62D CONGRESS 3d Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENT No. 1366 SLAVERY IN PERU MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TRANSMITTING REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WITH ACCOMPANYING PAPERS, CONCERNING THE ALLEGED EXISTENCE OF SLAVERY IN PERU F E B R U A R Y 7, 1913 Read, referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and ordered to be printed WASHINGTON 1913 326.985 Un3s LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. To the House of Representatives: I transmit a report of the Secretary of State, with accompanying papers, in response to the resolution adopted by the House of Representatives on August 1, 1912, calling upon the Secretary of State, " if not incompatible with the public interest," for " all information in the possession of his department concerning the alleged existence of slavery in Peru, and especially all information tending to show the truth or falsity of the following statement made in an editorial in the London Times of July fifteenth, nineteen hundred and twelve: 'The bluebook shows that in an immense territory which Peru professes to govern the worst evils of the plantation slavery which our forefathers labored to suppress are at this moment equaled or surpassed. They are so horrible that they might seem incredible were their existence supported by less trustworthy evidence.'" W M . H. TAFT. T H E W H I T E HOUSE, Washington, D. C, February 7,1913. 3 234520 LETTER OF SUBMITTAL. To the PRESIDENT : The undersigned, Secretary of State, to whom was addressed the following resolution of the House of Representatives: CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, I N THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, August 1, 1912. Resolved, That the Secretary of State be directed, if not incompatible with the public interest, to transmit to the House of Representatives all information in the possession of his department concerning the alleged existence of slavery in Peru, and especially all information tending to show the truth or falsity of the following statement made in an editorial in the London Times of July fifteenth, nineteen hundred and twelve: " The bluebook shows that in an immense territory which Peru professes to govern the worst evils of the plantation slavery which our forefathers labored to suppress are at this moment equaled or surpassed. They are so horrible that they might seem incredible were their existence supported by less trustworthy evidence"— has the honor to submit correspondence on file in the Department of State containing information sought by the resolution, with a view to its communication to the House of Representatives if in the judgment of the President it be not deemed incompatible with the public interest so to do. The circumstances under which the Governments of Great Britain and the United States, responding to the public áentiment which had been aroused in both countries by reports of the cruel treatment of the indigenes in the rubber-gathering districts of the tributaries of the upper Amazon, had taken concurrent steps to ascertain the actual conditions in that region are set forth in the initial paper of the subjoined correspondence, being an instruction given on the 6th of April, 1912, to Mr. Stuart J. Fuller, who had been a short time before assigned to the reopened consulate at Iquitos, in Peru, in order that an impartial agent of the United States might cooperate in obtaining first-hand information regarding the asserted brutal extermination of the native inhabitants of the important outlying district of the Putumayo, over which Peru claims jurisdiction and in which Peru exercises administrative control under a modus vivendi entered into with Colombia, whose claims to the sovereignty of a large extent of the territory conflict with those of Peru, and, in part, with rival claims advanced by Ecuador. I n taking this step the Government of the United States was mindful of the sensibilities of the Government of Peru, and, in the light of the measures then being considered by that Government to put an end to the barbarous practices reported to exist, it was believed that an impartial ascertainment of conditions in the Peruvian part of the 5 6 LETTER OF SUBMITTAL. Putumayo district could not fail to strengthen the hand of the Government of Peru in dealing with a problem of such magnitude and gravity. The entire friendliness of this Government and its sincere desire to aid Peru in acquiring knowledge of the facts and in applying the needful remedy for the existing evils have been consistently impressed upon and, it is believed, are well understood by that Government. I n pursuance of that instruction Mr. Fuller visited the Putumayo region during August and September of the past summer, in company with Mr. George Babington Michell, the British consul at Iquitos. Mr. Fuller's report, dated October 28, 1912, gives a full narrative of the extended journey as undertaken and sets forth his views of the labor conditions in the rubber-gathering region, with suggestions as to the treatment of the evils which have existed and to a great extent are believed still to exist therein. Mr. Fuller's report was received in December last. The circumstances under which the journey was made, the inaccessibility of the native country, and the difficulty of obtaining trustworthy information at first hand from the Indians themselves handicapped Mr. Fuller and his British colleagues in their onerous task. That the natives of the region have been inhumanly treated by the mercenaries of the rubber-gathering concerns and been reduced to a state of peonage indistinguishable from slavery is undenied and unquestionable ; that the horrible conditions laid bare by the testimony of observers in the past still exist in all their enormity in the districts visited by the inquirers is not fully substantiated by the scanty evidence they were able to collect, but enough is known to show that whatever amelioration of labor conditions has been effected falls short of the demands of common humanity, and that the efforts of the Peruvian Government to work a remedial change and clear itself before the bar of the world's opinion have been for the most part painfully inadequate and unhappily misdirected to a degree making the results unresponsive to the unquestionable desire of the administration at Lima that its control of the vast and almost trackless regions of the Putumayo, embracing some 12,000 square miles of territory, shall be just and humane. The more energetic action of the present administration in Peru in sending a prefect of recognized ability and integrity to Iquitos and in pushing the prosecution of Messrs. Arana and Vega is considered significant as indicating the attitude that will be henceforth assumed by the Peruvian Government. Supplementing the report and cognate dispatches of Mr. Fuller, the undersigned submits other papers found in the Department of State bearing on the subject of the resolution, including the British Blue Book, entitled " Correspondence respecting the treatment of British colonial subjects and native Indians employed in the collection of rubber in the Putumayo district," which was laid before the Parliament in July last. A knowledge of the contents of this publication appears to be needful, inasmuch as the inquiry of the House of Representatives is based on a journalistic recital of its import. Among the interesting papers herewith subjoined are two reports made in November and December, 1907, by Charles C. Eberhardt, then the American consul at Iquitos. The first of these, dated November 30, 1907, is a carefully prepared paper on the condition and 7 LETTEK OF SUBMITTAL. characteristics of the native Indians of Peru. As an ethnological study its scientific value led to its publication by the Smithsonian Institution, in volume 52 of the Miscellaneous Collections. Incidental to that investigation, and in view of the assertions in American journals that American companies were exploiting the rubber production in the upper Putumayo district under concession from the Government of Colombia, Mr. Eberhardt submitted, under date of December 3, 1907, a report on the general conditions in the Putumayo Eiver district of Peru. This report, while exhibiting the condition of virtual slavery to which the native tribes were subjected, showed that the cruelties so disclosed were not the work of American citizens, nor affected American interests, and, it would seem, did not call for representations to any of the three Governments concerned in the disputed territory. Indeed, the prospect that the controversy as to the sovereignty in that quarter was about to enter on an acute stage might have made it a delicate matter for a neutral government to impute territorial responsibility to any one of them. The" undersigned has not deemed it advisable to expand this report, pendente lite, by including any correspondence in regard to the conflicting territorial claims in the upper Putumayo district or to do more than make passing reference to this circumstance as bearing on the difficulty of practical and effective administration in that quarter. Eespectfully submitted. P . C. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 4>, 1913. KNOX. SLAVERY IN PERU. P A E T I. INSTRUCTIONS TO MR. FULLER AND HIS REPORTS. [No. 1. Confidential.] APRIL 6, STUART J . FULLER, 1912. Esq., American Consul, in Charge of the American Consulate, I quitos, Peru. (Care of the American consul, Para, Brazil.) SIR : I n arriving at the decision to reopen the American Consulate at Iquitos, Peru, the department has had primarily in view the advisability of securing information as to the labor conditions along the affluents of the upper Amazon, and particularly the Putumayo Kiver. Eeports transmitted to the department by Mr. Eberhardt, formerly American consul at Iquitos, during 1907 and 1908 indicated that those directing the gathering of rubber in the territory claimed by Peru to be within her jurisdiction were responsible for practices of exploitation of the native Indians which threatened the complete extinction of the primitive races. Subsequent to the receipt of the reports of Mr. Eberhardt by the department the British Government, which was in possession of information concerning the horrible condition existing in the forests of the Putumayo within the concession of a British corporation, directed His Britannic Majesty's consul general at Eio de Janeiro, Sir Eoger Casement, to make personal examinations of the situation. Previous to this time this Government had been in consultation with the British embassy at Washington, with a view to cooperation in representations to the Government of Peru in order that the Peruvian Government might undertake a thorough investigation of the subject and obtain such first-hand information regarding the brutal extermination of the native inhabitants of one of the important outlying Provinces of Peru as would impel it to take the remedial measures that the circumstances appeared imperatively to demand. Owing to the imminence during the early months of 1910 of an outbreak of hostilities between Equador and Peru because of conflicting claims of these countries regarding the territory of which the Putumayo region was a part, the Government of the United States at that time deemed it wise to postpone communication with the Government of Peru on the matter until the outstanding dispute, which it was then hoped was approaching settlement, had been terminated. I t was felt that, 9 10 SLAVEKY I N PEKU. the international situation having become tranquilized and the question regarding the title over the upper Amazon region decided, such representations as the Government of the United States might determine to make in the matter would more certainly produce the results which it was desired to bring about. During the early part of 1911 the department was informed, through the British embassy at Washington, that as a result of the efforts of the British minister at Lima, acting under instructions from his Government, the Peruvian Government had appointed a commission to proceed to the Putumayo region and report on conditions there found to exist. The department, to which the cause of the defenseless natives of the Putumayo had so strongly appealed for humanitarian reasons, had received information from time to time of the views of the British Government in the matter and in regard to the steps which the British minister at Lima had been instructed to take. During the months of April and May of the past year the British ambassador at Washington transmitted, for the confidential information of the department, copies of three reports of His Britannic Majesty's consul general at Rio de Janeiro, which presented-the horrible details collected by personal observation of the methods employed in the collection of rubber by the employees of the rubber company in the Putumayo district. These reports relate the appalling brutalities and atrocities from which the native rubber gatherers of the forest of the Putumayo were suffering. Copies of these pamphlets and other reports of more recent dates are attached for your information and for the files of the consulate. On the 17th of July last the American minister at Lima was instructed to express to the Peruvian foreign office, at a favorable opportunity, the pleasure that was felt by this Government upon learning of the steps initiated by Peru, inspired by the high ideals of serving humanity, to put an effective end to the excesses in the Peruvian rubber forests of the Amazon Valley by dispatching a judicial investigating commission to the Putumayo. The minister was also directed to express the hope that adequate and vigorous measures would follow to put an end to the reported barbarous system in vogue, which threatened to accomplish the complete extinction of a defenseless people. I t was at this time pointed out that Peril would undoubtedly understand the friendly spirit prompting a mention of this matter by the Government of the United States and would realize that there was no disposition or intention present to offend by referring to a matter concerning the internal affairs of Peru. I t has subsequently developed from information before the British Government, that the action taken by the Peruvian Government in organizing this commission has almost entirely failed of its object. The corrupt influence of those responsible for the conditions in the Putumayo has been seemingly so powerful as to defeat the laudable ends of the Central Government. As a result a few of the underlings have been arrested while no serious effort has been made to apprehend or punish the leaders. I t is alleged that the local administrative and judicial authorities residing at Iquitos have offorded such improper protection to those guilty of the atrocities systematically practiced upon the natives as to make it impossible to bring the SLAVERY IN PERU. 11 criminals to justice without a thorough carrying out of drastic administrative local reforms. Unless the Central Government of Peru takes a vigorous and earnest stand it is to be apprehended that the a consequence. of the measures already taken by that Government, practices which, it is understood, have been temporarily suspended as may be resumed in all their former intensity until the native tribes will have become completely exterminated. The department has been in recent close communication with the British foreign office, following several personal conferences with Sir Eoger Casement at the department. I t appeared that the British Government was seriously contemplating the publication of the evidence on the Putumayo in its possession in the belief that such publicity might provide an effective remedy to the shocking situation. However, at the suggestion of this Government, the publication of the reports was withheld pending further representations to the Government of Peru on the subject. The department therefore informed the American minister at Lima of the apparently wellfounded rumor that no really serious efforts are being made to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities in the Putumayo, and to instruct the legation to cooperate with the British legation in taking the matter up again unofficially and informally with the Peruvian minister for foreign affairs. I n these representations the American minister was directed to advise the Government of Peru that it was understood that the official reports on the situation in the Putumayo probably could not be withheld much longer from publication, the details of which inevitably would be exploited in all parts of the world by the press. The American minister was directed to say that unless drastic and effective action demanded by the circumstances was taken by Peru previous to the publication of this evidence, which appeared imminent, such an exposure of the situation as almost surely must follow might induce public opinion of the world to believe that Peru had shown herself unable effectively to exercise sovereign rights over a region to which Peru lays claim and the ultimate rights to which Peru desires to submit for determination to arbitration. The British and American representatives at Lima had a conference during the early days of February with the Peruvian President and minister of foreign affairs. The Peruvian Government stated that it was endeavoring by all means within its power to bring to justice those charged with the crimes in the Putumayo, and welcomed suggestions as to a system of reforms which would guarantee adequate protection to the Indians within its jurisdiction. The difficulties of the problem presented to the central administration were emphasized—the unsatisfactory communication between Lima and Iquitos; the difficulty of finding men worthy of being intrusted with administrative functions in that outlying region; the barrier presented by the topographical character of the wild region of the upper Amazon, and the almost absolute impossibility of counteracting the influence of those identified with the continuation of the present iniquitous system. Under the circumstances at present existing and after careful consideration of the reports which were received from the American legation at Lima and the information transmitted by the British representative, kindly furnished through the British embassy here. 12 SLAVERY I N PERU. the department has informed Ambassador Bryce that it deferred to the judgment of the British Government in fixing the time for the publication of the Casement reports. The embassy at the same time was informed that the department could not but believe that the Peruvian Government should properly regard any publicity given to the matter as in accord with the purposes so frequently enunciated by the Peruvian Government of doing everything within its power to put an end to the inhuman treatment of the Indian populations. Further, it was felt by the department that the publication was strongly recommended in view of the efforts that are being made to procure funds by public subscription making it possible to establish in the Putumayo region missions for work among the Indians. The British Government now states that it will proceed with the immediate publication of the reports in its possession regarding the situation on the Putumayo. You will make yourself thoroughly conversant with the local situation upon arriving at your post and keep the department fully and promptly informed regarding this subject, in which the department is taking the keenest interest. You will, upon consultation and cooperation with the British consul at Iquitos, make arrangements to visit, at intervals which may in your judgment appear advisable, the rubber stations along the Putumayo region in order that the department may have before it your views based upon personal observation. For this purpose a special allowance of not to exceed $500 is hereby granted you. I am, etc., HUNTINGTON WILSON, Acting Secretary of State. [No. 3. Confidential ] Consul Fuller to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN CONSULATE, Iquitos, May 31,191%. S I R : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the department's confidential instruction No. 1 of April 6, 1912 (without file number), and inclósures, relative to the situation in the rubber districts along the Putumayo Eiver, which was delivered to me by the consul in Para. The instruction has been carefully studied, and every effort will be made to keep the department promptly and fully advised of developments. Immediately on arriving I called on the British consul, Mr. G. B. Michell, who told me that he had already been informed by his Government of my transfer to this post. He stated that he had already collected some data on the subject and had had several conferences with the prefect, Señor Francisco Alayza Paz-Soldan, regarding the situation. Mr. Michell left the day after my arrival for an 18-day trip up one of the other rivers, but we arranged for further conferences on his return. I n the meantime, he has courteously placed some of his information at my disposal. We shall try to make some arrangement to go up the Putumayo on a launch other than those belonging to the parties responsible for 13 SLAVERY I N PERU. the atrocities, and it is altogether probable that we may be able to go up together in the latter part of July or August. I n the meantime, I shall collect what information I can here and will report to the department by the next mail. I n this connection, it is interesting to note that the present prefect leaves Monday, June 3, for what is stated to be a 3-months' trip to Europe; but that there seems to be some doubt locally as to his return. As the department is aware, this gentleman has been regarded as favoring measures that would put a stop to the practices that have occasioned so much serious criticism. I regret my inability to furnish more information at present. I t is very hard to get anything done here, and I have been obliged to live on the steamer that brought me until I finally managed to put up temporarily in one large room, without any furniture at all, in an unfinished building. There is absolutely no accommodation for travelers in Iquitos, and the cost of everything is so exorbitant that no one maintains an establishment of a size that would enable them to put up a guest even for a few days. Thus, most of my time since arriving has been taken up in making provision so that I should at least have a place to sleep. Owing to his imminent departure, the prefect is so busy that it is very difficult to secure interviews with him, and the moment did not seem opportune to inquire what is being done along the Putumayo. Besides I had the question of temporary recognition to settle first, and, as stated in another dispatch, this is not yet satisfactorily concluded. For the convenience of the department, the present dispatch is forwarded in duplicate. A copy is also being sent to the American minister in Lima. I have, etc., STUART J. FULLER, American Consul. rParaphrase of telegram.] The Secretary of State to Consul Fuller. J U L Y 29,1912. The department acknowledges the receipt of Mr. Fuller's dispatch No. 3 of May 31,1912, and instructs him to use care to pay for everything and to accept no favors should he find that he can go on no launch other than the company's. [No. 13. Confidential.] Consul Fuller to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN CONSULATE, Iquitos, July 1, 1912. S I R : Supplementing my dispatch No. 3 of the 31st ultimo, I have the honor to report that the Putumayo question proves on examination to be considerably more complicated than would on first sight appear. There are a number of factors that must be taken into account in addition to the conditions in the Putumayo region itself. 14 SLAVERY IN PERU. Real lasting reform can only be accomplished with the aid and support of the inhabitants of the Department of Loreto, and to what extent public opinion here would back up active and actual reform is problematical. Both the influence of those controlling the Putumayo and the general labor situation in this part of Peru enter into the question. I n the first place, those in control of the Putumayo concession are among the wealthiest and most influential men in this part of Peru, and in fact in the whole country. Their influence in Lima is great, and locally they could bring pressure to bear on many people who might otherwise strongly support a movement to protect the Indians and improve their condition. An indication of the state of local public opinion in regard to these men is to be found in the Iquitos attitude toward Pablo Zumeta, the moving spirit in the PeruvianAmazon Co., who is still under indictment and for whose arrest a warrant was at one time issued. He is in enjoyment of most of the local honors, vice alcalde (vice mayor of the municipality), vice president and acting head of the chamber of commerce (an influential organization), president of the benevolent society, etc., to all of which he was elected subsequent to his exposure. He is well respected in the town and stands high, the charges under the shadow of which he rests being entirely disregarded. I n the second place, for a full comprehension of the existing situation it is necessary to examine into the general labor situation throughout this part of Peru. An important factor in this phase of the situation is found in the ancient, deep-rooted, and almost universal attitude of the Peruvians, who, while they may not approve of cruel and inhuman treatment, generally regard the Indians as placed here by Providence for the use and benefit of the white man and as having no rights that the white man need respect. This attitude of the people has found concrete expression in the universal system of peonage, an old institution, well established, recognized by law, and which has come to be the basis on which the rubber business (the "sole industry of trans-Andean *Peru) almost entirely rests. The -system of advancing supplies, necessities and luxuries, to peons and rubber gatherers is universal in this part of Peru and has led to the establishment of what is virtually a slave trade. The traders encourage the " patrons " operating rubber sections to continually enlarge their sphere of operations, so that they will have more rubber to sell and can buy more imported goods. Labor being comparatively scarce and expensive throughout the district, it is to the patron's interest to get those working for him hopelessly into his debt, which means that he can retain their services as peons until they pay this off. I t is difficult to maintain that this system of servitude is not recognized, since it is universal and, while never discouraged by the authorities, is certainly in many cases upheld. An ex prefect of the department in a book published in 1908 (Loreto, by Hildebrando Fuentes) says: From this comes the celebrated " transfer of accounts" which enslaves so many of these poor people, and even their wives and children. We have even seen cases where, the father or husband being unable to pay an account, his heirs, children, or wife have paid. Sometimes an intending bridegroom must pay in advance for his bride. * * * The Indians as a rule are honorable and never repudiate their debts. SLAVERY I N PERU. 15 I t simply means that the native who is unable to pay for the advance he has been encouraged to take is seized by the patron who designedly advanced him more than he could pay for, and is compelled to work off the debt. As he must be lodged and fed in the meanwhile, the cost of this is added to his old debt, and, by further advances, care is taken to keep the debt at a point where it can never be overtaken. As these claims are transferable, the person of the debtor being also transferred to the new creditor, the Indians and their familities are really bought and sold, passing from hand to hand under a system that bears a striking resemblance to actual slavery. The only difference between the Putumayo and the other rivers in this respect seems to be that in the former less attention was paid to the formality of the debts. The general reckless extravagance and improvidence, combined in some cases with ignorance on the part of the Indians, so great that they can not count above 10, makes it comparatively easy for a patron to acquire this hold, and many peons are so far in debt that they could not possibly bring in an amount of rubber that would meet their liabilities contracted for luxuries that have been squandered, as well as necessities that they have consumed, but all of which have been charged for at astonishingly inflated prices. The Indians are stated to have many good qualities and few bad ones, the most marked of the latter being a fondness for strong drink and a stolid apathy. They have not, as a rule, a great deal of initiative. Some tribes are claimed to be cannibals, and of these a part probably are. Others are likely so called because of the antipathy they have toward the whites, as a result of ill treatment and the mutual reprisals that have resulted. Some instances are known where the labor of so-called cannibal tribes has been successfully secured by decent treatment, at what are stated to be reasonable rates of compensation. The abduction of their women, by no means uncommon, is particularly resented by the Indians. There is a lurking fear in the minds of many business men here that too real and serious investigation of the conditions in the Putumayo district may lead to an exposure of the peonage system in general here and bring about an outcry abroad that may break it up, totally disrupting the labor situation and existing credit system, with heavy resultant losses, to say nothing of an increase in labor costs that they fear will constitute a death blow to the rubber industry of Peru for many a year to come. The cost of labor in this consular district is now so high that, in view of the necessarily expensive freights to Europe, it is hard for Peruvian rubber to compete except in times of high market price abroad. There is a decided local demand for readjustment of the import duties on foodstuffs (all of which must be brought from abroad) and of the export duties on rubber, to the end that Peruvian rubber may be enabled to compete with that from other sources. Any movement tending in the least to increase labor costs would thus meet with little or no local support. Not only does this system of peonage touch closely the business of the people; it also comes into their family life, and, though this is not so important a factor as the servitude of the rubber workers, still it must be taken into consideration as affecting in no small degree the local attitude toward the Putumayo question. Great numbers of young 16 SLAVEKY I N PERU. Indians are held in what amounts to household slavery in Iquitos and all the other towns under the style of " pupilos," or wards under age. A master applies to a magistrate stating that he wishes to take such a young Indian, male or female, under his protection, and he is given a legal right to the services of the child without wages and apparently without consulting either the " w a r d " or his relatives. This right can be enforced by law, and the persons enticing such a ward to leave his " patrons " can be prosecuted for damages and the runaway brought back by the police. This domestic service, and to some extent the other peonage/is largely supplied from the Ucayali River. Here there is a regular trade in children and young women, the transfer of the debt on which the servitude is ostensibly based being largely a mere matter of form. The crews of launches operating in this river all expect to make something by trading in girls and children. The practice has repeatedly been complained of by the clergy, but without result. I t should be said that domestic servants in peonage or pupilage, as a rule, have little of which to complain so far as treatment goes. They get no wages, but are lodged, fed, and clothed, often like members of the family, always better than they would have been in the forest. They are not usually overworked, they join in the household amusements, and are often given presents, though never money. Peonage in the form of pupilage does not seem to be confined to young Indians. The case of a young Barbadian negro, a British subject, lately came to the attention of the British consul. A boy of about 15, named George Worrell, applied to him for help to recover wages from his master, for whom he had worked for six years without having received any remuneration. The consul sent him to the subprefect with a request that his claim be investigated, and that official (who is now acting prefect of the department) replied that '* after making investigation into the case, it appears that Worrell is a ward under age, and as it is a matter of a contentious nature, I have arranged for him to lay his demand formally before a justice of the peace, whose duty it is to solve affairs of this class." The boy has heard nothing further of the matter. H e is now employed in a shipbuilding yard. On the publication of the Casement reports, the more farsighted will likely realize that to settle the Putumayo question by punishing those responsible for past outrages and providing protection for the Indians from cruelties and inhumanities in the future would tend to divert the attention of the world at large from the institution of peonage in the southern river systems. On the other hand, I am inclined to fear that the majority will oppose any change in present methods and, though resenting interference, will rely on the storm blowing over. As for the officials charged with the administration of the department, the prefect, Señor Alayza y Paz Soldán, left June 3 for a three months' vacation, and doubt is expressed locally as to • his return. He was regarded as favoring reform in the Putumayo and punishment of those responsible for the atrocities, though, it must be admitted, he never accomplished much in this direction. The acting prefect is Señor Estanislao Castañeda, whose real office is that of subprefect. SLAVERY I N PERU. 17 The acting subprefect, who has charge of police matters, is an employee of the Peruvian-Amazon Co. His name is Casanova, and he is a storekeeper for them. The judge of the criminal court, Dr. Valcarcel, has returned after having been reinstated. He is the man who issued the warrant of arrest against Pablo Zumaeta, and is a friend of Dr. Paredes. I have not yet taken the Putumayo question up with the acting prefect, thinking it best to employ the time for a while in picking up what information I could outside and familiarizing myself with local conditions while allowing him ample time to get his administration fully organized and familiarize himself with the details of his office. As long as there was no probability of securing any information additional to that already furnished Mr. Michell by the titular prefect, I thought nothing would be gained by approaching the acting man, especially after the delay and hesitancy to act in regard to my recognition without instructions from Lima, and it seemed that I would likely get more extensive and reliable information by waiting a bit than by asking him what was being done, directly on my recognition. I have now, however, requested him to give me a list of the officials in all the principal rivers charged with administrative and judicial functions. This, when received, will give an idea of the theoretical organization of the government in the Putumayo district, and I shall endeavor to secure and forward to the department information regarding the personality and affiliations of the officials there. The next step that I propose to take is to ask the acting prefect, in a manner and at a time as opportune as may be, (1) what has been and is being done in regard to the Putumayo cases; (2) what is now being done in that district for the further protection of the Indians, stating that, as public subscriptions are being asked for to be used in missionary work in the district in question, information as to these points is desired in the United States. I have not yet approached the Peruvian-Amazon Co. for information, though I may eventually do so should the right opportunity present. I understand that they claim to have made a change in their administrative system and collecting methods, such that there is no longer any incentive to their white foremen to maltreat the Indians, and that they also claim to have made extensive changes for the better in their personnel. An Argentine, said to be a new employee,, occupying a responsible position in the Putumayo, is expected in Iquitos before long, and I hope to get some information, directly or indirectly, as may seem advisable, through him. As the department is doubtless aware, the general administration of justice in this consular district is far from satisfactory. I n fact, it has been frequently complained of in the local press. There seems, however, to be small prospect of an improvement in the present thinly populated condition of the Department of Loreto, with its immense distances and difficult and slow communications. I inclose a translation of an article from the Loreto Comercial, a local newspaper, on the subject. I n this connection, a few examples may assist in throwing light on the general situation as it affects the labor 77234—PI. Doc. 1366, 62-3 2 18 SLAVEKY I N PEKU. conditions, which the department instructed me to investigate, and the possibility of their improvement.^ A report reached Iquitos on January 27, 1912, of an event that occurred about the middle of December, 1911, on the river Yaguas, an affluent which falls into the Putumayo Eiver, on the right bank, a little above the frontier between Peru and Brazil, and an account of it appeared in the local press on the 17th of February. The founder of the religious work on the Yaguas, an Augustinian missionary, gives the following details, which are believed to be correct: Some two years ago, the Eev. Padre Laurentino Alvarez, of the apostolic prefecture of San Leon de Amazonas, established a mission,' since called Jerico, on the upper waters of the Yaguas under circumstances of the greatest difficulty and privation. After six months' work he had collected 15 families of Indians, who had been hitherto neglected and living in scattered groups in the hilly bush country, and they had built huts and planted fields in a part before entirely uninhabited. Padre Alvarez was then withdrawn by the superior and the work handed over to Rev. Padre Antonio Carrasco, with a lay helper, Don J. C. Ruiz. These, with great expense of trouble and money, had brought the mission to a very satisfactory position, numbering 36 families of natives, civilized, and working steadily, when, last December, a white cauchero (rubber collector) named Guzman, who had been working for some years in the valley where the mission was located, appeared and claimed as his property one of the families, stating that the family in question had been indebted to one Fonseca, who had left the district many years before, leaving his claim to Guzman. The missionary naturally refused to listen to this pretension of the cauchero. Guzman thereupon sent 10 of his men to lie in wait for the family, who fell upon them in a lonely place, bound them, and carried them off by force. The women and children were placed in a canoe and sent off down the river with the avowed intention of taking them to the Brazilian Eiver Purus, where they could be "sold55 to great advantage. They have, however, not since been heard of, and all inquiries in regard to them proved fruitless. The men of the family were kept bound until the next day, and then sent with their captors down the River Yaguas with the same announced destination. During the night of their first halt one of the captives managed to get his hands loose and set his companions free. The guards, thinking their prisoners safely tied up, were asleep; and the Indians fell on them with their own weapons and killed or wounded them all. They then fled to the interior and have not so far been traced. Two of the wounded men made their way to the Comisario at the mouth of the Yaguas, who sent them to Iquitos. Guzman was arrested, sent to Iquitos, and placed in jail. The mission station was entirely destroyed, whether by Guzman5s men or by the natives themselves, in the fear of being held responsible for the death of the guards, does not appear, the whole community having fled. Padre Carrasco was so overcome at the destruction of his work that he fell ill and died at Pevas on February 8. Padre Alvarez stated that he could get no satisfactory reply to his inquiries at the subprefecture as to what judicial steps were to be taken in the matter, though he was shown a large pile of documents representing evidence in the case. The apostolic prefect felt sure that 19 SLAVERY IN. PEEU.. nothing was likely to be done, and that when all had " blown over " the accused persons would be released. This proved to be the case, and they were liberated June 13 by order of the superior court. I t should be stated that the Yaguas is outside the territory of the Peruvian-Amazon Co. I t was claimed, under the new law of Terrenos de Montana, by Dr. Velasco, of Iquitos, but subsequently practically abandoned. I t will be easily understood that Indians in peonage in the interior have little chance of getting free. A man named J u a n Fikau was arrested in 1911 on a charge of trading in slaves in the Sepahua district, having been caught red-handed with a boatload of children he was bringing in to dispose of. Because the local authorities had neglected to send to Iquitos the necessary evidence, no punishment followed in this case, and the accused was liberated, although there appeared to be no question of his guilt. Coming to the Putumayo itself, considerable rubber has already been brought down this year. The following table shows the amounts brought down each month during the past three years, and was compiled from the books of the Mole, at which all this rubber must be landed: Month. 1910 January March April May July August October November •. Total 1911 1912 Metric tons. Metric tons. Metric tons. 75.33 45.42 36.66 33.78 42.31 24.85 80.84 61.38 51.06 86.30 50.67 44.28 1.07 68.72 70.81 379.39 225.53 The table given below shows the amounts in metric tons from the Putumayo since 1900: 1900 1901 1902__ 1903 1904 1905 15. 86 54.18 123. 21 : 201. 66 343. 50 470. 59 1906 1907 1908_ 1909 1910 1911 644. 90 627. 66 489. 02 398. 72 379. 39 225. 53 The prefect himself, Señor Alayza y Paz-Soldán, when asked by Consul Michel! late in May, just before his departure, what had been done and was being clone toward the punishment of these responsible for the atrocities in the Putumayo, stated that the delay in the trial of those now in prison was due to the appeals of the accused to the supreme court at Lima, that it took a long time for the documents in the appeals to reach Lima, and that the supreme court had been enjoying a vacation from January to March. He also stated that the Iquitos courts were greatly overworked on account of the small number of officials. H e said that he had been repeatedly urged by Lima to push the matter, and had personally requested the officers of the court here to lose no time in bringing the criminals to justice, but that, as the courts are independent of the executive, he can do no more than this. 20 SLAVERY I N PERU. Asked why Zumaeta, one of the principal persons implicated, was not only at liberty but enjoyed all the principal local honors (as previously referred t o ) , the prefect stated that the warrant of arrest issued by Dr. Paredes against Zumaeta was subject to the approval of the judge of the first instance (Dr. Valcarvel); that the latter had submitted it to the full Iquitos court, who had decided that the " preventive a r r e s t " of Zumaeta was not justified under the circumstances, as a consequence of which he had been left at liberty. Macedo is variously stated to be in Lima and in Manaos. A t any rate, nothing has been done in his case so far as I have yet been able to ascertain. Messrs. Fonseca and Montt are said still to be on the Brazilian side of the Javary, and the prefect referred at length, in his talk with Consul Michell, to the difficulty of capturing them and the other criminals who have escaped to Brazilian or Colombian territory. I n fact, I am inclined to believe that they have given up the idea of trying to get these fugitives. The men in jail here, mostly underlings in the business of the Peruvian-Amazon Co., are appealing and fighting every step, though it would seem that they would be better off personally to stop these technical delays and have the matter over with. El Oriente on June 22 published a telegram from Lima to the effect that the supreme court had denied the appeal of one of these men now in jail, who claimed that he was exempt from prosecution under the statutes of limitation for criminal prosecutions. This same daily, which belongs to Dr. Paredes, published a telegram in May to the effect that that gentleman had had a long conference with the minister of foreign affairs and immediately afterwards with the President of the Republic regarding the Putumayo question. I t is altogether possible that this was connected with the question of publishing Dr. Paredes's report on the atrocities. A local foreign business man of importance recently received confidential information to the effect that a commission of inquiry, with plenary powers, had been or would be sent from Lima to clear up the whole question. This would look like % fifth wheel to the coach so far as the atrocities of the past are concerned, but if ably and honestly administered they might do some good in outlining plans to provide government and control in the future. One thing is certain, that nothing of any importance will be done without energetic and continued pressure from Lima, and the expenditure of more money by the Peruvian Government for administration and judicial purposes in the Department of Loreto, which furnishes so large a part of the revenues of the Eepublic and for which hitherto so little has been done. As to facilities for visiting the Putumayo, the Peruvian-Amazon Co. sends up a launch five or six times a year to take up supplies and bring back rubber. I have no doubt that passage could be arranged on the next launch they send up, and anyone who went up in this way would be allowed to see exactly what the company wished him to see and no more. I t would be better, too, not to be under obligations to them, and one would be in going on their boat even though he paid passage. The usual rate of passage is £1 ($4.8665) per day, and the trip would last from 8 to 10 weeks, thus costing something like $275 to $350. SLAVERY I N PERU. 21 The only alternative is to go up on one of the small Government launches that make the trip three or four times a year with garrison supplies. This would also take me away from Iquitos for from 7 to 10 weeks. There would be no passage money, but I should have to contribute to the officers' mess, which would come to about the same thing or possibly a little more. This would only admit of visiting Chorrera, and possibly one or two other river points, but I might be able to get some information from the trip. Chartering a launch is out of the question, as this would cost £20 to £30 a day, or a total of $5,500 to $10,000. Traveling away from the rivers is possible only by permission of, and with assistance from, the company, and its cost is so high as to place it beyond my allowance. As stated in my previous dispatch on this subject, I shall probably arrange to go up, in company with the British consul, on a Government launch, in late July or August. I n accordance with the instructions of the department, I have cooperated throughout with the British consul, exchanging information, etc. He is an experienced and capable gentleman, who was at one time stationed in the rubber districts of the Kongo. A duplicate of the present dispatch will follow by the mail following this one, and a copy is being sent to the minister at Lima. Trusting that the action taken so far may meet with the approval of the department, I have, etc., STUART J. FULLER, American Consul. [From Loivto í'iunmercial. Translation.] THE JUDICIAL YEAR. The principal drawbacks to the judicial system in Loreto are: 1. The enormous distances to cover. 2. The lack of good officers and auxiliaries of justice. 3. The lack of titular judges sufficiently remunerated to be able to dedicate themselves to the full of their mission. 4. The absence of justices of the peace with independent incomes and fitted to dispense justice in its first stage, and to aid the judges of right in the performance of judicial forftialities outside of the capital. 5. The grave abuses presented by the " proof by testimony " when to be a witness is a lucrative profession, and legislation has not foreseen (it could not have done so) the vicious practice established here in this particular. These factors make justice tardy, inefficacious, expensive, and even a veritable danger. W h a t is wanted is legislation to rectify the procedure. These abuses are felt the more in a department where all commercial transactions are based on credit and good faith, and where there are no lack of criminal actions, the natural consequence of there being no means of repressing them without: 1. The means of legal medical constatations. 2. Technical experts to verify them outside the city. 3. Justices of the peace to adjudicate summarily. 22 SLAVERY IK PERU. 4. The possibility of taking judicial action after bringing the guilty party to Iquitos without other antecedent than the warrant of the political authorities of the places in the interior, seeing that the spot in which the body was buried is unknown, e. g., in case of murder, nor is there anyone to perform the necessary legal medical constatation, and these elements being absent, there is no corpus delicti; also that witnesses are not obtained, if indeed there were any, and in the meanwhile the party presumed to be guilty suffers undue detention under the name of "juzgamiento" for a much longer time than would correspond to the crime itself, as executive condemnation, if he were guilty. I n civil matters, the abuses which exist are no less, without wTellpaid judges, in the absence of bonded officers of justice, not obtainable for lack of a fixed compensation at a rate which would place them above temptation and excess in the recovery of their fees; and in view of the extent to which the right is exercised of refusing (challenging) notaries and clerks of the court, so that cases can hardly proceed at all. On the other hand, the articles which are put forward in each petition, presented with no other object than to delay the procedure and the failure to suppress the crimes of falsehood committed in proof by testimony, destroy all guaranty to life, property, and capital. P a r t 2 of article 660 of the code gives the right to the litigant to produce proofs as to the facts presented by his adversary. These proofs are often confounded with means of proof. The facts adduced are the objects of proof, the depositions of witnesses are the means of the proof. Therefore, to present witnesses without mentioning the facts to which their depositions refer is to use the means of proof without manifesting the object of the proof, leading in the end to procedure without a rational end. I t suffices for a litigant, in his defense, to make a vague statement and wait until the last moment to offer the depositions of two or more witnesses in order to tie the hands of the judges, forced to yield to the knavish testimony of two or more witnesses whom there is no possibility of contradicting. This does not occur when a clear and precise exposition of the facts must be made, because place is then given to the debate as to the truth or falsity of the facts themselves. Another drawback js the presentation of sealed interrogatories, thus suppressing the right to contradict by proof. This is an inquisitorial secret and should be prohibited. The litigant can not break down false proofs prepared in secret and the judge can not distinguish the true from the false. The practice gives a value to declarations that should receive no consideration whatever. Justice of the minor order is laughable, so much so that it may be said not to exist. The courts of justices of the peace do not sit, and the cases which should be handled by them have no means of being ventilated. The only way to remedy this is to pay a justice of the peace in each jurisdiction, for it is very difficult to find a fit personnel willing to accept this charge, because of the life of activity demanded by this region where time is gold and much money is necessary to meet the exigencies of life. Suggestions.—That courts of the first instance be established i n : (1) Alto Amazonas, and (2) Ucayli (law projected in the Senate in 1908), with two Escribanos de Crimen at £25 each. v SLAVERY I N PERU. 23 " That judges of first instance carry out the procedure properly. That escribanos and other officials fulfill strictly their obligations and regulate their fees by the tariff in force, subject to fine, suspension, or prosecution, according to gravity of the offense. That judges of first instance keep legal hours, i. e., 12 to 5. That notaries public comply strictly with article 491 inciso 30 of the Code of Commerce, with regard to protests, failure in this particular to nullify protests. [No. 19. Confidential.! LABOR CONDITIONS I N T H E P U T U M A Y O REGION. AMERICAN CONSULATE, I quitos, Peru, July 15, 1912. The SECRETARY OF STATE, Washington. S I R : Supplementing my dispatches No. 3 of May 31, 1912, and No. 13 of July 1, 1912, I have the honor to transmit herewith a duplicate of the latter, with duplicate of its inclosure. Since writing my last dispatch, no launches have gone up to the Putumayo, but I have been able to gather locally further information that may interest the department. As an understanding of the organization of government in the Department of Loreto is important in looking into the present status of the Putumayo question, it may be well to give a brief outline of it here. At the head of the department is the prefect, which office is for the present, occupied—in the absence of the titular official—by an acting man, really the subprefect of the Province of Bajo Amazonas. This gentleman was spoken of in my No. 13. The total area of the Department of Loreto is estimated at 288,500 square miles. This is more than the combined areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, or, to go further west, more than the combined areas of Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota. The department is divided into three provinces, at the head of each of which is a subprefect. The Putumayo region is in the Province of Bajo Amazonas (the same one as Iquitos), and the acting subprefect at the present time is Señor Daniel Casanova, an employee of the Peruvian Amazon Co., the concern responsible for the atrocities. The provinces are divided into districts, each having a governor. I n each of the larger towns and villages the Government is represented by an official called a lieutenant governor. These last are very minor officials and are under the governors. There are three justices of the peace (juez de paz) in each provincial capital and one in each district. They are unpaid officials. I n addition to these functionaries, there are officers called comisarios, appointed for certain river districts, which constitute authorities independent of the subprefects and immediately under the prefect of the department. Also, in many places in which, on account of the sparse population, it has not been practical to appoint lieutenant governors, the prefec- 24 SLAVEEY I N P E E U . ture has stationed small detachments of troops under the command of army officers, with the title of "jefes de guarnición." These are partly under military authority, but under the prefecture in affairs of a civil character in which they may be required to intervene. There being no towns worthy of the name in the Putumayo region, the sole representatives of the civil power are a justice of the peace for the whole river and a comisario. The Putumayo River itself is about 1,000 miles long. There are two other important rivers, tributaries of the Putumayo, in the district—the Igaraparana and the Caraparana—which rise near the Caqueta and parallel each other southward for some 300 or 400 miles through continuous forest to junctions with the Putumayo. The mouth of the Igaraparana is some 400 miles from the point where the Putumayo joins the Amazon and that of the Caraparana, about 200 miles further still from the same junction. The area of the entire Putumayo basin (the better part of which is controlled by the Peruvian Amazon Syndicate) is estimated as high as 35,000 to 40,000 square miles, or more than the combined areas of all the New England States but Maine. The strong arm of the law and the sole protection to the defenseless Indians in the whole of this vast region seems at present to be found in one justice of the peace, an employee of the company which has fathered such reprehensible practices in the past, and one comisario, who draws, in the face of strong temptation, the munificent salary of some $1,500 a year (United States currency), about the same as a clerk gets in Iquitos, together with a handful of soldiers shut up all the time in La Chorrera and possibly E l Encanto. There may be more troops, but I have been unable so far to get exact information. I believe, however, that there are not enough in any case to be a factor in the situation. The justice of the peace for the whole Putumayo basin is a man named Manuel Torrico, an employee of the Peruvian Amazon Co. Dr. Paredes denounced the appointment of this man as a scandal, and a clear proof, that the local authorities had no real intention to bring about an improvement in the state of things on the Putumayo. When Sir Roger Casement was on the river in 1910, Torrico was a subagent of the company, a subordinate at Occidente to Fidel Velarde, one of the leaders in the atrocities (and one of the first to " escape " ) . H e has since been promoted to be a chief of section for the Peruvian Amazon Co. Sir Eoger Casement said of Torrico, " From him no more than from his predecessor could any public service be expected." The comisario is a man named Juan Garcia Buenano. He is fairily well spoken of as a man, but stated by many to be in a position where he can do little or nothing to better things, even though he might wish to. I expect to see and talk with him when I go up to this district, and will report further on my return. As to the administrative staff in general in the Department of Loreto, allegations of venality on the part of Government officials of all grades are frequent, open, and common here in Iquitos, and it certainly would seem as though there must be some fire to cause so much smoke. River comisarios are a special target. Their salaries are small, but they are said to return from their posts rich after a year or two in a jungle where they are supposed not to engage in trade. SLAVERY I N PERU. 25 Protests against illegal trading by Government transports and river comisarios in the rivers closed to trade on account of the troubles with Ecuador have been made, and I have heard it openly stated that the late prefect was interested in this illicit trade to a heavy extent. As to the prosecution of the cases brought against those accused of crimes committed in connection with the Peruvian Amazon Co.'s enterprise in the Putumayo, despite all the reasons held forth for the failure so far to show results, it really must be admitted that they have been conducted in a most desultory manner. Since my last dispatch nothing has developed, and, in fact, up to date no judgments 4>f any importance have been handed down. I t will be recalled that the prefect (Señor Alayza y Paz-Soldan) assigned this to delays involved in appeals to the supreme court at Lima and to the fact that the local courts were provided with too few officials for their work. There is something in the first excuse, but it would certainly seem that if the Government of Peru really wished to push these cases the first thing they would have done would be to provide the necessary machinery without delay. The return of Dr. Valcarcel, referred to in my No. 13, added nothing to the facilities of the local courts, as he merely replaced the man who had been acting temporarily (i. e., during ValcarcePs suspension) a local lawyer. I t was not until the 7th instant that any additions to ^ the bench were made. On that date Dr. Morelli, a justice who had been on leave, returned, and two new judges, Drs. Jose Dolores Contreras and Lorenzo Guarcia, arrived from Lima. Pablo Zumaeta, in whose case nothing further has been done, continues to stand high in the esteem of the local public. He took a prominent part in the official ceremonies of July 12 connected with the mass celebrated for those who died in the Battle of the Caqueta last year in the troubles with Colombia. He and his friends blackballed, at the Iquitos Club, the judge, Dr. Valcarcel, who had issued the warrant against Zumaeta, and that in a club where a majority is necessary to shut out a proposed member. Zumaeta may not be guilty of all that is laid at his door; he may have been accused and the warrant issued against him unjustly, but if as innocent as he claims to be, it is strange that he does not go into court and vindicate himself once for all. El Oriente published, on July 1, dispatches from Lima regarding the appointment of two more commissions to investigate and devise plans for the future for government in the Putumayo region " and other regions similar to it." These are inclosed, together with translations. The news did not appear in any of the other daily papers and it aroused no special comment. Julio Ego-Aguirre, appointed on the principal commission, is the senator from this department, and the deputy, Julio Abel Raygada, appointed likewise, is believed to be the Raygada^who is a deputy from Loreto. Ego-Aguirre is stated to be an able lawyer. He at one time took lessons in English from Hardenberg (the man whose articles in London Truth first directed attention to the Putumayo atrocities) and is known to have spoken well of him in the past. As to the personnel of the auxiliary commission, I have already referred (in my No. 13) to the acting prefect, who is ex officio its head. An idea of his attitude toward the question may be gained from what he said to me unguardedly in a conversation regarding 26 SLAVERY I N PERU. the Putumayo, viz, that he had lived in Loreto 25 years and did not believe that more than six or seven serious crimes had been committed in the whole Putumayo region in all that time; that the Indians were wild, irredeemable cannibals, who could only be handled by force; and that the whole Putumayo agitation smelled to him strongly of Colombian intrigue. As to the president of the superior court I have heard widely varying opinions expressed. I t is altogether possible that if given the chance he may do genuine service. The third member, Dr. Maradiegue, is a local lawyer, rather old and infirm, and more likely to prove a figurehead than one to whom you could look for service in this matter. The auxiliary commission itself looks very much like the interposition of red tape, with the object of delay and obstructing any action of a vigorous or prompt nature. I n fact, the whole commission plan to one on the ground looks suspiciously like a device to produce the appearance of doing something when really leaving things as they are. What these commissions could do in the matter of punishing the crimes of the past is hard to see. As for the future, it would be strange if the local knowledge of the senator and deputy from this Department, added to the data given in the voluminous report already made by Dr. Paredes, were not sufficient for the drawing up of a plan to protect the Indians and furnish organized government to the district in question. As to what the administrative branch of the local government has done and is doing in regard to Putumayo matters, this is either nothing at all or else they have proceeded without giving out any information either publicly or to the British consul. Short of going up the river, which the lack of facilities will make impossible for some time, the only way to find out was to inquire of the prefecture. This I did, calling personally on the acting prefect and presenting the memorandum of which a copy is inclosed, with translation of the same. I thought it more likely to secure a satisfactory answer if presented in writing, and assigned in the conversation as my reason for so doing my unfamiliarity with the Spanish language. The acting prefect stated that he would look into the matter and let me hear from him. I do not expect a reply for some time, as I believe that he will undoubtedly communicate with Lima before replying. The questions in the letter were carefully drawn to avoid offering any ground for offense, and I stated verbally that I had heard that the Government was taking measures, as stated in the decree appointing the commission, but had no information as to what they were. As to what the company is doing, I have nothing further to report by this mail, but the more one looks into the question the more it appears that the point is not so much what changes they have made and what their present treatment of the Indians is (though this is important), but what guaranty the Government is furnishing of protection to the Indians. We have already seen what the business developed in the past, and, regardless of what reforms the private corporation may have undergone, one has good reason to fear that without firm and adequate government in the territory the temptation—ever present to men of the only kind that apparently can be got to go out into these unhealthy jungles—may bring about a repetition of the atrocities. Everything may be all right now—this can SLAVERY I N PERU. 27 only be determined by thorough inspection—but the present condition would not constitute a guaranty for the future. News of the publication of the Casement reports has reached here since my last dispatch, and I inclose a clipping from E l Oriente of July 10 regarding this and a note stated to have been presented to the Government of Peru by the United States, together with translations. No notice of this was taken by the other newspapers, and, so far as I have yet been able to ascertain, it attracted very little attention or interest in Iquitos. The only press comment was in E l Oriente next day, in which was published a long answer to an open letter regarding the Putumayo that had appeared in the London Daily News. This is inclosed, with a translation. The only statement in this article at all in the nature of a refutation of the shortcomings laid at the door of Peru is found in the last paragraph on page 1 of the translation, and of this it may be observed that the u great energy" with which the prosecution of the criminals was carried on consisted in allowing most of the principal ones to escape, throwing a few of the underlings in jail, and then allowing the cases to drag on interminably and without the provision of adequate court facilities for their prosecution. I do not believe that local support for measures of reform can be secured to any appreciable extent, unless the fear is aroused that the failure to provide decent and adequate government in the region under discussion may lead to loss of the territory. If this feature were to be made a point by Ecuador and Colombia in pressing their claims it might help. Granting all the reasons for the failure to accomplish anything so far, they do not redound to the credit of Peru nor constitute any 13roof of determined effort to better conditions. No real effort has yet been made to make the administration of justice and the protection of the Indians in the region a reality or a possibility. The fame old form of organization is maintained, although it has been proved a complete failure and totally inadequate. I t is still necessary to travel 1,200 miles from the Putumayo to Iquitos to get a hearing in a court of first instance, and there are only five or six chances a year to make the trip. I t can not be claimed that the district is unproductive of revenue and can not afford a better organization, for a glance at the tables showing the amounts of rubber produced there, and a thought of the heavy Peruvian export duty, will show what a heavy return has come to the Peruvian treasury from this source for years past and is still coming in. Another factor in the situation worthy of consideration is the feeling, that doubtless is more or less present with the Lima authorities, that they face the possibility of serious political troubles if they try to force unpopular measures, inimical to the rubber business, the sole trade of the Department of Loreto, already poorly treated and having little in common with the rest of Peru. There is another matter connected with the conduct of court procedure here, involving the considerable influence of the court officials, known as " escribanos," that will have interest in connection with the pending Putumayo" cases, but I have not yet secured all the information necessary to place this fully before the department, and will have to postpone its discussion until my next dispatch. 28 SLAVES Y I N PERU. The Peruvian Amazon Co.'s launch Liberal, I hear, is to go up the Putumayo about the 5th or 6th of August. Nothing further has been heard regarding the next trip of a Government launch to this region. I t is probable that the British consul and myself will go up in the next boat that the Government sends. We hope to secure the services of an interpreter who speaks several of the dialects spoken by the Indians in the Putumayo Basin, and shall endeavor to work out a plan for a bit of land traveling in the region, if it can be arranged at a cost within our allowances. I shall telegraph the department and the minister of my departure. We shall probably be away from Iquitos for from six to eight weeks. A duplicate of the present dispatch will follow by the next mail, and a copy is being sent to the minister at Lima. I have, etc., STUART J . FULLER, American Consul. [Translation.] AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE, Iquitos, Peru, July 10, 1912. The ACTING PREFECT OF THE DEPARTMENT, City. I n view of the fact that public subscriptions are being asked for abroad, to be used in establishing religious missions in the Putumayo region and relieving the condition of the Indians there, I have the honor to inquire: 1. What measures have been and are being taken to bring to punishment those guilty of the atrocities in the Putumayo region ? 2. What measures to protect the Indians from further ill treatment have been in force since the disclosure of these atrocities? 3. Whether it is proposed to put into effect any further measures to protect the Indians during the six months or more that must elapse before the plan of administrative and judicial reform to be drawn up by the new commission can be submitted and acted upon ? Your excellency will doubtless understand that, in making these inquiries, there is no disposition to offend by referring to a matter concerning the internal affairs of Peru, but will appreciate that mention of the matter is prompted by the desire for information as to existing and past conditions on the part of those charitable members of the Church of Rome abroad who are seeking to aid these unfortunate Indians with the same high ideal of serving humanity that has actuated your Government in the steps they have inaugurated to put an end to the excesses in the Peruvian rubber forests. I take this opportunity to repeat the assurances of my high consideration and personal esteem, MR. PREFECT: STUART J. FULLER, American Consul. [Translation.] REGARDING THE PUTUMAYO. With the title of " Under the English flag, or the horrors of the rubber trade," the English periodical called the Daily News published, on April 20, a letter sig$e