The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-24

would be an effort to emulate crossini
OF the Alps.
On the whole, the insurgents. fairly
well equipped with munitions. have never
| been more confident Of final success than
they are to-day. II they win. does ths
power inhere In them to give Colombia
a stable government based upon liberal
democratic principles7 The eyes Of the
world will be upon them. IL they hav an
! opportunity to make tho experiment.
Since July last the attitude Of the neigh
boring republics. and particularly OF Ven
e~zuela. mas attracted far more attention
than the internal troubles Of Colombia.
The fact that the venezuelans and the
Ecuadorians are watching the conflict
with interest may easily be explained.
Their territories arc contiguous. and.
politically. the three nations are divided
on exactly the same lines. Each has a
liberal and a Clerical party. whose ideals
are identical.
The Liberals and the Clericals Of Venezu-
Ella, after appealing 10 arms most vigorously
for a number of years, have recently
been taking a breathing spell with the
Liberals in power under the presidency
Of Gen. Castro. The present govern
ment Of Venezuela naturally sympathi2es
with the insurrectionary movement across
the border and apparently takes no pains
to conceal the fact.
The Church party in Ecuador Is sc firmly
entrenched that IL Is impossible to fore
sec a time when II will cease to control
the State: but Ecuador has had boundary
and other disputes with Colombia, and
~. .-I.,,1A. I-t.aaV tha two Unyarn-
ments have not been wholly amicable.
There Is excitement and strong feeling
over the situation In Colombia, and the
question has arisen whether these neigh
boring States will undertake by overt ac-
ton, hostile to the Colombian Govern
ment, TO help settle the troubles in that
country. There are other complications
Of less importance.
The sympathies OF Costa RIGA. Nicaragua
and Honduras are said TO be wholly with
the r~evolutionists. who have received as
~sistance, in one way and another. from
the people az these Central American States.
The volunteers md supplies they may
smugglc into Colombia do not. from the
present outlook, however. secm likely to
embarrass their Government.
Sympathizers with the instruction hav-
Ing undoubtedly been sending some supplies
20 the revolutionary forces from Eucador.
the President Of Ecuador was accused by
Gen. Cordova, Governor of Cauca, n
others with sending aid to the enemy:
but the Government Of Colombia itself
has secuted this idea. and 80 has the Col
lombian Minister at Washington.
Whatever the feeble Liberal party OF
-.-Ls - It.--aAl .. 10 tLa-a tQ
no reason to believe that tho Clerical Gov
m Of that country will for a moment
c~ountenance IN attack from their republic
upon the Clerical Government Of Columbia.
Neither IL there any reason to infer.
from the present condition of affairs. that
the Government OF Venezuela will overly
interfere in behalf Of the Instruction. II
some of the reports with regard to the
recent doings OF President Castro are true
his actions as the head OF a neutral State
have been neither discreet nor dignifed.
But an official who only last year had
an unpleasantness with a disafected faction
Of his own party that involved consider
able bloodshcd, who knows that the oppo-
sition party on whose defeat he rose 10
power Is numerically strong, and that the
prevailing sentiment OF his country, worn
out by war, IL for rest and peace, is not
very likely TO embroil his people in a war
across the frontier.
Castro is also vol aware that the civil
lied world would Wow with the greatest
disfavor any interference that might spread
the horrors Of war over all the northern
part Of South America.
No prophecy il worth much at this junct-
tire. but the probabilities would seem to
hc tina the people OF Colombia will be
left TO settle their own troubles. tn
insurgents will act wisely in their own
behalf il they let foreign interests on the
sthInus severely alone.