The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-08

Was a Fighter, and He Would hav
Armed His Soldiers and Sailed In-Th
Intrepid Bravery OF the George Wash
tngton OF South Ameriea-HIstory o.
the Man.
II is possible Venezuelan standards
are deberiorat ting. There was a day
and that within the memory of men who
are yet alive, when the Cayenne repub-
lie would not have demanded a jury Of
nations 10 pass upon its title TO real
estate. Venezuela has produced men
who ran their line fences and establish
Ell their boundaries without invoking
surveyors from without.
This is said in no spirit Of despite OF
derractlon. Crespo and his predeces-
sors, but Crespo particularly, have not
been distinguished for avoiding trouble
The have made strong war talks and
qnave at all times held themselves in
readiness to ningle their Creole blood
and the 'sargre azuI'-the blue blood OF
the old families-With that of the Anglo
Saxon invaders. The war propositions
however. have always been in the sub
5unctive. If arbitration cannot be had
IL Great Britain will not permit the
constitution of an Hnintecested I'M
biased board Of inquiry, then come war
and slaughter.
Doubtless arbitration is the humane
and logical means for settling interna-
fio[al disputes. 1t is a consequence
Whldn naturally attends intellectual en-
dghtenEn EFT and material development.
But arbitration would not have salts
fed Simon Bolivar, the Eberator, or
General Santander his very capable
lieutenant, or others of the old style.
Bolivar had his own views on national
properties. He would have resented
any attempt TO contract his territory
10y cTowding the edges, He would have
fought the war Of dispoSsession first.
Judging his record dispassionately as
one can, since he has been dead sixty
five years, il is safe to say he would
nave won. Afterward he might have
asked other nations TO come and wit
ness the erection of monuments and
the establishment Of landmarks.
1t is not to be understood that Boil
var did not welcome assistance from
foreigners. On the contrary, he gave
the hand Of JOY TO such aid when offer
ed by individuals. His staff of sub
oTuinateS was largely made up of sol
diens OF f0rtune-Captain Dalgettys-
from all European countries. If a man
could swing a sabeC, ride a horse and
drIl a company his calling and his
election was sure IN Bolivar's camp. It
was the offer OF alien governments to
render aid against Spain and be pres
emit at the division of territorial Spoils
that the liberatOr rejected. His bust
ness was the disinthralling of South
America, or so much thereof as one
ambitious, energetic, educated, fighting
10 70
country could snare in the territory
which he hewed-literally cut out with
,sabeT-frOm the dominion Of Spain. 1t
is probable, it Is almost established as
"a fact, that Bolivar was the original
prepayment Of that now familiar doc
trine America for Americans" The
proposition may not have been phraSed
sce briefly and so vigorously as Mon
roe framed it, but ia vague, uniformed
Condition it may be found among ideas
left by Bolivar.
Bolivar has many different charac-
tiers given him by biographers. No
prominent man of any country has been
more Variously described than he by
contemporaneous writers With the
calmeT judgment of years it is seen
that the patriot. the unselish lover Of
his country predOminated in his make
up. Other views held concerning his
nature, the criticisms touching his per-
sOnal honor and his motives were those
of men Of other nations. unable to com,
prehend the enthusiastic, buOyant and
changing nature Of the man. 1t is
impossible to measure a Mantuano, a
South American. made up Of the COM
posite chaVa cteIisticS Of the CaStilian
conquerors. native chiefs by Teutonic
or Anglo-SaXon standards. Bolivar
has been written IS great man, the
Washington Of South America, the en-
SLAYER OF his cOunJTymeu, the benefac-
tor Of his people. a man Of the first
order of genius, a tyTaut and an oppres-
sor The Napoleon OF the Western world,
the Cromwell of the Colombian states.
Al! these read cSs have been made of
him. The conclusions depend on the
point Of view
The South American patriot resembl-
ed Washington as much as ii is possible
for one OF his lineage 10 approach one
OF the great Americans breeding The
fact Is comparison is impossible. They
had one point IN cOmmon-an ingrained
love Of country, and determined TO es-
dove OF country. At this point they
came together, and here. also, they
separated. Their raining and habits
Of thoughts, their e'ucation and their
snsshOsis were wide apart Bolivar
had IL many respects the harder task.
lie not only had 10 form public opinion
to great extent. but also had 10 direct
IL an restrain the license which many
of his followers miStok for freedom.
The revclUGouiSts of North America
needed but a guide and a leader. They
had never been slaves; therein they
possessed great moral and physical ad-
Vantage over BoliVar'S following.
It teaches respect for American insti-
buttons established 10y Washington and
his fellow patriots that it was the OBJ
servaLons made IN a casual visit TO
this repGhllc thar animated Bolivar
with Il zeal 10 dethD0ne tyranny and
give freedom n foothold in his native
country. simon Bolivar was born at
Caracas July "a. 1.E3. Before ne was
SO years old he buCk'ei on his war belt
and before he reached 40 had Won the
independence. not alone Of his own. but
other states; had drafted constitutions
and framed laws and established demo-
crate governments which exist today.
AT the sSe of fiat the prime Of life
he iiei His work was completed His
title of Liberation has been earned.
BolivaIs parents were Of the blue
blood of Venezuela. His father, Don
Juan Nincan-e Bolivar Ponte. was q
deseendauJ Of one Of the early Span
aaloS HIS mother was Donna Maria
Conception Palaces SOLO, Of equally
high b;rth-The.~ united states made
their family one Of the weal-hieSt in
the Sp&l-sh possessions. Their chill
dren were Left orphans before the fll-
TIIH'e lToeratc~ has reached = years. In
conpllSice Wigh The custom which OBJ
tanned among wealthy S2aHish-Ameri-
cans Bolivar was sent 10 Spain when
NE was i years old 70 be educated.
After a FIVE years residence abroad.
devoted somewhat 20 study ana largely
10 nj e,rc-.a a,nl rr.at-.l IL. -. -,