The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-06-24

be formed and retain possession OF the relns OF
eminent for an indefinite period.
Vargas was nau gura.ed on the 9th February, 1895.
Congress continued its session until the Goth April
On the 18th, the doctor presented his
resignation Of the Office of President, but unfortu-
nately Congress did not accept it,
put forward Marine candidate for the Presidency,
seeing the political imbecility Of Vargas and his
commenced attacking it bitterly
through the press, as well they might; for more
place. The old military chiefs throughout the re-
public, picked up courage And whilst they had
not tbe energetic Paez to deal with, arranged con-
spracies throughout the country, and managed
the matter WE'LL that simultaneously in Maracaibo
and Caracas, MaIino was declared President, and
the authority Of Vargas denied They did not con-
Zine themselves to mere words but the troops that
garrisoned Caracas joined them heart and soul, on
the Sth July seized the persons of Vargas and Mar
varte, and shipped them of to St. Thomas, remain
ing in possession OF Caracas.
Before Vargas was removed to Laguayra for en-
barkaton, he was confined to his house close pri-
soner He found means, however, to procure there
session Of the Consejo dc Estado, as it is termed,
species of board of constitutional advisers. They
all got together in his house, and be gave them his
Presidential authority to raise men, having declared
the country and constitution in danger. His Pre-
sdenial authority to raise troops was dated the Sth
or 9th Of July. The Consejo de Estade did not
know what to do, or where to turn; they were con-
founded at thus suddenly seeing their capital in the
hands of faction, who demanded reforms without,
however, specifying what those reforms were to be.
For some fourteen hours they remained IN session in
the house Of the President, consulting what they
should do Time passed on, however, and as they
knew that that evening their deliberations would
becgcibly broken up by the rcformistas who had mi
tary possession OF the city, and, in fact, kept Var
gas prisoner in his own house, where they then
met, it became necessary to act with promptDess
they resolved to make protest against the acts of
the nsurrectonists against the legitimate and con-
stitutonal government, so that The existing nstitu
tons might not be upset completely. This protes.
was at once drawn up, and ecpy Of it sent to the
insunectonists They also passed resolution fer
the immediate raising Of l0,Gt0 men, to act against
the refcrmstas. and elected General Paez the
commander in chief and director Of operations IN ehe
field. Having done thus much, the reformstas in
terrupted them by force, and Doctor Vargas and
Narvarte seized by force put on board vessel
at Laguayra, which transported them to St. Thomas,
and the capital of Venezuela remained in the hands
Of the Reformistas.
This reformsta party, as before remarked was
nothing more than the cid Bolivar party resusc-
tated The reforms they clamored for were mere
pretext for getting into rov In fact, they
ties regarding giving back to military men their
former inmunties and privileges Of the time of CO.
lombia and few specious arguments about pro-
tecting the Catholic religion, Ito serve as means
of gaining adherents among the lower casses) were
absolutely all that they declared. The truth is
the military party thought Paez had had sufficient
with one Presidential term They saw Vargas was
weak, indeed an impotent President and thus
though. they could, by torce possess themselves Of
the reins Of government.
In this reformsta movement, Antonio Leocatfio
Guzman. the present Vice President, figured some
what. He occupied. at that time, position in the
office OF the Ministry of the Interior and also belong
ed to the Consejo de Estado. Guzman is a person
who, from various causes, has figured considerably
since then in the political affairs Of the country
and hereafter we shall have occasion to speak more
at length Of him.
The object ofthese papers is merely to give a mar
rative Of facts without charging on the personal
motives Of the individuals mentioned. Guzman early
commenced his political career in the time of Co.
lombia He is Of the school Of Bolivar, and is much
opposed to Paez and all his acts.
The situation Of Venezuela, then, on the 10th Of
July, 1885, was as follows The constitutional
President and Vice President had been forced to fly
the country. They had done so under prote t, and
had left their constitutional power with the Conscjo
de Estado to raise men, arms and money, and name
officers to march against and put down by force the
revolutionsts. Meantime, these revolutionists had
actual possession of the capital and several of the
most important cities in the country had declared in
theirfavor General Marine was the nominal chief
Of the movement, though he was really but the man
OF straw OF the military party
General Paez had been living for some time on his
estate called San Pablo. and it the 18th July
that the news Of all that had occurred in Caracas
reached him. aud with the he also received i
nominal len from the imprisoned Conseo, as chief OF
the operations To be conducted against the lnsur-
gents. He at once accepted the position, and on
the following day issued proclamation in which he
pledged himself to use every effort to the
sttuIion OF the country so rudely menaced, and on
the Eta sailed forth from san Pablo with mere
handful Of men, trusting that he would be able to
collect force he went on, The first point he
directed his march towards was the city OF Valencia,
which had pronounced in favor of the refornstds
lie arrived in front Of it on the 23d. BY this time
his force had increased to 800 men, all well mount
ed. With the usual volatility of Nenezuelans tie
reiormstas of Valencia joined Paez Immediately
ana pronounced again in favor of the constitutional
President, the unlucky Vargas. On the 9th, Paez
proceeded on toward Caracas, with his 800 men aug
mented by the Valencia ex.reformstas He pursued
his march with rapidity, and on the morning OF the
2sth, arrived in Caracas, but found that the refor
mstas had evacuated the city the night previous
and had marched bag and baggage to the eastward
In twenty days from the time he received his COM
mission from the imprisoned Conscjo de Estado, he
arrived in Caracas. aud re established the constitu
ton, proclaiming Vargas and Narvarte again.
Though he had gained the capital, much still re-
NAMED to be done. The fire of the old military
party was in full blaze. He had certainly achieved
successes against them, but they were of negative
character. Maracaibo and Porto Cabello Were all
up in arms, the insurgents were marching to the
eastward, and tanning the flames; wherever there
old soldier of the war Of independence, there
there was focus of discomfort. Paez was per-
senally disliked by all the Bolivar party, and his
being called by the civil party to act as actual
JTesluenJ emplttered their leelngS tOwardS MIN.
Many accused him, and to this day believe that he
acted MS be did from desire to be RULER pay
orceRencc, of Venezuela, than from any pure, pa
triotic desire to save the constitution. Tickle and
volatile in their likes and diskes they are, n
nation, still the most unrefecting of them could
not avoid feeling that Paez assuming an indi-
vidual importance, as ruler, incompatible with
the existence Of government on republican basis.
They reflected that, from the very commencement,
Paez was, and had been, the ruler and disposer of
everything in the republics and though one could
say the country had not progressed, yet, what with
the old feelings Of the Bolivar party against him,
and much such feeling as led the Athenian to
ostracise Arstides-" because he was tired of hear
ing him called the just"-considerable ill-will was
created against Paez, and much fear that yenc-
zuela would at last become merely his estate, and
that a complete oligarchy would be formed by him
and his partizans. to the exclusion of all others
How far these fears verified shall see here
after.
In consequence Of the rude state Of society preva-
lent in Venezuela ct the period Of her becoming
republic. many laws, especially those relative to
The system Of militia, had been carried out by Paez
IA -, Tba ~.