The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-09
VENEZUELA Is THE LAND
OF UNREST AND GAYETY.
Caracas, Its Capital, a Combination Of Paris of the Present and New
Orleans or Atlanta of Ante Benum Days.
Revolution and Carelessness, Earthquakes and Gayety, Gambling
and Hospitality, Bull Fighting and the Radiant Beauty of
Women Are the characteristics Of the Nation.

/ sights in Caracas. Not one OF them seems
to have any means of livelihood. yet they
are we'll dressed and apparently well fed.
their ~rdw canes and smoking the ever
present cigarette. Thousands OF them
there seem to be q whole city full OF men
with nothing to DO.
Visit the business section. The stores are
deserted. Look in on the Government
banks of Venezuela. Not a mar depositing
or drawing out money Inquire about the
rate Of exchange ON New York. IL Is )
per cent. You want to buy gold: IT will
cost you 8 per cent. You want much: IL will
cost you more. Merchants. in settling their
accounts. theoretically in gold. take . per
cent In silver and Is per cent In gold. Yet
Venezuela Is supposed to be on a gold basis.
In my stay in Venezuela for three weeks I
have received change In gold only once.
Silver everywhere. The silver dollar Is
worth a dollar: Yet II has 80 cents worth
of silver in Il. Silver has been pouring
into the country. The officials confess TO
having had $sc.OO Of it coined. Many be-
lieve that much more than that has been
sent here.
Venezuela" said q friend the other
night. in the matter Of prices is neither on
a silver nor a gold basis. it is on a dia-
mond basis"
Probably nowhere on earth except In
WlnlnB Camps IL uS1nR more EXPENSIVE
Most OF the duties are simply enormous.
American cut sugar will cost 30. cents a
pound. But that. they say. Is because the
Government protects the native sugar..
Flour In from S12 to SIS a barrel. and there
In not q Touring mill In Venezuela to pro-
tect. Coal IL SEA a ton.
Sunday Bull Fights.
On Sunday you'll see a bull fight. 1t is not
the sort of bull fight you will see in Spain
or in Mexico. The h~igh-priced bull fighter.
the master Of his art. never gets TO Cara
cas- The Caracas bull fighter is not a hero.
The pit Ii lined with little excavations. pro-
tected by a wicket gate. The fighter tor
ments the bull. which In usually an amiable
beast. II the bull pauses in his trot around
the ring to look reproachfully at his tor
mentor. swish! in a twinkling the bold bull
fighter has dashed into the little excavation
and drawn the wicket gate.
Carramba! What a narrow escape!
The Caracas bull fighter would make a
splendid driver Of OK teams to take supplies
to the Venezuelan army In the field.
At night Caracas puts on Its gayest smile
and most stunning attire. Perhaps It is one
Of the nights the military band Is playing
I'm the Plaza oliva 1t Ii q band for any
country to be proud Of.
Here the city gathers. You will see the
diplomats Of the world here with their
wives and their daughters. You will see the
diplomats Of Venezuela. for all Venezuelans
are diplomats. Handsome Venezuelan wom-
en-, with black lace mantillas over their
pretty heads. Perhaps n bevy Of ravishing
beauties from Maracaibo. with wonderful
creations Of Paris millinery.
Every one Is polite and smiling. The men
Invariably dofY their hits to one another.
A stranger Is treated with the utmost con-
sideration. II his antecedents are known
he Is received with open arms.
You will see all the American colony in
Caracas on the night the and plays. You
will see W. W. Russell, the American
Charge d'AfYaires. surrounded By his Amer
lean friends and much sought after by the
diplomats Of other countries. Graduating
from the Nava Academy at Annapolis. Mr..
Russell's naval training well fits him for
q diplomatic career.
On rare occasions o will see Mr.. Gold
smith. the American Consul at La Guayra.
and Mira Goldsmith. Mr.. Goldsmith is as
sent abroad. He looks after Americans and
American interests well. and he brings a
knowledge Of foreign languages and dis
eliminating intelligence to his work. He
has now been four years in La Guayra.
the hottest and most unpleasant place on
earth, and doubtless looks forward TO the
time when he may have a more agreeable
post. He deserves II.
A "Wide-Open" Town.
They sometimes do things In Caracas
much as they do them In New York and
Chicago. The gambling houses are wide
open and so sometimes Is the itching official
palm. They tell a story Of one Governor of
Caracas appointed soon after President
Castro went in. The Governor has charge
of public order. He can say when the
gambling houses shall close and when open.
They never closed under this Governor. but
in time II became known that the gamblers
had paid in all the sum Of $4,000. There was
trouble at the palace when this became
known. and In less lime than II takes to
tell II the Governor was arrested. He was
kept under arrest for four days. Then he
went away from Caracas to appear as the
Of Q small seaport town. where
his perQuisities are limited.
The men Of Caracas are men of nerve.
Many Of them like the play. from the little
coterie Of merchants who meet nightly be-
fore dinner at the Gran Hotel to play domi- !
noes or dice for cocktails to the dashing
with money to lose. who play bac- |
carat. Il
Never have l seen heavier playing and
more imperturbable losing. I have In my
mind Q wealthy man. ON whose neck the .