The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-30
characters Of the Men Who.
Brought the Separation
About.
DR.. AMADoR, CoNsPlRAToR
He Is Foremost III tic List.
Senior Arrange Deserves Al
most Equal Credit.
BY MERRILL ASTEAGUE.
Special Correspondence Of Tho Times.

n N0pCCIul sSSOI ICSpOiluellGC ~ nv : iiiASs
Dspatch.)
PANAMA, r.. p. December ls.--lt
y would be extremely difficult to discover,
In q much moro protractcd search thun
V Il is necessary To make here. more
i varied assortment Of characters than arc
i embraced within the list OF those who had
X to do with bringing the Republic OF
Panama into existence. Panama is a land
y OF the most remarkable complexities III
human nature, tho population being tho
roughly nondcscrpt;t and while among the
original sccessionsts. hi their counsellors
4 and active aides pronounced tyres are
common, the complex phases Character
< istic3 OF the general populaco are dis
Z covernblc in moro or less certain
measures. l5y Fl
Foremost in the list OF the ndcpcn-.
dence consprat tors stands Dr. Manuel
Amador. Because OF his recent stay inltle
!, United States, DR.. Amndor's personality
must have become familiar to the news
s pa pei. reading public:t but tho Panama
view OF him is not without current In
&terest. Dr. Amador is q prnctlcing
physician, the leader OF hls profession
OH tho lsthmus. and q man OF decided
4 opinions and sterling character. Ills &C
auaintance among. tho 1thmians Is very
4 large, and being regarded aB n man Of ex-
ccptonal learning. he Is looked up TO and
z esteemed as Il natural born leader. All
"A Panama revcrcnccs lids name. and 30
! great liz the popular cctlon for him
that while certain individuals. chiefly
found among what may be DESIGNATED
ss5'.the Panama Railroad crowd. would
like to see Jose Augustin Arrange inade
president OF the new republic, that dis
tinction will surely go TO Or. &Atnador.
Quiet and reserved In manner he lives
"a t,te<4
floors OF n building which fronts the
4 Cathedral plaza. The first floor Of this
4 building Is occupied by n firm OF bankers.
b and while DR.. Amndor3is n man of ample
means his disposition is such that he has
&, never endeavorcd to isolate himself from
4 Ills fellow Panamanians by maintaining
b a, domicile. no part Of which Is deyotad to
3y commercial purposes.
Il e a LIBERAL.
In his political procllvlties DR.. Arnador
4 has always been a Liberal. He is a Cath
4 Ole communicate; but he has ever held
4 I'LL his Views are Of the advanced type
that tho church and the State should
10 Independent OF each other. He has,
5athel etorc. always been9iactive IN furth-&
erlng the revolutionary cause on the
isliln,us, his labors to overflow the Con-
I scrvatlve party having been 50 open, and
nj strenuous that upon one OCCASION: not
many ycarsS ago. he was forced by tho
dictates OF MISREPRESENTATION to have him
4. self packed Ia n lard barrel and shipped
across the lsthmus In order (. 10 escape
y his enemies. Dr., Amador had played tho
revolutionary game SO boldly ana 90
family that the government, then In the
4 hands OF tn. Conservatives. would gladly
4 hnvc cxacted his life as n warning to
less conspicuous Isthmiuns. Being warned
8tof the designs against him. and having
no time spare, the venerable Doctor
( did not hesitate to accept tho avenue or
gescape offered by the lard barrel. II was
Il nn,pty: but had never been cleaned. Into
j. climbed tho father of Panananinn IN
dependence. It was headed UP, carted to
Il the railroad station, loaded on n freight
7 car and sent across the isthmus to Colon.
where DR.. Amador found refuge among
his Liberal friends. The rrsc worked
most successfully. Tho experience was
not n pleasant one to q man OF pr.
Amndor's years but the incident goes to
+ Bho, " that the man who fostered the
scheme for an independent nation on the
isthmus has long lnbored most 2ealously
4 in tic cause he was finally permitted to
lead to victory.
Tho people OF Panama know DR.. ANA
\ doris record in this respect. and his ser
vices to Panama have given him a claim
& upnn the regard Of the Pannmanians
stronger thai, that held by any other ms
dlyiuuaI. It has never been said of him
q that he is strong in Initiative or that ne
has. any natural ATTITUDE for tho hand
ling OF large administrative problems.
Panama does not, however. stop to weigh
these things The people look upon Dr..
I Amador as n patrach: they know that
( lie is an educated thinker: that he Is
conservative and safealn his views thnts
he is connected oyte birth or marriage. ]
with all OF the leading families on the !
}.LI rSl. az n, n,
considerable wealth. probably more than 4
q did any other Individual In forcing the /
revolution, and most inslstenty do they i
hold that his motiveal;Were more unselt-
isl and moro truly patriotic than! We're 4
\ those Of any other member .. the origi- 4
ma band Of secessionsts. y IS TOR these
rcusons,- and because they deem them
Y selves Indebted to him for their inde-
pendence that the Panamanans propose
y to mako him tho first president OF the
4 republic. l&
I'm that Office DIR. Amador. 'whlo by no
means a statesman.Nwil almost certainly
serve the new nation WE'LL ile can be
most determined when occasion requires
Discrimination; but he is free from that
arrogance, avarce and bumptiousness
K that prove tho undoing OF SO many OF
those raised to, be chief magistrates Of
Latin American republics The surest
guarantee that he vii make a good pres
ident for Panama lies in the fact that no
is ever md always willing to accept adj
vice. IIe Is ready and eager to do what
ever promises Improvement In the condl-
tons surrounding his people. but he seldom
trusts to his own Judgment, On the morn
ing OF tho Sd of November, when 1t was
i learned In Panama that the Colombian
gunboat CartageDa had landed $50 men ut
Colon. DR. Amador did not state, Every
other man Of the company OF original
conspi,ators disappeared as mysterlousy
and as completely as though the earth
had swallowed them UP; nor were some
OF them found until late In the day. DR..
Amador sought advice of one man-II. g.
Prescott. assistant superintendent Of the.
Panama Railroad land decided that the
coup deetat for Isthmlan independence
should be executed at once. Ills fellow
consplrators had apparently deserted him;
hut no sounded the army. found IT Was
still willing to so ahead with the scheme,
and originated, under advice, the plan
Inv 1,bich (,enaruls IOyar and .AmnyA