Although in a broad sense, all ethnic groups from North America to South America are called Indians, the Indians there are actually completely different. The environment within the United States is actually similar to the prairie north of the Great Wall, a standard nomadic area, and the Indians in the United States are also mainly nomadic.
The center of civilization in America certainly could not be located in the United States, where people had to wait and see whether the Arctic cold current would blow southward every few years. In fact, it was precisely because the Arctic cold current moved southward unimpeded that the North American Indians were harvested every few years, so they were unable to develop into a civilization, let alone become a stable agricultural country.
The centers of Indian civilization are all in southern Mexico, Honduras, and Panama, where the climate will not be harvested by the Arctic cold current.
In the industrial era, the United States' favorable characteristics for industry were brought into play, while in the agricultural era, North America was not really a good place. For Latin America, it was equivalent to the Huns and Turks in the Han and Tang dynasties.
The United States does not have a lot of land with a subtropical climate, only slightly more than the Republic, which has Hainan. But with a population of nearly 80 million, no one would believe it if they said there was no demand for sweet tropical fruits.
There are many demands. Although the United States is right next to Latin America, it mainly meets the needs of the old imperialist countries in Europe first, and ignores the United States, the weak link in imperialism.
"In fact, whether it's slaves or hired workers, it's just a form. Even without this form, we can still open plantations wherever we want, right?" Sheffield stated his purpose during the chat, "We have a deeper understanding of tropical climates than the Yankees. No one knows better than us what kind of land is suitable for planting what and how to get the greatest benefits. We are still citizens of the United States and have the obligation to allow tropical fruits and crops with high nutritional value to enter the United States. And the wealth you brought from Brazil can be reinvested."
"It seems that William, you have already found a good place to invest, and even have an idea." Gail knew that Sheffield already had a plan, and immediately pretended to listen attentively and asked.
"It's just a slightly immature idea. After all, we have the foundation! The Port of New Orleans is in a great location facing Latin America. Another important port, Houston, also has my family's industry. Previously, our shipping company was used to sell people, but now it can be switched to shipping tropical fruits. The conditions are there, plus you bring experienced people who are adapted to the tropics. We have all the basic conditions!" Sheffield said with a smile, "We still need to gain a foothold in the field we are good at and unite to control the channels for these fruits to be imported into the United States."
Holding the drinks and returning to the shade of the tree, Sheffield put on a sincere smile like a brother, poured a glass of wine for each person, and said, "Dear friends, welcome back to your homeland. Please don't be sad about the result in Brazil. Sooner or later, they will pay the price. There is nothing to miss about that messy country. We have a more mature plantation model, and we have the foundation."
With Gail's help, Sheffield expressed his thoughts in detail, analyzed the advantages he had, and finally said, "To show the unity among Dixies, this company can be called the United Fruit Company."
(End of this chapter)
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