Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-29
The south American washington.

LHC 6OutA AMERICAN " dSHlhStOns
The unwilling Of the equestrian statue
of Gen. Simon Bolivar, presented to the
city Of New York by the Republic ofVene-
zuela. in Central Park, revives interest in
the struggle Of the South American colo
mics to throw of the Spanish yoke. Proba-
bly, the people Of the United States know
less Of the history Of the countries on the
southern portion of our hemisphere than
Of any other portion Of the civilized world.
1t was perhaps a recognition of this fact,
coupled with desire to cultivate friend
ly spirit between that country and ours,
that prompted the Venezuelan Congress
to present the statue of the liberator to the
metropolitan city of North America.
Bolivar was born in Caracas in the very
year in which the thirteen North Ameri-
can colonies ended their struggle for in
dependence, 1888. He belonged to the
Creole nobility, in Venzuela, and although
he was educated and married in Madrid
he never possessed any great love for the
mother country. In 1909 he visited the
United States, probably in the interest Of
the revolutionIsts, for in the very next
year the revolution broke out and he at
once identified himself with it. He at first
visited England, where he purchased
arms and acted for brief season as diplO-
matte agent in the attempt to secure help
from that country. In 1911 he returned
and joined the army, when he was APP
pointed on the staff Of Gen. Miranda and
was placed IN command of the Fortress of
Puerto Cabello, which was soon captured
by the Spaniards, the citadel having been
seized by 1 200 Spanish prisoners confined
in it.
A treaty was signed by Miranda
restoring Venezuela to Spanish rule, but
that General was afterwards arrested by
Bolivar and others and turned over to the
Spaniards on charge that he was about
to leave the country. Bolivar then raised
a revolutionary force, and, with the as
sistance Of other leaders, expelled the
Spaniards from New Granada. He then
marched on Caracas, and captured the
city after slight resistance. He was
honored with a triumph, and proclaimed
himself dictator and liberator." In 1915
he was defeated by the Spaniards, who re-
covered both Venezuela and New
Granada, and he was forced to leave the
country and take refuge in Jamaica in
1915. He returned in a few mopths, and
gathering up the scattering forces of the
revOlutionists, he was made commander
in-chief of Venezuela and New Granada.
The war against the Spaniards was
waged with varying success Tor many
years. Bolivar was soon joined by forces
from Ecuador and Peru, and he was sue
cessively made dictator of all these pro-
yinces, and founded the republic of
Bolivia. The Spaniards were finally ex-
PEELED in 1923 and 1924.
After the end of the war the provinces
of which he was dictator, forming the
United States of Colombia, were torn by
internal dissensiOns, and Bolivar's in
fluence was greatly weakened. He was
denounced as having an ambitious de-
sign to establish a monarchy, and at
tempts were made to assassinate him.
He repeatedly resigned the Dictatorship,
but being decidedly the leading mind in
that portion of South America, was as often
reelected. His final farewell to the ma
ton was written in 1880, on the occasion
Of his fifth resignation, and his death took
place before the end of the year. He was
a man of great ability and patriotic i'm
pulses, but was fond of fame and power,
as well as of the pleasures and frivolitIes
of life