The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-28
(CoNCLUDED FROM FIRST PACED

ernor, subordinate TO the departmental gov
ernOr. Each had its council, and each was
entitled to representation-by senators and
representatives. the two branches Of the
Colombian Congress, which sat at BOgota
1t will be seen from this explanation that
no matter how corrupt, inefficient and op-
pressive the older order of things may have
been, the fabric of the state was complete
| in all of it's details the governmental struc-
ture having been carried down perfectly
in theory as ii is in our own Union. 1t fol-
| lows from this, as a natural presumption,
| that in the secessiOnist movement all OF
| these provinces should have had voice.
/ 1t happens however that natural as that
/ presumption may be, IL is wholly groundless
/ in this instance The natural cOrallary Of
the last statement is that the republic as it
| stands does not represent the people OF
Panama-speaking now OF the entire depart
ment-and such is actually the case. 1t may
represent them in the sense that the senu-
ment of all the people cOncurs in what has
| been done; but ii is an indisputable fact
| that outside of the city of Panama the peo-
| pie of the new republic had no voice what
ever in the establishment of the republic.
l. In previous letters | have sketched the
/ story Of the secessiOnist movement. 1t be-
| gan with three men, and was executed I'M
! der the supervision of those three and four
others. the seven working under the advice
and counsel of four Americans. Before the
/ coup detat others were, perfOrce taken
into the secret; but so closely were the plans
/ guarded that those who were really in the
secret and knew definitely the details might
| be counted on the fingers of the two hands.
! This brings us to the revolution itself, and
/ introduces the strahgest of all the contradic-
/ tons discoverable in connection with the
! birth of this national infant The uprising
! took place on the Sd day of November,
| being initiated by the arrest of Generals
| Tovar and Amaya and Governor Obaldia.
| which occurrence took place in the city of
| Panama That city knew, of course, what
had occurred the moment the arrests were
erected; but Colon was kept in ignorance of
! the secession until the following day. 1t
! was on the 4th of the month that the public
meeting was held in the Cathedral plaza,
Panama, the independence of the republic
proclaimed and the declaration of independ-
ence-Or manifestation, as they call it here
! was signed.
/ Fearing in mind the fact that seven men,
! aided by the soldiers and others whose
| support for the movement had been pur-
/ chased with dollars, were alone responsible
| for the sudden revolution in the political
! status of Panama, one may wander away
down stretch OF not uninteresting in
quiries. Were the people of the other
| provinces consulted as to what it was pro-
| nosed nv the secessicnists to do? They
| were not Were the people, speaking in
general terms, of the provinces of Colon
| and Panama let into the secret? They were
not They knew, by general rumOr, that
| q revolution was on the tapis; but they
| had not been consulted nor their advice
| asked as TO the wisdom or unwisdOm of
| what was contemplated. Was a provisional
! congress, composed of delegates from the
several provinces, held for the purpose Of
| debating the project and framing a bill of
| separation? Nothing of the kind ever
/ thought of. How, then, was the affair car
ried through? In this simple and unique
! manner:
DONE BY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.
The little band of secessionists let the
members of the City Council of Panama
into their secret late in October, when it
became evident that a blow would have to
be struck very soon or forever withheld.
These city councilmen-eleven in number
were willing to further the project. so that
when the public meeting was held in the
Cathedral Plaza. Panama, on Nov. 4. they
were all in attendance. They, too were the
first to sign the declaration of independ-
ence, and Immediately after that formality
they adjourned across the street TO the
municipal building and went into session
was to pass the declaration, which had al
ready been engrossed in a book of record.
and TO append their names to the engrossed
copy. This done, the City Council appointed
the three members of the provisional gov
ernlng Junta, authorizing them TO take
charge of the affairs of the new republic.
The Junta assembled at once and named
the members of the provisional Cabinet,
ana the new republic became a fact. ON
the same day Porfilio Mollendes had taken
charge of affairs at Colon as provisional
governor appointed by the jUnta, but out
side of the cities of Panama and Colon,
and along the line of the Panama Railroad,
the people OF the new republic were in en-
tire ignorance of the fact that they were
no longer subjects of Colombia.
1t seems almost incredible that the mu-
nlclpal council OF city of fewer than D.
COO people should take unto themselves the
right TO create. republic out of a territory
equal in area to the State of Indiana; but
that was what was actually done in this
case. Instead of provincial congress, the
city Council of Panama passed the act OF
independence. Every legislative formality
incident TO the creation of this republic
was performed by these city councilmen
no portion of the new republic except the
city of Panama having a voice by repre-
, | SentatiOn. in what done haS ny
other portion OF the new republic had such
a voice TO this day. No Congress had beer
called TO ratify the secession, nor has any
one OF the seven provinces been requested
To assemble, in council by mass meet
ing, to pass an act of ratification. There
might be a parallel for this procedure if the
municipal council of one of our own cities
Indianapolis, for instance, since the area
OF Indiana is about the same as that OF
Panama-Should pass ordinance declar
ing the State OF Indiana a free and indie
pendent nation; but the average American
Imagination is impotent TO summon such
, spectacle as that into being. But it was
that very thing which was done here, wheI
|, the municipal council of Panama legis
lated for the 100000 inhabitants of this ter
ritory in severing all their obligations o.
fealty to Colombia, making them free ant
independent; and doing these things with
out consulting any of those 100000 inhab
itants save an Insignificant minority, re
stricted in numbers practically to the orig
inal band of secessiOnists.
HOW 1T WAS PROCLAIMED.
1t is not intended by the foregoing to i'm
t peach or compromise the existence of tn
; new republic. Such an attempt would b.
: fatuous, for the new republic is actual
[ The purpose is merely to show the incon
, grIity of the procedure, although no Pan
, amaian can be brought to see that there il
! anything national incongruous or contra
= dictory in the fact that republic has beer
I created by an ordinance passed by Cit,
D / Council. This inability of the Panamaian
TO realize what impresses Americans a
: | little short of ludicrous is doubtless due L
I | the fact that measures have been taken
: ! though not by legislative steps, TO brinj
: | the whole territory to accept the new form
: | of government Immediately after tn
| creation of the republic and the appoint
ment OF the junta by the City Council O
| Panama, the junta took steps TO this end
Y ! Emssaries were sent into the differen
o | provinces to proclaim the establishment o
the republic. These emissaries Were eff
2 | fectiVe OratOrS-aS are nearly all the peOpl
S | OF these southern countries. They tOure,
, | along both coasts, east and west, stoppin
! at the principal cities. Their coming wa
e ] unannOunced in these cities, which, unit
n the arrival of the emssaries, were withou
knowledge of the fact that Panama Ia
n seeded from Colombia. David, Chiriqu
= Santiago and other cities and towns alon
NJ It'll or I'm dPDETJ