Sidelights on the Colombian Revolution
COLOMBIAN TUOOI'S IN KOHT SAN FELIPE.
(Copyright, 1001, by C. C. AilamB.)
f 1UHINO tlio omclal sojourn In
I Ij I Caracas of n former Drltlsh win
lT I lstar Micro hung on his olllco walls
MhHM lw0 water colors ono showing n
coffeo plantntlon In tho morning,
tho happy fnces of tho black laborers reveal
ing pcaco and contentment; the other deplet
ing tho samo field In tho afternoon, tho sky
darkened with tho Btnoko of burning build
ings nnd the bodies of the field hands scat
tered among tho coffeo shrubs. Another
South American revolution had supplanted
tho orderly quiet of the morning with flro
nnd trugedy beforo sundown. Tho world
has como to regard most of theso ebulli
tions with contempt or Indifference. More
bluster than bloodshed marks tho courso
of many of them. Merely personal ambi
tion or private, mnllco Is the mainspring
much of this belligerence. In these
volcanoes mao ranm cunuges in mo muu-
scapc, wo huvo come to regard upheavals
of government as too frequent for notice.
On occasions, however, Uicbo conflicts hnvo
been precipitated by wrongs that needed
righting, by mlsgovernmcnt too atrocious
to be borne. Tho present war In Colombia
is ono of theso occasions.
Tho causes of this civil war can bo only
briefly referred to hero. Colombia has
two intensely antagonistic political par
ties. Tho clerical, or "conservative," party
advocates a centralized government wield
ing really despotic power which It shares
with tho church; in other words, a gov
ernmcat copied after tho old Spanish model.
Tho liberal party, on I ho other band, fa
vors n progressive, democratic form of
government modeled atti that of tho
United States. Though these parties nu
merically aro nenrly equal, tho clorlcals
havo held tho supremo power Blnco 1880,
when President Nunez subverted tho gov
ernment nnd overthrew tho liberal con
stitution by a coup d'etat as drastic as
that of Napoleon III In France.
From that day till ho was poisoned by
enemies In his own party In 1894, Nunez,
lacked nothing but tho title of an nbso
luto sovereign. Tho federal government
was abolished, tho right of suffrage was
taken from nine-tenths of the people nnd
nine autonomous states became merely so
many districts governed from Dogota, tlio
liberty of tho press nnd nil private teach
ing wero suppi Med and education was
centered In tho I ,t ids of the Jesuits. It la
imposstblo hero o detail tho mlsorles that
havo befallen Colombia undor tho despotic
rule of Nunez nad his successors. It will
suffice to say that Colombia, having repu
diated its debts, has uo public credit nnd
her exports havo been so heavily taxed that
tho country cannot vio with Its neighbors
In foreign commerco; with a population a
third larger than that of Venezuela, the Im
ports aro much smnllcr, nnd tho opponents
of the government hnvo been treated ns
public enemies.
This, In brief, wns the situation that
caused tho armed rovolt of tho llber.il
party In October, 1809. Tho northern one
fourth of Colombia has been tho sccno of
tho mere or less desultory fighting that
has claimed somo public attention. ft
would not, however, havo excited the pres
ent Interest If the coulllct had not re
cently threatened to Involve two or moro
other republics and to compel tho arbitra
tion or the Intervention of tho United
Stntes, either to protect tho commercial
Interests of tho world, on tho Isthmus of
Panama, or to prevent the wholo of north
ern South America and perhaps n part of
Central America from engaging In a ruinous
strugglo. Imperial nmbltlons of Castro,
Venezuela's president, began to bo dis
cussed nnd the possibility of n Unlt;l
States of South America has Interested not
only our own country, but Europe bb well.
It is a curious fact worth mentioning
that the Isthmus of Panama, slnco the be
ginning of tho Nunez rcglmo, has been
worth nothing to Colombia except for pur
poses of taxation. Its railroad, owned by
foreigners, Is merely a means of transport
for tho commerco (duty free) of other na
tions. Tho government having neglected to
connect tho isthmus by transportation
routes with the other parts of tho country,
Colon nnd Panama aro nothing but way
stations for the foreign traffic across tho
Isthmus.
Tho present Insurrection, which prom
ises to Involve several governments, began
among tho hills of Santandcr, the Inland,
eastern department, which raises a lnrgo
part of the superior coffee of Colombia.
As Santander has no convenient oullot for
its coffee through the ports of Its own
country, It sends tho product by inula
trains to Marncalbo, Venezuela, for ship
ment to Europe. Thus It happens that the
pcoplo of Santander and western Venezuela
aro particularly well acquainted. This fact
probably had something to do with the
llttlo plot hatched by the clerical party on
both sides of tho border in July for the
Invasion of Venezuela, which so greatly ex
cited President Castro.
I) ut the Insurrection has now spread far
boyond tho limits of Santander. It has ox
tended over tho northern plains, where
cattle-ralsliig Is the chlot Industry. Parts
of tho insurgent nrmy command tho lower
Magdalcna and havo closed tho river routo
to dogota; other forces hold points along
tho coast, but havo not yet succeeded In
capturing tho llttlo port of Rlohacha. They
have overrun the Department of llollvar,
most of which Is In their hands, excepting
tho seaports of Cartagena and Sabanllla
COLOMBIAN REdULARS LIULLINO IN IIAItltACKS.
nnd the river port of llnrrnuqullla. They
havo destroyed the railroad from Cnrtngonn
to tho Magdalcna, cutting off that port
from tho Interior. They havo reached tho
Pncltlc coast In tho Department of Cnuca,
hnvo Invaded the Isthmus nnd many of the
merchants there nro snld to havo given
(thelr nllcglanco to tho revolution. Tlio
largest force In any one district Is supposed
to bo wltli General Uriho-Urlbe, who Is
said to command 0,000 men in Santander.
No dntn yet received give any clear Idea
as to the number of tho revolutionists. Tho
QOVEIINOR OF BOLIVAR, COLOMBIA.
fact that they aro scattered In Binall de
tachments over n vast torltory nnd that
tho government troops, numbering about
10,000, nro also widely dispersed probably
accounts for tho desultory naturo of tho
fighting. Tho fragmentary Information re
ceived, coming mostly from government
sources, shows nt least that uo engage
ments between lnrgo forces havo occurred.
Tho strugglo Is thus confined to tho north.
Bogutn, the capltnl, high on tho mountain
plateau In tho south, seems to bo safely
out of reach. Tho Insurgents could not
muster sufficient river boats to transport
an army and supplies up the Magdalcna
nnd to attempt to carry tho war south along
tho mountain inula paths would bo an ef
fort to emulnto Hannibal's crossing of tho
Alps. On tho whole tho Insurgents, fairly h
well equipped with munitions, hnvo never
been more confident of Dual success than
they aro today. Tho eyes of tho world will he
upon them If they havo an opportunity to
try tho experiment.
Slnco July Inst the attitude of the neigh
boring republics nnd particularly of Veno
ziiola has attracted far moro ntteutlou than
the Internal troubles of Colombia. Tho
fact that the Venezuelans nnd tho Ecun
dnrlnni nro watching tho conflict with In
tonao Interest mny easily bo explained.
Their territories nro contiguous nnd po
litically tho three tuitions nro divided on
exactly tho samo lines. Each has n liberal
and n clerical party, whoso Ideals aro Iden
tical. Tho liberals and the clericals of
Venezuela, after appealing to nmiH most
vigorously for a number of years, havo re
cently been taking n breathing spell with
tho liberals In power under the presi
dency of Qoncral Castro. Tho present gov
ernment of Venezuela nnturnlly sympathizes
with tho Insurrectionary movement ncross
tho border and apparently tnkes no pains to
conceal tho fact.
Tho church party In Ecuador Is so firmly
entrenched that It Is Impossible to foresee
a tlmo when It will cense to control tho
stato, but Ecuador has had boundary and
other disputes with Colombia and tho rela
tions between tho two governments hnvo
not been wholly amicable.
Thero nro excitement and strong feeling
over tho situation In Colombln nnd tho ques
tion lias arisen whether theso neighboring
tales will undertake by overt action hos
tlio to tho Colombian government to help
settle tho troubles In that country. TIuto
nro oilier complication of Icsb importune").
Tho sympathies of Cosln Ulca, Nicaragua
and Honduras are tmld to be wholly with
the revolutionists, who have received as
sistance In one way or another from tho
pcoplo of these Central American states,
The volunteers nnd supplies they may
smugglo Into Colombia do not fiom the
present outlook, however, seem likely to In
volve their governments In eiuharriiKsmcnt.
Sympathizers with tho Insurrection hav
ing undoubtedly been sending some supplies
to tho revolutionary forces from Ecuador,
tho president of Ecuador was ncouscd by
(lenoral Cordova, governor of Cauca, nnd
others with sending nld to tho enemy, but
(bo government of Colombia itself has
scouted this Idea and so has tho Cnlomb'nu
minister nt Wnshlngtnn. Whatever the feeble
liberal party of Ecuador might bo disposed
to do, there Is tin reason to bellovo that the
clerical government of that cuuntry will for
n moment countenance an attack from their
republic upon tho clerical government of
Colombia.
Neither Is there any renson to Infer from
tho present condition of nffnlru that tho
government of Venezuela will overtly Inter
fere In behalf of tlio Insurrection. If some
of tho reports with regard to tho recent
doings of President Castro nro true his ac
tions ns tho head of n neutral statu havo
been neither discreet nor dlgullled.
CYRUS O. ADAMS,
IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE OF THE PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA.
Thanksgiving Day at Grandpa's on the Farm
While the Autumn winds are calling,
Calling, calling, sad and drear;
From the trees the leaves are falling,
Falling, falling, brown and sear;
Other days 1 can recall
Many a bright and happy Fall
But as Memory brings them back again with soft and hallowed
charm,
There's perhaps no thought so dear
At this season of the year,
As the thought of old Thanksgiving days at (jiandpa's on th!
farm.
Even tho' it might be snowing,
knowing, snowing, fast and long,
iiud is ov ember wiudsvbe blowing,
liiowiug, blowing wcirdsoiue- song
Safe, at Grandpa's from the storm,
All was pleasant, bright and warm.
O, how much there was for dinner; more to eat when we were
through !
And so good such chicken pies !
Lips are moist, as well as eyes,'
As 1 think of old Thanksgiving days with (Jrandpa and Aunt Lou.
And the songs we then were singing,
Singing, singing, long ugo,
Through the glad, sad past come ringing,
Hinging, ringing, sweet and low;
These, with legends that were told
On Thanksgiving days of old,
As we gathered, bound together by love's sweet and magic
charm
These the heart shall still hold dear,
Tho' the loved ones be not near,
Who so much enjoyed Thanksgiving day at fSraudpa's on tlx
farm.
Ilillsdnle, Mich., 1901. 10. L. TRUE.