The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-06
THE TROUBLE IN SOUTH AMERICA.

without nnQ1nS 1t necessary TO TtSOTl
to even show of arms, is followed
by what promises to be much more
serious inbroglio, involving Colombia,
Venezuela, and Ecuador, and furnish
ing yet another example of the condi-
ton of tumult and bloodshed which
seems to constitute the normal state OF
affairs among the South American re
lpublics. 1t is difficult to learn the facts
in connection with the occurrences CT
the past few days in Colombia and
Venezuela, for press reports are rightly
', censored and even so-called official
dispatches are very unreliable, but 1t
appears that Venezuela has been invad-
ed by a force of 5000 Colombians, and
that number of engagements nave
taken place on both Venezuelan and
Colombian soil. Ecuador is also inyolv-
ed in the struggle, and Emilio f'ernan-
deg. the leader of the Venezuelan reVo-
ilutionists, has left Curacao, where ne
has been living In practical exile 10
take part in the invasion of Venezuela.
The apparent, though not official dec
laration of war on the part of Coiom-
bia has been accompanied by the WITH
drawal of the Colombian Minister from
Caracas The manifesto OF the Colom-
bian rebel leader, General Rafael Orlpe-
Tribe, who has been very active par
ticipant in recent South American dis
turbances and whose rumored death,
while fighting on the Venezuelan side
in the late engagements, is given no
wide credence, leads to the conclusion
that he has been working, in collision
with President Castro of Venezuela ana
President Alfaro of Ecuador, to achieve
a federation of Ecuador, Venezuela,
and Colombia in one state. The chief
obstacle to the proposed union Is the
Colombian Government, which is believ-
ed to have initiated the invasion of
Venezuela.
The Digest remarks that the political
and military situation is decidedly be
wildering" to use the expression of Mr..
Herran, the Colombian charge d affaires
at Washington; though, as the Chicago
Daily News points out, the compllca.
ton is in all essentials typical of the
Latin republics, in which political in
trigue has been conducted for years
along military lines, and the forcible
establishment of a military dictatorship
ly preceding a change of administra-
ton" 1T is alleged" adds the same
paper. that the insurgents of one of
the republics are being aided by some
of the troops of the other. The regular
troops and the insurrectionaries of each
of the two countries seem likely TO
divide against each other. all four of
the belligerent factions thereby taking
on two enemies apiece" The New York
Tribune, discussing the project of a
Great Colombia" such as is favored
by Uribe-Ur declares:
There is, of course. something to be
said In favor of the ambitious scheme to
which General Uribe-Uribe has commit
ted himself. provided the states Concern
ed would accept ii. The three states of
Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela were
originally one. 1t was as one stssse that
they gained independence from fa9ain in
1919. No doubt Bolivar, the libefIssSr, in
tended and expected them Away to re-
main one. AS a matter of fact they did
thus remain one for more than a dozen
years., until 1892 Then they separated
into three, and three they have since re-
manned. They might readily be reunited
if they so desired. Their populations are
homogeneous. Their constitutions and
general systems are alike. They all three
have the same state religion, Roman
and Colombia is only a trifie
more tolerant of other faiths than are
the other two. United, the three would
form large and compact state. Colon
bia has an area of about 5O5.000 square
miles. Ecuador of 10000, and Venezuela
of $4,000, a total of 100000 square miles.
Colombia's population is 100000, Ecua-
doris 100000, and Venezuela's 5000, 900,
a total of 5000, 900. The Great Colombia"
would therefore be the third state OF
South America in area and the second in
population. 1t would rank with Brazil
and Argentina to form the big three of
the continent
1T Is doubtful, however, whether the
one state would be any more peaceful.
stable, prosperous. or progressive than
the three. If three of four million peo-
pie cannot get along without revolutions,
nine millions cannot. Still more doubt
full is it whether lasting union can be
formed through the means adopted by
General Tribe
The United States Government has
been appealed to by the Panama Rail
road Company to protect American III
terests on the isthmus, and in RESP unse
thereto sent the gunboat Mach.ss 10
Colon. The cruiser Ranger has been or
dered to Panama, and the battleship
Iowa is also being held in readiness.
This action on the part of the Govern
ment is in accord with treaty provi-
sions that compel the keeping open of
the right of transit across the isthmus
and 1t is not generally believed that
any further ENHANCEMENT of this edoun-
try will result. Says the Philadelphia
Inquirer:
1.-THE United States has not the slightest
intention of interfering in the politics of
the two South American countries whose
internal and external quarrels are dark
ening the horizon. If Venezuela and Col
ombia insist upon coming to blows they
Will just have to fight it out between
themselves. Their peculiar politics con-
stitute no business of ours. In this re-
spect the United States will maintain a
strict neutrality, nor is there any reason
to believe that Intervention will be
threatened from any other direction"
The New York Herald. on the other