Star.
London, England, 1829-12-28 00:00:00

COLUMBIA.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE STAR.
LETTER
Ames, Sm. 14, 1029.
Si se—The insurrection of 1809 was a new era for the
Graindians and Venezuelans. The regency of Cadiz
Hg admitted- the wrongs which had been at all dines
imposed olive by the Spanish Government, acknowledged
that our destinies depended no longer on Ministers and
Goonnors, since they were now in our own hands, juntas
of government were installed like those of Spain, and
with the same rights. Bat what they considered as vir-
tue and patriotism at home, was regarded as disloyal and
-criminal in the colonies. Unjust towards South
America, the regenerators of Ibeira were still
anxious to perpetuate our political inequality ; de.
preciating our well-founded claims, anathemas were
fulminated against those who, merely called for the exe-
cution of the social compact, a war of extermination
was decreed against us, and in the midst of her own
calamities, barbarous assassins were sent to spread
death and desolafion over the land. We flew to arms
to sustain our rights, and the fate of battles was now to
decide between triumph or defeat, between glory or de-
gradation.
Long habits of obedience had, there is no doubt, in-
duced several towns and provinces still to tolerate our
.oppressors : hum a civil war, rendered more obstinate from
the ignorance of the people, and their having become the
instruments of fanaticism, whose agents qualified se im-.
pious and profane, the noble effort in favour of libeeti
and justice.
The first steps of the new Governments in the march of
independence, were often both erroneous and vacillating.
Public situations were filled by men of generous minds,
and to a certain degree, not destitute of information and
a talent for business, but who had never exercised any
political right, nor wore practically acquainted with the
science of governing. They viewed fine drawn theories as
the perfection of social wisdom; the effects of the newly-
adopted systems were never duly appreciated ; the conse-
quences of opinions hitherto unknown never estimated.
Many gross errors were the result, and it must be con-
fessed we are paying dearly for them !
The premature conception of adopting the form of Go-
vernment which was definitively to prevail, and of cement-
ing liberty before ,we had conquered independence, was
for us the golden apple thrown by discord. Many were
fascinated by the brilliant example of the United
States; while others, stimulated by ambition, proposed
with few exceptions the establishment of a federal sys-
tem. Our leaders do not seem for a moment to have
• selected on the enormous difference between our situ*-
, iisa and that of the Anglo-Americans, between their de-
ci► K dvilisation and ours, or the manners and neces-
sities of both. The Legislators of the United States had
accommodated her institutions to the state of things which
existed at the time of their adoption. " The elements of
a Confederation existed in North America long before
the war of independence, while the various localities,
which subsequently constituted the union were in posses-
sion of distinct laws and governments. Tie English Colo-
nists enjoyed at least some municipal privileges ; some of
the Provinces had their Chamber of Representatives; they
might regulate among themselves, and almost without
restriction, a great number of important points. Those
Colonists bad, besides, been in the habit of federating,
during the wars of the Mother Country, against France
sad Spain-,--they might indeed be said to have already
-11 toned a nation.' On our side, we did not possess one
• ,ted them advantages—we had all been governed by the
-:.ale laws : our scanty population was scattered -shone
easing vast desertst divided in heterogeneous classes, dif-
ficult to manage, separated in their interests, vitiated by
superstition, degraded by tyranny, impoverished by op-
pression, buried in ignorance. Born and living under
the laws of Spain, quitting in a manner the most sud-
den a despotism the most absolute, we neither possessed
die knowledge or practice of public affairs : no spirit of
• liberty existed: we were totally unacquainted with every
social safeguard, and could not, in fact, boast of a single
dement required to form a federal system. So that
however admirable this system may be regarded by its
most ardent advocates, it is undeniable that the situation
of New Granada and Venezuela, rendered its adoption al-
together inapplicabli to the wants and inclinations of the
great mass of their inhabitants, and to the circumstances
in which they were placed. We were certainly far from
susceptible of a social organisation, which even in the
United States has frequently encountered difficulties in
distinguishing the limits which separate the attributes of
the general government, from those of the particular
states. Civilisation was too backward among us, to find
men capable of filling the multitude of situations
• required by the federal system. Nor were oar
'revenues, if even much better managed than they were,
sufficient to pay such a large magistracy, or meet all the
necessities of the State. Finally, it was not among the
least of these evils brought on us by the federal plan, that
it increased local, to the extinction of general patriotism.
If the light of independence called all the nobler pas-
sions into play, those of selfishness and ambition were
-deo fermented. Above all, ambition, which is a dis-
tiactive trait in our character, inspiring in some the
desire of obtaining distinction in the place of their birth,
stimulated them to give importance to many points which
never deserved it. Thus we saw several towns and cities
separate• themselves from the association to which they
had previously belonged; we saw them claim the right of
:sovereignty in all its plenitude, even to arrogating an
undue supremacy over neighbouring districts.
There were some provinces which declared in favour of
a central Government, and in the altercations caused br
this political schism, hostile acts were committed on either
tide I thus weakening the means of resistance, and em-
ploying for mutual destruction those resources which ought
to have been directed against the common enemy.
But under one or other form of Government, the most
democratic notions were encouraged, whether in the pro-
vinces in which the federal system was adopted, or where
a central authority was preferred.. Whether it arises
from the natural tendency of mankind to pus from one
extreme to another, or that the champions of independ-
ence knew, that in the absence of a more general instruc-
tion among the people, the language of passion was ne-
emery to move so inert a mass, certain it is, that both
the Government, as well as those who entered the arena
as public writers, and others who addressed the people
on public assemblies, affected the most furious repub-
lieudeta. The principle of equality was proclaimed as
• !;Hirst of political dogmas—the sublimest of moral and
efikrtruths. Instead of observing that palpable law
attrel which has rendered man miasmal by a ilea&
buttes of her favours with a more or less liberal hand
, each; instead of that equality which permits every body
to insane the stadia, to which his merit may entitle Wish
end which alone can exist ins well regulated con-
..sanity, a definition in the latitude given to this ides
as asonstrons as it was absurd. Together with this,
• - die name of liberty was invoked at _linty step-
211which is so sweet, but of which the use is se
.IqlAmentalsly abusing both, every diaorgsakingt

element was let loose, and a storm of the most turbulent
democracy sassed. It is true, men were not wanting to
point out the sad errors in which we persisted, or who did
not foresee the future these errors were preparing for us.
A,patriot was not wanted to tell the people.
Beaestb die Seeren
The Aerie sad his aortal mesa hs amwreled :
Yea used ea a veksae—ao abyss Is before yea!
tint his voice was lust In the tumult of popular delirium,
while our rising Statesmen continued to purses the reel
they had chosen, assuming, as the basis of our regenera-
tion, abstract theories and extraneous examples.
Flying from the deepen= we had just thrown off, the
favourite wish of those who were called on to legislate
for us, was to restrain by every possible means the power
of the executive. They did not calculate that in a com-
munity like ours, composed of discordant elements, where
the inequality of conditions was so great, and the mass
indifferent to every thing but repose ; where so much po-
litical inaptness prevailed, it would have been better to
add more vigour to authority, even at the expense of
some rights, in order to ensure independence, and be able
on a future day, to enjoy without peril the beneficent
fruits of freedom. Far from this being the case, the
executive power was subdivided in some provinces, in
others it was invaded by the legislative branch : the ne-
cessary consequences of such a system, was disunion,
inactivity, and agitation—a suspension of the molt im-
portant interests of the State.
While every body was occupied in discussing rights
and principles, the governments thought but little about
'organising an armed force capable of freeing the terri-
tory in which new political systems were about to be
planted. If troops were enlisted at some points, there
was an absence of all discipline ; if at others a militia
was raised, all they did was to receive and consume large
pay and allowances : without serving to promote inde-
pendence, the country was deprived of those services
which they had been formerly in the habit of rendering.
The regulation of a good financial system was equally
neglected, forgetting that "social life is only sustained
by gold running in its veins," our rulers attempted to
meet the necessities of the state with patriotic donations
and forced loans, " means which were purely revolution-
ary, that paliated the evil without curing it, and always
created discontent." The circulating medium disap-
peared, owing to the opposition of the capitalists, nearly
all the Spaniards, to the new order of things. The crea-
tion of a paper money, without foundation or guarantee,
gave the last blow to all credit, and fomented a marked
aversion to the cause of independence.
The community thus divided into two classes, one of
which, actuated either by fear or perfidy, fled before the
dawn of liberty, while the other advanced with thoughtless
precipitancy towards the light, the government adopted a
system of lenity and weakness, which brought with. acme
of so many evils. • Conspiracies were hatched by the
partisans of Spain, with a view of restoring the domination
of that country. On these occasions an imprudent cle-
mency was shown, the authors were ei'ffered to escape with
impunity, and if punished it was inflicted with an unme-
rited suavity. The factious agitated the lower orders,
merely with a view of seizing all the power or to gratify
private interests, while the authorities neither displayed
say energy in checking the attempts of ambition, nor did
the citizens rally round them for the preservation of pub-
lic tranquillity and order.
I have the honour to be, &c.
GARCIA DEL RIO.