The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-01-31
LAND FREED BY BOLIVAR.

FRONTING the Plaza Bolivar in the
city of Caracas. the capital of Vene-
zuela, stands an old building with
adobe walls four feet thick and grated
windows like prison. To the right,
across the plaza, is the ancient cathedral;
to the left the Casa Amarillo, or yellow
house. in which the president of Vene-
Zuela resides. In the center. mounted on
rearing horse, is a bronze effigy of
Simon Bolivar. the liberator of South
America, and the founder of five repub-
lies, of which one still bears his name.
Across the street in the other direction,
is the Palacio federal, the capitol of the
republic. where the congress sits and Of
fetal ceremonials of which our Spanish
American neighbors are so fond are held.
The old structure of which I speak is now
the city hall. the Palacio municipal. the
seat of the municipal government, but
was the residence of the governor when
the country was a colony of Spain. says
William e. Curtis in the Chicago Record
Herald
Here, July 5, 1911, $40 years after the
discovery of the new world, the first of
the Spanish-American colonies declared
its independence and the leader in the
movement a few years before had been
the lover. of an empress, the famous
Catherine the Great of Russia There
mad been considerable disturbance before.
murmurs of discomfort and violent re-
monstrance, just as the people of Boston
threw overheard the tea but this was
the first time that the citizens of Span
ish America assembled publicly and in a
solemn, formal manner declared their
emancipation from the exactions and the
edlctS of the king. Aud here began that
political hurricane which spread over the
continent and lasted sixteen years until
all the Spanish colonies had repudiated
their allegiance and were transformed
into sovereign and independent nations.
with constitutions modelled upon that of
the United States.
Miranda's Picturesque Career.
Faded and frayed until many of It's
lines are illegibe the original declara-
and at the opposite end of the apartment
is a large painting intended to commem-
crate the scene. The foremost figure and
the most conspicuous is that of a slender
man with striking features and soft gray
hair worn in a queue. He is Francisco
Miranda, the first leader of the revolution
for independence in South America. a
native of Venezuela and the most ro-
republic. His family were of the oldest
and wealthest of the colonial nobility,
and, according to the custom of their
caste. the son was sent to Europe to be
educated. In IT'S. when Lafayette re-
turned to France to secure funds and re-
Inducements; young Miranda, who hap
pened to be- IN Paris. was the first to vol
unteer, and, sailing for Boston served
as a lieutenant colonel on the staff of
Washington until she end of the war
Becoming inspired with an ambition to
be the Washington of South America. IN
1888 Miranda sailed for Venezuela with a
M rtU IF a6VpTfuPRrS iGSnaH a.
mentos and raised the standard of liberty.
But the time was not ripe. There was
no response froms the. people, and. being
easily overcome..the, young patriot was
either shot or hanged. Two years later
he was found at st. Petersburg one OF
the most conspicuous figures at the most
brilliant court of Europe and the ac-
knowledged lover of that remarkable wo-
man, the Cleopatra of modern times.
Miranda was q man of graceful man
ners and allGring traits He was a poet,
a musician and a wit, but behind the gay
abandon of a courtier he concealed the
craft of a. diRlomdtist, and while he en-
tertained the empress and her retihue
he was endeavoring TO enlist their aid
for the invasion and liberation of Vene-
zuela Either losing the favor of his
tickle patron or his own patience, Mi
randa left Russia to participate in the
French revolution and became general
of division He was held responsible for
for treason and banished. Disheartened
impoverished and ignored, he spent two
friendless years in the slums of London
where he was discovered and rescued by
a young countryman and former neigh
Dor named Simon Bolivar. who was max
ing a tour of Europe.
Meantime the people of Venezuela had
learned the meaning and the value OF
liberty, and when Bonaparte assumed
the throne of Spain declined to acknowl-
edge his authority. The Spanish governor
was compelled to abdicate and leave the
country and a Self-appointed committee
of citizens administered the government
until Bolivar arrived from England with
Miranda, who was proclaimed general-ln-
chief of the army and president of the
new republic.
A few months after occurred the aw-
full earthquake by which the city of Ca
racas was destroyed, and many of the
men who had been foremost in the reVo-
luton were buried with thousands 81
were always royalists, pronounced the
calamity a visitation of God and the luS'
judgment of heaven upon the unpardch-
able crime of rebellion against the king
the Lords anointed. The great disaster
demoraliZed the patriots and dispersed
their army Miranda was arrested. trans
ported to Spain and imprisoned in dun
geon near Gibraltar where he died in 1916
and the body of a man who was acknowi-
edged to be one of the most brilliant
courtiers on either hemisphere and who
had been caressed by an empress, was
cast into the sea.
Like Miranda. Simon Bolivar was q
native of Caracas of noble lineage and
possessed of great wealth. In 1902 ne
left his home in company with a tutor
to make tour of the world and com
plete his education. He went to Cuba
first, then to Mexico, and sailed thence
for Europe. where he spent several
wears in Spain; France, Italy, Egypt and
the Holy Land Upon his return he Wis
tied the United States, and spent day
at Mount Vernon, where. placing his
hands reverently upon the coffin OF
Washington. he, made a solemn vow 70
devote his life TO the liberation IF his
country. Reaching his native land, he
became active in the revolutionary pro-
paganda. In 1916 he was denounced toi
sedition and fled to Europe, where ne
met Miranda and returned with him to
Caracas Fifteen years later, after a
struggle to which that of our revolution
arv fathers offered no comparison, ne
or of five republics-Venezu Colom-
bia. Ecuador, Peru and BOLIVIA. the last
having been named in his honor. Al
that time the states were consolidated
under a single government with Bolivar
as president.
Human Freedom League.
1t was then. in 1925. when the whole
continent was emancipated from Span
ish tyranny and the Human Freedom
league" existed from the St Lawrence
to the Straits of Magellan, that he issued
invitations to the Independent nations of
this hemisphere to join in a conference
at Panama for the purpose of consider
ing measures to preserve the peace and
promote the prosperity of the new re-
publics John Quincy Adams was presi-
dent of the United States and Henry
CLAY was secretary of state. Both were
deeply moved with sympathy for the
young republic and profoundly impressed
with the Importance of the conference
and the duty of the United States to par
ticipate and promote its success.
In room set apart for the purpose in
the national museum and kept as sacred
as the hottest of holes is a collection of
mementoes of the man Venezuela per-
mitted to starve and die in exile. The
republic is giving Bolivar, post-mortem,
the veneration and gratitude he should
have received while living. If they can