The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-24
SOUTH AMERICAS CIVIL WAR.
ENDS ron WHICH COLONBTA'S
LIBERALS ARE FIGHTING.

-IntereSt OF Ecua uOf, Nebfkueit hnu
Other Latin-American Republics IN
1.-THE War Unlikely to Spread
During the ohicial sojoun In Caracas
of a former British Minister there hung
on his ONCE walls two water %colors. one
showing a coffee plantation In the morn
ing. the happy faces Of the black laborers
revealing their peace and contentment;
the other depicting the same field In the
afternoon, the sky darkened with the smoke
Of burning buildings and the bodies OF tho
field hands scattered among the coffee
shrubs. Another South American revolu-
lion had supplanted the quiet OF tho morn
ing with fire and tragedy before shutdown
The world has come TO regard most OF
these ebullitions with contempt or indiher-
ence. More blustcr than bloodshed marks
the course of many Of them. Merely per-
sonal ambition or private malice Is the
handspring Of much of this belligerence.
In these Latin american republics, where
sctive volcanoes make rapid changes in
tho landscape. we have como to regard
uphea walls Of government as too frequent
for notice. On occasions. however. these
conflicts have been precipitated by wrongs
that needed rightng. by misgovernment
too atrocious to be borne. The present
war in Colombia is one OF these occasions.
The causes OF this civil war can be re-
ferred to here only briefly. Colombia has
two intensely ~antagonistic political par
ties. The Clerical or Conservative party
advocates a centralized Government, WELD
ing really despotic power. which IL shares
with the Church; in other words. a Govern
mcnt copied after the old Spanish model.
The Liberal party, on tho other hand,
favors n progressive. democratic form OF
government modelled after that OF the
United States. Though these parties, nu-
merically, are nearly equal. the Clcricals
have held the supreme power since 1885,
when President Nuhez subverted the Gov
and overthrow the Liberal Con-
stitution by a coup d'etdt as drastic as that
OF Napoleon III. in France.
From that day till he was poisoned by
enemies in his " party. in 1891, Nuhez
lacked nothing but the title OF an absolute
sovereign. The Federal Government was
abolished, the right Of suffrage was taken
from nine-tenths OF the people. and nine
autonomous States became merely so
many districts governed from Bogota; the
liberty of the press and all private teaching
were suppressed and education was centred
In the hands Of religious bodies
Il II impossible here TO detail the mis-
cries that have befallen Colombia under
the despotic rule Of Nuhez and his sue
cessors. II will suficr TO say that CO.
lcnDia, having repudiated its debts, has
TO Iuhlic credit. and its exports have
beer so heavily taxed that tho country
carnot vie with its ncighhors In foreign
0A,...NAE,as .etfl, Al nnnNtlattnst n third
larger than that Of Venezuela. the inn
ports are much smaller; and the oppo-
nentS Of the Government. have been
treated as public enemies.
This. In brief, VAS the situation that
caused the armed revolt Of the LIBERAL
PARTY In October, 1890. The northern one
fourth Of Colombia has been the scene Of
the more or less dcsultory fighting that
has attracted some public attention.
II would not. however. have excited the
present interest If the conflict had not
recently threatened TO involve two or
more other republics and 70 compel the
arbitration or tho intervention Of tho
United States. either TO protec' the com
mercial Interests Of tho world on the
tst.imus Of Panama. or 70 prevent the
vi.oio Of northern South America and
pcrhap. n part Of Central America from
engaging in o ruinous struggle.
Imperial ambitions Of Castro, Ncnc-
S1cla'S Prczidcu', began 10 bo discussed,
and tlto possibility Of a | nited States Of
South America has Interested not only our
OWL country, Lu Europe ~ wei.
Il f. n curious feet worth mentioning.
.lat the Is,hmy, &C Panama. sincc the
~bcgirnins of th" Nun ~ rcgime, has been
worth nothing 20 Colombia. except for
yur.poCs of aSH'ion It, railroad. owned
by forcignor-. h. merely a means Of trans
port Tor The duty frcc) q other
nations.
tn" Icvcrnricnt having neglected 20
connect the isihmus hy transportation
rrut~ wi'h n" other parts 81 tho country.
Coon ami Panama .rn noth,rg but way
stations Tor the for ign tr' fio across the
Isthmu-.
The Present irsurrccti ion, which prom
ifos 10 involve rayeral G~Uycmnl"n,s. he-
gan aInDrg he lulls II ~sautandor. ;ho
iniaLI. Eastern d,rartupnt, which Iair's
. large pat 81 'h- superior coffee ~ Colom-
hil A. ,ontandsr has ~ convenient
3flsi fnI its coffee through tIn ports ~ its
Jsu country 4 soud- lhe pu.duci boy mule
'fhlthh 'h mara h.NHt N'NfHHf'Ihf W |ihIfr
mcLt Coo ~Iui1Is'
Ih4- II haITru. that the people q Aau-
tsLdrf aHa western NHuesarli arc par
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