Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-14

After having spent nearly three years
I'm the republic of Colombia, South Amert-
ca, a country that reached the zenith OF
it's civilization and then commenced It's
backward march toward barbarism long
before Christopher Columbus sailed from
Spain on his first voyage of discovery
Charles L. Wright has returned to Omaha
to remain several weeks, says Sundays
Omaha World-Herald.
Having travelled extensively through
Colombia and having been close ooserV-
err, Mr.. Wright has a great fund of infor-
nation relative to that far-away republic
that delights in INDUCING in a revolution
every few weeks an6 frequently oftener,
If the inhabitants deem an uprising neces-
sary to show their disapproval Of the
methods of the party in power.
That Colombia had a civilization that
antedated the settlement of the United
States, and was as early as that OF Peru,
goes without saying. Speaking OF this
to The World-Herald, Mr.. Wright said:
Back in the interior there are great
temples of stone, built In the most sub
stantial manner. In them are images that
were worshipped by the inhabitants. Many
Of them are of solid gold, but frequently
you find them Of stone, carved In the most
exquisite manner. In the graves are Valu-
able gold ornaments, set with precious
stones, showing that the early inhabitants
were skilled in the arts. In many places
about these temples are the ruins of once
populous cities, the buildings of which
were of stone and adobe. When these
people lived no one seems to know.
However, the republic of Colombia OF
today is making rapid strides, and when
the time comes that rebellions are a thing
of the past, it will be great nation. Now
1t Is a great country, sparsely populated
and filled with great mineral and agricul-
tural wealth waiting to be developed.
ELECTIONS ARE A FARCE.
''The government is a republic in name,
but the elections are a farce. The method
of voting Is similar to that in the United
States, but / have always labored under
the opinion that the votes of those VINO
are not in accord with the government
are never counted. At least, the outside
faction never wins at the polls. Beaten
at the polls, they organize revolution
and then the stuff is off and war is the
order of things. This may continue for
day, or it may last for years. Sometimes
the government is overthrow and some
times the rebels are defeated.
1.-The inhabitants of Colombia are mix
ture of Spaniards and Indians, and on the
whole a pretty good class of people. They
are reasonably industrious and many OF
them are wealthy. Foreigners are abso-
lutely safe there. and their property rights
are respected. If you buy piece Of prop
erty in the country or in one Of the cities,
your title is as secure as here in Nebras-
ka, no matter how often the government
may be overturned, the property of for
eigner is safe, but the property of the con-
quered native goes to the conqueror. 1t Is
claimed there that the only way by which
the natives can secure their rights is by
starting a revolution now and then.
Going into war, the armies of both
sides seem to be well armed with modern
implements of warfare. These implements
are secured from the United States, Eng
land and Germany. The party in power
brings the arms in openly, but the other
faction has to smuggle the guns and mu-
nitions in from some ship that has land
ed in some out of the way place. Once in,
they are hid until needed. Then they are
dug up, an army organized and equipped
and then things are ready for the fray.
eff you are working a plantation or
mine a party of soldiers will come along,
press your native employees into the SER
vice and you are left alone. If by chance
they happen to get some of your mules
or horses, as soon as the mistake is dis
covered they are sent back with an apol-
ogy, but your men don't come back until
the war is over"
At the present time Mr.. Wright is in
the mining business in the interior, near
Medellia, a city of $4,000 the supplies for
which have to be packed on mules over
the mountains. The town is 900 miles from
Savanilla, seaport on the Caribbean
sea.
During the entire year the range In
temperature does not exceed 20 degrees.
1t is pleasant most of the year. OF course,
there are the rainy seasons. 1t rains three
months at a stretch, and then there are
three months of dry weather. but no
sweItering heat nor frigid cold. Back of
the mountain range there is a beautiful
prairie, hundreds of miles in extent, that
is unoccupied, except by the herders, who
Craze millions of head of cattle. The soil
of this prairie is of wonderful richness,
the black loan extending down from ten
to twenty feet Around the foothills
where the natives do a little farming,
wheat yields 80 and ~ bushels to the acre,
corn so to 100, and oats from GO to So You
see the opportunities that are awaiting
people who will go in and till the soil.
"Of course at this time the markets are
poor, as they are hard to reach. but when