Loafers and the Panama Canal.
November 3, 1906
Summary
In a meeting with the president, Col. N.F. Thompson “makes himself an object of ridicule” when he suggests that the labor problem on the Panama Canal could be solved by the “idle Negro” because they make “trouble in the South.”
Transcription
Loafers and the Panama Canal.
It is announced that Col. N. F. Thompson of Chattanooga, TN had an interview with President Roosevelt and incidentally made a suggestion relative to solving the labor problem on the Panama Canal. Naturally one would think that a gentleman of his experience and prominence would have said something that would have been entitled to consideration at the hands of the Chief Executive of the nation.
As a matter of fact, he really made himself an object of ridicule for he proposed that idle Negroes be utilized for this purpose. Here is the language attributed to him:
“While talking to the President I made a suggestion,” said Col. Thompson, “which I told him would help to solve the labor problem on the Panama canal, and at the same time help to solve the race problem in the south.
“The suggestion made was that the idle Negroes in the South be utilized for labor on the canal. No force would be required to secure their services. The better class of Negroes in the South would aid the white people in securing this class of labor for construction work on the great interoceanic waterway. It is the idle Negro that makes the trouble in the South, and it is their kind that reflects on the better class of Negroes. Their presence interferes with the introduction of foreign immigrants. The President was impressed with the suggestion and asked me to see secretary Taft and Chairman Shonts, of the Panama Canal Commission, before leaving and talk with them on the subject. I will call on them tomorrow.”
We are unwilling to believe that President Roosevelt considered the matter seriously…
It is announced that Col. N. F. Thompson of Chattanooga, TN had an interview with President Roosevelt and incidentally made a suggestion relative to solving the labor problem on the Panama Canal. Naturally one would think that a gentleman of his experience and prominence would have said something that would have been entitled to consideration at the hands of the Chief Executive of the nation.
As a matter of fact, he really made himself an object of ridicule for he proposed that idle Negroes be utilized for this purpose. Here is the language attributed to him:
“While talking to the President I made a suggestion,” said Col. Thompson, “which I told him would help to solve the labor problem on the Panama canal, and at the same time help to solve the race problem in the south.
“The suggestion made was that the idle Negroes in the South be utilized for labor on the canal. No force would be required to secure their services. The better class of Negroes in the South would aid the white people in securing this class of labor for construction work on the great interoceanic waterway. It is the idle Negro that makes the trouble in the South, and it is their kind that reflects on the better class of Negroes. Their presence interferes with the introduction of foreign immigrants. The President was impressed with the suggestion and asked me to see secretary Taft and Chairman Shonts, of the Panama Canal Commission, before leaving and talk with them on the subject. I will call on them tomorrow.”
We are unwilling to believe that President Roosevelt considered the matter seriously…
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Emma Roberts
Citation
“Loafers and the Panama Canal.,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed October 9, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/817.