Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-10

bERHEIHy was merely straight
UV%t3kW can acquisitiveness, that led GER
tain dark, bare-footed Colombian
revolutionists under General Herrera to
seize or to be accurate, to steal, or to
speak in Herrera's language, appropriate,
certain thousands of bags Of Chiriqui. 1t
was only an incident in the somewhat weari-
some game Of revolution that has been
dragging on for some time in the chaotic
affair that calls itself, between revolutions,
the Republic of Colombia.
But 1t was an incident that promises to
awaken a lively American interest in the
noisy game. For 1t happens that most of
the appropriated coffee belongs to American
citizens, and It happens that Chiriqui is on
the Isthmus Of Panama and that the United
States has long had it's eye on the spot
as being juct the thing for a coaling sta
tion and base.
So it may be that, in unraveling the
tangle, Chiriqui will become a place with
the American flag flying over It.
Central and South American republics are
only just beginning to awaken to the fact
that 1t is not open season for Americans
whenever a Latin-American feels like
shooting. A few years ago the arrival of
an American warship was so rare in the
ports along the Caribbean sea that many
OF the night-blooming governments did not
Fnow what an American naval officer looked
like. But lately, and especially in the last
few months, the republics and dictator
ships whose coasts front on the great trop-
ical ocean have not been able to open their
mouths real wide before a rapid fire bat
terry would peer at them from the deck of a
white cruiser.
DIsOrderIy Republic.
The Republic of Colombia has given the
United States more trouble of late than any
OF the other unquiet folk that follow the
pursuits OF internecine war instead Of COM
merce. Twice 1t has been necessary to land
American marines and blue Jackets. The
last time was only recently as everybody
viii remember. The affair before that was
In 1885, when McCalla took Colon and then
sent his men across the isthmus In armored
cars and scared the revolutionists and
.gitimists alike into stopping It, what
ever 1t was"
In the last seventy years Colombia has
had more than twenty-five resolutions
that are considered big enough to record.
or small sideshows in the same line. such
as local Instructions in separate provinces.
no full account ever has been made. II
mere had been, the history Of the country
would read monotonous'y like a police blot
ter.
The Bureau Of American Republics once
essayed to publish a handbook on Colombia
ana the statisticians charged with the work
nearly lost their minds trying to devise
d polite way Of giving a resume Of its
history that should be truthful and yet
polite enough to hurt no ones feelings.
Inc republic itself has published such a
handbook and by actual count a political
disturbance" is recorded on the average
IN every five lines Of a historical sketch
covering seven pages.
Inc Americans whose coffee was taken
ID Chiriqui are mostly from the Pacific
soast' The nucleus Of the colony was
.oImed about seven years ago, when thirty
t5opie from Stockton, Cal, cut a trail
IL,ough the primeval forests and estab-
naNeu their plantations on the sides Of the
ounualns at an elevation Of about 5000
~, Among those whose success was
'Neu were the families Of the Dedhams
81 '~arnsWorths, who settled there with
wives and children. For a time the
b,r,a was hard. owing to the d~ifhculty Of
nItnIs iaoor' and the women and children
eDeeu IN and helped. But the tract is a
bg5 UTouee growing territory and soon they
a 4ousands OF coffee trees hourishing.
fo,r me trees do not bear until they are
wen, Iears old. many Of the Americans
ana nome to wait for them to develop
most OF them aid not return IN CoIom-