The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-02
A VIEW OF COLOMBIA
What an American Who Has Lived
There Says Of the
People.
Charges Of Lawlessness Not Sus-
tained-People Hospitable
and Educated.
Allen Webster in the Springfield Re
Dublican

Allen Webster in the Springfield Re
publican.
One would be led to believe from
much that is published that the peo-
pie Of the United States were of the
opinion that Colombia had no rights
that the United States were bound to
respect in reference to the isthmus,
and many appear to labor under the
delusion that Colombia is an unim-
portant ink spot on the face Of the
globe, whose principal product was
revolutions, and that a condition of
ignorant savagery and chaos prevailed
perpetually.
If these gentlemen would take lit
tie time and look up the history of
Colombia they would find that it is
a country where the laws are re-
spected to as large an extent as in
our own country; that property rights
are fully respected; that whenever
times Of war it is generally taken un-
der procedure recognized by all ma
tions as proper, and due compensa-
ton is made for the same. They will
find that the percentage Of thinking,
educated gentlemen compares favor
all, they will find that for clean down.
right honesty, honor and integrity,
the Colombians are far superior to the
average Of all countries.
When Colombia has been at war or
had a revolution it has been a real
| one, and has been fought to the finish.
| The frequent newspaper reports of
revolutions do not state the facts, and
at the hands Of a fertile pen of some
correspondents a petty riot. similar
| to a street railway strike In this coun-
| try, assumes the magnitude of a revo-
luton. At the times of the Chicago
riot, the coal strike and the frequent
| II; hi ,t,,xy
ported in the far-away countries that
| the United States was in the throes of
| a fierce revolution. Distance and scant
information appear to justify out
| rageous statements.
I have been to Colombia several
times. I have lived among them near
| ly two years and enjoyed their hos
pitality, and altho a large part of my
time was spent in the mountains and
jungles, I haze spent a considerable
time in the cities Of Barranquilla
i Medellin and Cartagena, and in other
places Of less size. The treatment ac-
1 corded to foreigners, and especially
Americans, has, so far as my observa.
tions have gone, been most courteous
obliging and gentleman1y. A large
part of the thinking classes are finely
educated, many speaking French, Ger.
man and English, and as for down
right courtesy to foreigners, the Off
1
far superior to our own countrymen.
I Now, as to the charge Of lawless
ness in Colombia. 1t needs simply b'
II said that it is far more safe to sene
4 gold 100 miles in Colombia than in tn,
United States. I have seen a treasure
train of mules carrying $250,000 II
gold going thru the bush for over TO-
miles and guarded by two poems only
p The history of the country shows bu
two robberies of treasure trains, an,
these robberies were one by an Eng
lishman and one by an American.
have repeatedly sent a barefooted peo
90 or 100 miles with several thousan
dollars, and never lost a cent. alth
\ many other poems knew he was tn
\ bearer of what seemed to the peon
4 a vast amount of money. The peopl
A as mass are kind, generous, court
4 eous and sympathetic. A stranger, es
D pecially a foreigner, may in case &
ILLNESS stop anywhere and receive tn