The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-30
The Panama Revolution.

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The Panama Revolution.
Did you read IN yesterdays Times
Dispatch the lettor Of our CORRESPONDENT
concerning tile Panama revolution? II
not, you missed treat. He says the
secession movement began With three
men. ana was executed under tho s,lper-
vision Of these three md four others. the
seven working Under the advice and
counsel 1T four Americans Before tho
coup'd'ctat, others were taken Into the
secret, but SO closely wero the plans
guarded that those. who were really IN
the secret might be counted on tho I'm
gers Of the two hands. The wonderful
part OF 1t is that the revolution was ac-
conrlished by these men and few
others without any conference whatever
with tho people themselves! The revo.
luton had been accomplished, the decla--
ration OF Independence drawn up ana
rend and the de facto government os-
tablished before the people themselves
knew anything whatever about It. Inc
people had heard that there was to be be
revolution. but they had not been con- o''.
suited nor their advice asked, and they
Ind nothing to do with 1t.
rho little band Of sccessionlsts lot the
members OF the City Council Of Panama
into their secret late in October. when
1t became evident that a blow would
4 r,r
withheld. These city counc llmen-e
In nun1ber-wore willing to further the
project, so that when tho public meeting.
was hold In the Cathedral Plaza, Pan
nina on Novenb Der 4th, they were all IN
attendance. They too, were the first to
sign the declaration Of Independence, and
Immediately after that formality they
adjourned across tho street to the NUM-
cipal building, and went into session be-
hind closed doors. Their first act then
was to pass the declaration, which had
already been engrossed in q book OF re-
cord, and to append their names to the
ergrossed copy. This done. the City
Counc! appointed tho three members OF
tho provisional government junta author
ixing them to take charge Of the affairs
Of the new republic, The junta assem-
blcd at once and named the members OF
the provisional cabinet, and the new re-
public became q fact On the same day
PorlIrio Mollendes had taken charge Of
affairs at Colon as provisional governor.
appointed by tho junta; but outside OF
the cities Of Panama and Colon, and
along the line Of the Panama Railroad,
tho people or the new republic were IN
entire Ignorance OF the fact that they
vera no longer subjects OF Colombia
Since that time enissarles have been
sont ont by the government to harangue
tho people ard urge them to give their
support to the now republic. These en-
issuries tell the people that the canal is
ali assured fact, and that work will be-
gin In little while, and that money Will
DO freely distributed among them. This
always Gauges moro or less enthusiasm,
tho people swear allegiance to Panama.
But our correspondent says that a reac-
| tlan is almost sure to follow when 1t Is
| finally discovered by the people that the
work will not begin for some time TO
como. He thinks there will then be great
| dissatisfaction and he does not under
take to predict what this will lead to.
But there you arc with the Republic
OF Panama which President Roosevelt
recognized the day after It was created
by handful of adventurers. and with
! vhich we are now asked to make a
treaty
but In the meantime It nlay be we'll
rot to lot our sympathies for an alleged
| down-trodden people to get the better OF
us, for In this case It was not a peoples
rebellion. Tho people did not know any
thing about 1t until littlo handful OF
qdroil schemcrs had Matched the whole
thing up and presented the new republic
to them on n platter.