The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-24

his Colombian friend. General Tribe
| Tribe and openly encouraged the party
| Of freedom in the neighboring State.
| The conspiracy had been secretly
! Matched in New York and Washington,
| ana its promoters were ready TO strike
before Andrade left the former place
with arms and ammunition for which
it is quite improbable that he had to
pay cent. Unless General Castro had
been informed of what was going on
by his country's legation here, the
Observation-Disclosures movement must
have taken him by surprise, as it was
intended to.
Whether it did or not, he has been
able so far to meet and overcome the
crisis So successful has he been. in
deed, that if the United States does not
at once espouse the cause of Marroquin
and Asphalt Andrade, and by armed
force put down the Liberals in both
South American Republics, Castro will
have his trust rival in Jail, and the Co
lombian constitutionalists will expel
Marroquin and set up republican form
of government in place of the dictator
AS that state of affairs would sound
the death knell of any hope the Asphalt
Trust may have of monopolizing the
Bermudez asphaltum deposits, we are
not in the least surprised to see the
Administration press at work to find
excuses for Interference. The Ameri
can public is being carefully fed with
stories which. If true. would show that
Castro had been doing exactly what
Marroquin and Andrade-supplied with
money and munitions of war; and even
men, from this country-actuaHy have
done. The stream is being artfully
muddied. and the Venezuelan President
is being blamed for 1t.
Such diplomacy can have but one OBJ
5ect in view, and what that object is
viii be seen before long. The New
YORK Herald" seems to concede that
there may be a shadow of doubt con-
corning the right of the United States
to march its forces all over the State
of Colombia in an effort to crush Liber-
al opposition to the dictator: but, of
course. holds that there is no question
that this Government would be within
its rights were it to seize and hold the
Isthmus of Panama for his benefit. The
isthmus will be the entering wedge.
and, if the security of that territory
should enable Marroquin to concentrate
his troops elsewhere in numbers suf-
ficient to defeat the Venezuelans, and
Andrade should be able. with filibus-
tiers and discontinued natives, to at
tack Castro dangerously in the rear
why then, interference might not go
further. On the other hand, should it
appear that nothing short of expedi-
lions into Colombia and Venezuela
would serve to keep Marroquin and
place Asphalt Andrade in power there
is no great reason to doubt that they
would be sent upon one or another pre-
text The same spirit that dictated
economic war against Russia for the
behoof of the Sugar Trust might east
ly operate to bring on an invasion of
Venezuela for the advantage of the
Asphalt Trust. OF course, such an adj
venture. if engaged in. would be for
the protection of American interests
and property''-a phrase quite elastic
enough to cover anything desired that
the people of this country would stand,
and that they will stand a great deal
has been painfully demonstrated during
the past four years.