The herald., 1896-03-29
the Caracas Jockey club on the lst of
March, Sunday, in the year of our Lord

the Caracas Jockey club on the lst of
March, Sunday, in the year Of our Lord
1896? President Crespo was we'll
guarded on this occasion, as he always
is. A large company of soldiers
marched out to the grounds and were
carefully stationed where the president
would be sure of their protection. II
is like this all the time. Day and night
he is surrounded by his guards. Sc
crecy marks all his movements for
travel. am assured that his food is
prepared for him by his wife. To live
thus in constant fear of assassination
seems too large price to pay for the
honor and money-making chances in
being president of Venezuela.
Popularity is somewhat ephemeral In
this country and this capital. 'Crespo
does not seem to care for popularity,
and hence does not seek it. On the
fine equestrian statue erected to Boli-
var, situated in the plaza Of the same
name, there was cut the name Of Blan-
60 in the marble pedestal, he being
president at the time of the placing Of
the statue. But when he was ''revo-
luted" out of Office his name was en-
tirely erased and another cutting sub
stituted. Thue it is always down here.
The hero of the hour is speedily turned
into an object of execration.
fancy ii would not long be popular
with the people ofaour country to fight
for Venezuelans; certainly not after
knowing them at all intimately. There
is no doubt about the general worth
lessness of the population all the way
through from top to bottom. The seat
of government is here at Caracas, and
what the government 10 the nation is
likewise, to large extent. It must be
that the only hope for this land is
through the immigration of other peo-
pies. There is no richer country on
earth. Everything can be raised here,
from the PRODUCTS Of the tropics to
those of the temperate zones. The
mines of precious metals are found to
be of unexampled richness. The for
ests are inexhaustible. The one draw
back is the people.
One may fear lest many of the visit
ors to this country from the United
States have not done quite as much as
they might have done to recommend
our country. At all events, the repu-
tation they have loft behind, and that
even now exists, is not the best possi-
BILE. Our diplomatic, consular, and
other official personagss have not in
all cases, reached high water mark in
morals, intellectual culture, or gen.
eral manners. It is q great pity,
all of it. II there be one
thing more than another that
is needed by our country, it is more
careful attention to the matter of our
foreign representatives. The very fact
that some of our ministers and con-
suls are gentlemen of training in
statesmanship and good manners only
serves to emphasize the need that all
of them should be such. When one
visits land like this, or like many an
other on this continent and the other,
he is glad that he has q land like our
own. And the more earnestly he loves
it the more earnestly he desires it to
be honorably represented.
It was scarcely a creditable thing for
American citizens to seek to gain per-
mission from the government to estab-
lish lottery here. Fortunately the
attempt was defeated, but the stigma
of the attempt remains. The Venezu-
elan government is not to be credited
with the defeat of the measure, except
as it submitted to outside influence
Nathaniel w. Conkling, in N. Y. Even
ing Post.