Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-06
A SISTER REPUBLIC.
Capitalization the Feature of the Gov
ernment of Colombia.
A VERY VARIABLE MONEY MARKET
Doctors Do Not Need Diplomas and Indians
Cure Hydrophobia.
THE NIAGARA OF SOUTH AMERICA


| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH.!
BoGoTA, COLOMBIA, March 3.-Before
bidding adios to this "sister republic, u
whose laws and Constitution are supposed
to have been directly modelled after those Of
the United States of the North, we should
take brief survey Of its political charac.
teristics. One still frequently hears the
country spoken of as the United States Of
Colombia, although bloody war was lately
fought to do away with that title, and its
various divisions are as often called states
or provinces as by their proper name OF de-
partments. We need not go into the details
of history. Everybody knows the story OF
the long and bitter struggle which in 1910
Colombia and her sister provinces, includ-
ing Mexico, began for freedom from Spanish
rule.
Colombia's Washington, General Simon
Bolivar, was inaugurated first president OF
the newborn republic, and probably all
would have gone well enough had it not
been for the dissensons that arose from
petty jealousies and personal ambitions.
The first constitution survived only II years,
when the central provinces of the Union
broke away and in 1881 united themselves
with another republic called New Grenada.
Bolivar's brain, like that of his antetype,
| Alexander, and his contemporary, Napo-
leon, teemed with political schemes and his
| great hobby was the union of New Grenada,
Venezuela and Ecuador into one extensive
and powerful state. The idea found favor
and was ratified by the first congress, which
convened at Angostura in December. 1919.
The nation thus constituted occupied the
1 hal IS Art
from one ocean to the other, possessing the
| advantage of thousands of miles of seaboard.
THE CRYsTALLIZING PROCESS.
Then followed half century of perpetual
| dissensions, intestine warfare and the SUBJ
version and reconstruction of constitution
after constitution, in which Colombia, in
common with the other divisions of South
| Americ took part. With every change of
government the political geography OF the
country was altered, provinces, departments,
states, each new variation of division hav-
ing more or less autonomy of its own, inde-
| pendent of their respective central govern
ments.
The last revolution, that of 1885. left
government which seems to be more firmly
established than any that has preceded it.
| After its suppression council of delegates
met in Bogota in the summer of 1886 and
sanctioned a revised constitution whereby
| the United States of Colombia were de-
prived of their individual autonomy, the
name of the country was restored to that it
bore nearly century before, viz, the Re
| public Of Colombia, the first article Of the
new constitution distinctly stating that
Sovereignty rests solely and exclusively
with the nations as whole, not with indi-
| vidual states" 1t recreated departments
instead of states, the same as in 1881, to be
ruled by a central government located in
Bogota.
The departments are subdivided into
provinces, and these again into municipal
districts, the iormer ruled by governors and
the latter by alcaldes There are nine de-
partments whose names are as follows:
Magdalena. Bolivar, Panama, Antioquia,
Cauca, Tolima, Bojaca, Santander and
Cundinamaria, beside the federal district CT
Santa Fe de Bogota, which contains the
capital.
ROOM FOR THE EXPLORER.
The superficial area of this big Republic
is about 504, ,773 square miles. Its southern
boundary is one of the most definite land
marks of the earth, being nothing less than
the equator. Its total population is esti-
mated at 1856, 255, including more than
200, 900 aboriginal Indians, who dwell in
the forests of the interior, and of whose
characteristics even the Colombians know
little beyond the fact that they are peaceably
disposed toward the civilized communities
if they are not interiered with. To show
how little is known of some parts of the
country, it may be mentioned tha. the
Colombian Government has recently offered
a reward of f200 to anyone who may sue
ceed in making his way to the coast from
the River Magdalena, over the Sierra de
Santa Rosa.
Congress meets in Bogota on the first day
Of the New Year. both the Senate and
Chamber of Deputies using the same room,
aspacious apartment with galleries on three
sides. The various departments are admin
istered by departmental assemblies, which
meet once in two years, and each district or
province has its own municipal council.
Judicially the Republic is divided into dis
tricts, each possessing its superior tribunal
and district judge. Besides the civil, GRIM
inal and district courts, commercial courts
are also held.
The Presidents term of Office is six years.
He is assisted by Vice President, seven
Ministers and Council of State The
present executive, DR.. Rafael Nunez, is en-
joying his third term of Office, and has nearly
three years yet to serve.
NO RELIGIOUS RESTRICTIONS.
Though Roman Catholicism prevails,
there is no state religion, natives and for
eigners being guaranteed freedom of con-
science and worship. So far as the text of
the law goes, foreigners enjoy equal rights
with the Colombians; but il would be hardly
advisable to test the question in a native
court of justice. Imprisonment for debt
has been done away with and trial by jury
in criminal cases is coming into vogue. The
only monopoly in the country is that of salt,
which is still in the hands of the central
government; and in some departments that
of the rum distilleries, which is admins
tered for the benefit of their own municipal
revenues. There is large public debt owing
to foreigners, three-fourths of which is due
to British creditors, who hold as security a
mortgage on the Republics chief source of
revenue-that derived from the customs.
A system intended to place the CONNER
cial and public credit oil the country on a
more substantial basis has been introduced |
and already largely developed. In the year
1871, what is known as bill and discount
company was established in Bogota, and
has succeeded in commanding public conf |
dence, although there is nothing that varies |