Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-01

noise of hrecrackers and cannon. Every
house is decorated with flags and bunting.
There are more flags displayed in Chile, the
Argentine and Brazil than in the United
States. One of the funny things about
South American city is the flag poles. They
jut out from every house and every story.
No one would think Of putting up bust
ness block without flag poles. In the main
streets the flag poles from the buildings
opposite each other almost meet, and when
the streets are narrow, as in the case of
the Ouvidor, the main thoroughfare of Rio
de Janeiro. the flags form canopy or
arbor over the people below.
Many of the cities arch their principal
streets with iron gas pipes upon which are
globes Of different colors. On independence
night these globes are abaze with lights
and the national colors show out every
where. The decoration of MOntevideo
Rosario and Rio de Janeiro is remarkable
as to its gas lights.
VenezueIn'. Fifth of July.
Independence day in Venezuela is on the
9th of July. 1 speak of it first. for Vene-
zUela was the birthplace of South American
independence. 1t was in Caracas that ST.
mon Bolivar, the chief OF the George Wash
ingtons of South America was born. He
came of a good family, and was sent to
Europe to be educated. He went to school
in Madrid, and after a tour OF France re-
turned there to be married. He then
nineteen and his bride was sixteen. He
brought her with him TO America, but had
hardly arrived in Venezuela before she
died of yellow fever. Upon her coffin Boil
var took an oath that he would not marry
again. He cOnSecrated his life to Ameri-
can independence. and from then on de-
voted himself to the raising of revolutions
to free the country from Spain. The decla-
ration of independence was made on July
= FsrF n. .fsls -,
knel of Spanish authority all over South
America. After many ups and downs Boil
var finally jriumphed and made Venezuela
free He then crossed the mountains to
New Grenada, or Colombia, and was instru-
mental in freeing that country, and also
Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru.
You Will md statues of him in nearly all
the great cities Of South America. and
streets are named after him In every coun-
Try.
The Spanish oppressed their subjects far
more than the British ever oppressed MS
They held South America IN seryitude for
"p years They would not allow the people
to be educated one OF the Spanish kings
upon receiving petition for the establish
ment OF school in one Of the towns. said:
90 hot consider learning proper in Amer
lea The South Americans We're not al
lowed TO read certain histories of the United
States, and the sale of books of any kind
without the sanction of the council of the
West Indies was prohibited All of tha
pointed from Spain. Out of 100 yiccroys
there were only four who were not Spanish
and OF 600 captains general only fourteen
were born in America.
The Same as in Cuba
The cruelties of the Spanish were beyond
conception. The Argentines after they had
announced their declaration of independence
issued manifesto describing them This
was on the 18th of October 1917. The man
hesto was addressed 10 the nations OF the
earth, and IL is a terrible arraignment OF
Spain 1t Is too long to quote here, but
can give few of its items: 1t charges the
Spania~ds with wiping out the native pop.
ulatioas- IL says that entire towns have
disappeared and their inhabitants DESTROY
ed by compulsiye labor 1t states that
Spain has system aticalIy tried to degrade
her people in America: that She has done
all she could to kill off the surplus and Ia
keep the population down. Men have beer
Unfortunately killed in order to diminish
the number" In some of the countries
non-comh atants were taken in groups into
the squares and shot. One instance Is men,
noned where the Spanish soldiers cut of
the ears of the inhabitants of one of the
towns and sent a basket of them as a pres.
ent 10 their general After this the troops
burned the town. first shutting up people in
their houses in order that they might be
burned to death. They charged the SDan.
iards with whipping old religious persons In
the open squares and also whipping women
whom they had first stripped and bound Ia
cannon. thus exposing them TO shame and
derision.
After number of more charges of this