The San Francisco call., 1903-12-13

~ ONE Of the people who live on
~ the high plain Of Bogota,
+ with whom we are more than,
likely to become better ac-
Quainted during the next few
weeks, ale very interesting and high
y cultivated Indeed. their capital,
their ancient city. away up in the
clouds. is known. and perhaps justly,
SO, by the somewhat hackneyed title
Of the Athens Of south America. Liv-
ing as they do 5000 meters above the
sea, ii is natural that they should shine
rather as the builders Of lofty rhyme
than as ditch diggeTs.
Indeed, the traveller, whether he at
tempt to reach this poets nest by boat
along the swampy Magdalena River, or
by three weeks muleback from Buena
Ventura, on the Pacific Coast, comes
TO the conclusion that the Bogotans are
almost too sublimated for this vale Of
tears. Be this as it may, it is a fact
that the only roads in the country are
the mule tracks and the goat trails
which the Conquistadores bequeathed
10 it,
After decades Of discussion, which
dates from the days Of Bolivar the
Liberator and involves the diplomatic
career Of William Henry Harrison. af-
terWard President Of the United States
and Caleb Cushing. whose activity as
Uncle Sans agent was truly world
wide, the site Of the proposed canal
would seem TO have passed irrevocably
out Of the hands of the people Of Bo-
gotta.
II would seem that a great historic
momentum, a political opportunity un-
paraleled, last chance 10 get into the
midst Of things, has been lost, but this
has befallen a Government Of poetast-
ers before, and probably will again.
The President to-day is Jose Marie
Marroquin, a sage, a philosopher and
a discreet poet When once the mobs
that control the streets Of his elevated
capital are quelied Marroquin will
probably invite ali rhymsters to
poetry party at the Falls Of Teouen-
Dana, where the icy water falls two
hundred yards from the cold country OF
the plain down into the warm, luscious
country-the terra caliente-where
there are orange trees and blue butter
flies and palm trees, with parrots
perched upon them. talking fuentIy,
just as though they were in the Con-
greso.
II VIII be pleasant for the government
tai poets to dwell upon how much high
er their cataract is than Niagara, but
II won't quite replace Panama We
should go very gently with our brother
republicans in this matter, because
their loss is not merely geographical
and political, but IL is literary as we'll
For instance. Panama, the place Of
the butterflies" in the Carib tongue.
has now become the mart and work.
shop Of the hard-working. cadaverous
Gringo, and. OF course, all mention Of
II viii have TO be omitted from the Par
nasso ColOmbians. ten portly tones,
weighing nigh a ton, in which all the
Colombian poets are enshrined.
II poets cannot do business II is a
matter of record that they can fight,
and ] think that We are overconfdent
in the assertion that has come so fre-
quently from Washington that as long
as the United States navy holds the sea
and prevents the embarkation OF Co
lombian troops the people OF Panama
need have no fear of a land attack
Armed forces have reached the isthnus
before this, coming from the central
provinces by land via Tumaco. and 1
think we shall shortly see them doing
so again. If we ignore the possibility
Of such a step. nothing would be easier
than for a small guerrilla force TO cut
the Panama Railway and cause untold
damage.
It would, It is true. be weIl-nigh i'm
possible for q civilized army to make