The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-03
REASONS FOR REQUEST
FOR MINISTER L00MlS'S RECALL.
He Is Bitterly Hated by the Ven
ezuelans-Nearly All the Amer
leans Have Left Caracas
Yankees Declares a
New Yorker, "Are
Overbearing."

further remained to be settled.
The New York and Bermudez compah
was about to be ousted from the portion OF
/! the asphalt lake known as Felicidad- Tneh
hurry orders OF various kinds were issued,
1t is said here that Minister Loomis USED
the United States warship Hartford. when
conveyed the attorney OF the New YORK
and Bermudez company TO Curacao. to file
/ cables, so that they could escape Govern
| ment censorship. Gables went from Wash
ineton for the Scorpion TO proceed TO Guam
AGO to land marines II necessary TO pre-
vent the ejectment of the Bermudez COM
| pany by the Venezuelan Government How
the Scorpion WAS stopped at Trinidad and
turned back is a matter well known. with
the other facts in connection with the case
the public Is familiar. The Venezuelan Gov
eminent. In response to dispatches from
Washington. yielded and let the case go to
the courts and be decided there.
LO0mis's Recall Demanded.
But Minister Loomis's usefulness was
cnded in Venezuela. No matter what the
merits Of the asphalt dispute, no matter
how high MIR. Loomis's motives may have
been. no matter whether he followed in
strnctions from washington or not, the
walls. fer that matter. that the Minister
was unduly partial to the asphalt trust.
and the other members OF his Government.
and his recall was demanded.
A word here as to Minister LoomiSs con-
duet in Caracas. 1t seems to have been
most exemplary. No one was more alive TO
the interests OF Americans. He was very
watchful and never inclined to be brow
pedttn- IL a plcuty VI htENc- LIoW "Nf
he was getting along with the Government
when the asphalt break came is shown by
the fact that he had already interested
their much-needed loan floated in the Uni
ted States. Only the asphalt men who are
opposed to the Bermudez company have
anything to say against Mr.. Loomis. II no
attempt had been made to take away the
property of the trust there would have been
no strained relations between Venezuela
and the United States
N0f HOatfle to American.
Yet l am assured by all Venezuelans that
there is no feeling against Americans. and
get out of the country. They are desired to
remain and make money. 1 believe this feel
ing is shared by Mr.. Russell. the Charge
d'Affaires at the American legation. ana
his ability to speak Spanish fiuently gives
him special opportunities to get at the ex-
act facts regarding public sentiment he
lied by all Americans here. and Is by all
means the most popular diplomat IN Cara
cas-.
While on this point I cannot refrain from
giving the exact language of a young New
Yorker who has spent upward of three
years in Caracas. He is particularly inteiii-
asphalt nor In Venezuelan politics. He Is
attending to his business Of buying anu
shipping coffee. and this is what he says:
The experience of foreigners on the SPOT
does not seem to warrant the startling IN
formation appearing In the United states
papers as TO danger to foreigners ana IN.
bullS W AtA III tLA1
foreigners. especially those from the United
States. are most unused to customs exist,
Ing in Latin-America Is most apparent ana
that Americans. neither In language nor IN
their actions. preserve that difference wnich
is due a foreign country that permits their
residence within its borders is Of daily OBJ
eervation.
Feel Their Superiority.
They come to Latin America feeling to-
ward It as something quite beneath them
In race, customs and religious observances:
hold fhoU~Gplvpo aiOOf from ttS Doodle, IN
small ciiques. and are most fncomprehensi-
bic to the citizens of these countries: An
fish in an Ineligible manner. his pigeon
Spanish being SO grotesQue as to be q
standing joke in theatrical
this going SO far that In the Spanish Ian
guage there are recognized forms. OF man
gled Spanish. which appear In the comic
papers. as well as on the stage. whereby the
character that speaks Ii known to be OF our
The willful. don't-care element In the
American character leads to what are mag
nifed into the most extraordinary abuses.
For instance, IL the President of this Re-
public sees fit to order that the official resi-
is necessary to order that the sidewalk in
front of 1t be kept clear at night. what Is
the guard to do when some curious Tor
eigner intrudes. the foreigner being unable
to understand the guard that he must take
the other
The guard simply has no choice but take
hold of that foreigner and see that he does
get off and keeps within the regulations
prescribed by higher authority. This is Civ
en- as an instance of the childish position
which American. place themselves in in
these countries. They know nothing and
think they know It all"
from New York who has spent three years
in these countries and has not one single
drop of Spanish blood in his veins.
Exaggefated Reports.
The statement from this young American
naturally leads to another topic that has
been under investigation by me-the stories
Of outrasss on American: hat were
were made from Venezuela during the
asphalt controversy and were attributed to
stood to be at the head OF the New York
and Bermudez propaganda in and out of
Neneznela- Whatever may be said, Castro
not inspire them all
published in a New York newspaper early
In April. Castro is represented as having
arrested many of the business men and
bankers Of Caracas. OF having extorted
enormous sums from them and Of having
imprisoned several until they complied. As
published North the affair was nothing but
berefaced briganda2e.
But the facts are different. 1t was when
Castro came into Caracas. having driven
Andrade out. He found the Treasury looted
of every dollar. His army had been living
Oft the country. but, unlike former Vene-
zuelan revolutionists. he had given the
owners of the property orders on his
Treasury. His Treasury" was a misnomer.
A'S tttops 2 unpdAu ana SIdTvtnB. u
war was still on, and other revolutionis
were breaking out. So Castro waited upon
the directors OF the Banco de Venezuela.
He demanded money with which to pay his
troops. He got II. gave a note for II, and
has since paid back every dollar. These
were men Of whom Castro exacted the
forced loan are the same ones who invited
him to come to Caracas with his army in
order to get Andrade out.
OF such stuff are American reports about
Venezuela made. There are some abuses.
Steamships are Pacific funds
are Incorporated. But Americans are as
safe In the streets Of Caracas or Valencia
or Maracaibo. barring the smallpox In the
latter place. as in the streets of Washing
ton.far safer than in the streets of New
York or Chicago.
MAcHlNISTS ARE SATISFIED