Chapter 312: The Attack of the Shit Collector
At this time, Sheffield had already arrived in Rio de Janeiro, and together with the richest woman, he began to make friends with politicians of the future superpower. Brazil is a really good place, but not to the extreme. Although the agricultural era was rich in resources, it was difficult to conquer the tropical rainforest, which was known as the green desert.
In the industrial age, Brazil, which had no shortage of almost all raw materials, like other Latin American countries, lacked coal, a very important raw material for the start of industry. Oil had not yet been discovered in this era, and even if it was discovered, the reserves were barely enough, not to mention exporting.
The country of Brazil is equivalent to a man with suitable height and weight, handsome face and good personality. No matter how you pick on his appearance, there is no major flaw. The only small problem is that this man is infertile.
Thanks to the connections provided by Gale and McHale, Sheffield and Edith Rockefeller were received very warmly when they arrived in Rio de Janeiro and were able to establish connections with members of the Brazilian Congress.
"Seeing a warship enter the port really scared an old man like me. Next time I come, I'd better not make such a big noise." Veteran Senator Augusta made an exaggerated expression.
"The United States of Brazil is such a big country that a warship can't scare it!" Sheffield complimented modestly, "The United States of Brazil is the United States of America in Latin America. It is naturally a big country and will only become more powerful in the future."
In front of this senator, whose full name is Luis Carlos Almeida da Augusta, Sheffield expressed his optimism about the United States of Brazil, saying that he was also prepared to make a certain amount of investment this time to help Brazil develop its textile industry and was ready to do business in the United States of Brazil.
"I didn't know that Brazil has such a great appeal." Augusta still showed the optimistic style of Latin Americans, and his words sounded like a joke.
This was similar to Sheffield, except that the slave owner was joking seriously, and Edith Rockefeller did not take the compliments seriously. The two had been together for quite a while. Even now she could not tell whether the slave owner was telling the truth or lying when he was serious. Both things were in the same tone.
The two chatted very enthusiastically. In fact, although they had never met, their business had started long ago. What were Gail and McHale? Slave owners who escaped from the United States to Brazil. They could be said to be the most stubborn group of people in the Confederacy at that time.
Augusta was the spokesperson for the Brazilian Congress brought up by Gail and McHale, advocating a moderate abolition of slavery and giving slave owners certain compensation in exchange for these slave owners giving up slavery. The people of the Black Gold Company were the main force in smuggling labor to Brazil, and the two sides had naturally dealt with each other before, and now it was just a formal meeting.
After Gail and his party returned to the United States, many of their plantations in Brazil were sold to congressmen like Augusta, and the two sides did not completely cut off ties.
As for the investment in the textile industry, Augusta naturally said that he would take care of everything. Even if it was for the sake of the long-term friendship between the two parties, this should be his responsibility.
"In fact, we have abundant textile raw materials in Brazil, but we need new technology to lead the way. It will be a good thing if we can get help from the United Company." Augusta was very happy to express his welcome to Sheffield's investment and pointed out Brazil's advantages in cotton.
Sheffield knows this advantage best. In the past two decades, Brazil and Argentina, Latin American countries that have competed with the southern states for the export of raw materials, have been on the list. They can be said to be long-term enemies of the United Company. Fortunately, after a few years, the United Company has transformed into a comprehensive conglomerate group. Agriculture and animal husbandry are still the foundation and are very important, but it no longer relies on agriculture and animal husbandry to create profits. Occupying the position of agriculture and animal husbandry only shows that we are very important to the country.
If you think about it, the world hasn't changed that much. A hundred years later, it seems that it will still be Brazil that will compete with the United States for the Asian market.
The first meeting between the two parties left a deep impression on each other. With this good impression, the initial contact between officials and businessmen has been established.
"It looks like it went well." Edith Rockefeller returned to the estate, whose ownership was still in the hands of McHale, to rest. She lay down tiredly, but the smile on her face showed that she was quite satisfied with this meeting.
"If you just invest in the textile industry, it's not a big problem. The most basic industries are often not taken seriously. Moreover, the United States of Brazil has a vast land area and a much smaller population than our country. It can live well just by exporting agricultural products. But if it is a truly important industry, I won't mention it, and Brazilians won't agree."
Sheffield took off the bow tie around his neck and added a few specific conditions. There are many countries in Latin America that dare to challenge the United States. These countries do not think that the United States is so powerful. Many countries want to make friends with distant countries and use the European countries far away to resist the pressure of the United States.
This mentality is similar to that in Southeast Asia a hundred years later. The Panama Canal is a perfect example. The United States spent decades of effort and aroused the hatred of Colombia before it finally got what it wanted.
They even dared to confront Colombia, not to mention Brazil, the largest country in Latin America. Even until the end of World War II, some countries did not understand the changes in the situation and did not know that Britain and France were completely defeated. It was only after the CIA carried out several brilliant operations that Latin American countries really understood that the world had changed.
Therefore, the initiative to invest in Brazil does not lie in Sheffield's hands, but depends on whether the Brazilian Congress really values this industry. If not, it will be easy to deal with. It seems that Brazilians do not think the textile industry is that important, which is a good thing, as it gives him room to operate.
"It's time to contact New Orleans." Sheffield stretched and forced himself to get up. Domestic affairs were more important, and he wanted to know what progress the situation had made.
At the Chicago Daily Times, the editor-in-chief Albert was interviewing face to face Connie, a feminist activist who had gone deep into the rural South. Albert had a feeling that this would be a big news that would detonate the citizen class. The interview lasted for two hours, during which Albert asked questions about the real situation in the rural South and the authenticity of what Connie and other feminist activists had seen and heard.
"It must be said that there are widespread violations and violence against women in black communities and rural areas in the South. According to our investigations, black men do not respect families. They often date women to satisfy their sexual impulses, and then find various excuses to shirk responsibility and do not bear the cost of support. Their low morals are simply shocking." Connie made tearful accusations about the scenes she saw in rural areas and communities in the South from the beginning, and appealed with sympathy, "Women should be respected, and laws must be enacted to stop this phenomenon."
"Is it an isolated case or a common phenomenon?" Albert asked again, forcing Connie to answer the question clearly.
"It is a common phenomenon. I am shocked by the many children who appear without families. These children have not received love from their parents since childhood, and have not received any help. When they grow up, they will be like their parents, indifferent to family values, and repeat their parents' lives. If a boy witnesses this behavior every day and it becomes a habit, he will think it is normal. This is a very scary thing."
"How rampant is violence against women? Why has it not attracted public attention for so long?" Albert also planned to use this interview to achieve his own goals, such as attracting attention and increasing sales.
As the two talked, the scribe next to them was recording the atrocities Connie mentioned, such as deception, sexual assault, and the fact that many black women were raped before they reached adulthood, and that she had to raise children when she was still a child.
For Albert, news is not afraid of being explosive, the more explosive the better. Connie's narration even made him feel that he didn't need to add any exaggeration. This was not a good sign. Didn't it show that he, as the editor-in-chief, was incompetent?
After the interview, Albert and his writers personally searched for materials from the records and combined them to complete this special feature, which would have an explosive effect tomorrow. He said excitedly, "If we can expose this kind of social problem, we will definitely become the most influential newspaper in the country. We must dare to expose the real situation."
At this moment, Albert could no longer conceal his dung-shoveling complex. Heroes and honor seemed to be beckoning to him. Maybe there would be an award named after him in the future to commend his fearlessness of power. If the slave owner knew that his employee had this wish, it would be easy to deal with. As long as this matter was successful, Albert's wish would come true.
In this Chicago Daily Times feature, Albert used the entire newspaper to report Connie's experience in a humorous but very sharp tone. He first used a small section at the beginning to introduce the claims of feminist activists and a slight tendency to speak for them, but immediately pointed out the horrifying scene these women saw after going deep into the southern states. Women themselves are a vulnerable group, and black women are so vulnerable.
Faced with atrocities committed by people of the same skin color, no group has taken it seriously for such a long time. It makes people wonder deeply: what is wrong with this country?
(End of this chapter)
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