The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-22
A GLANCE At COLOMBIA

foreigners ever attempt any such fool
lsh thing as the production Of articles
to be sold abroad
The Colombian Patriot.
The average height Of the native CO.
lombian is small and gives an impress
sion of not more than five feet six to
I'VE feet eight inches. He Is usually a
light cafe au lait color occasionally
deepened by a. more than usual admix-
tune of negro bloOd). with a vivacious
manner, quick and nervous Of speech.
and almost universally an optimist. He
is naturally musical and of an affec-
Tomato disposition. But the truth is not
in him, and he viii neither work nor
think except under the strongest neces-
sltfy. His political complexion changes
as easily and with as little apparent ef-
fort as do the cOlors Of q chameleon
The average ColOmbian-aU COlombians
are patriots-joins the revolutionary
army on Monday. is captured by the
opposing forces on Tuesday, and on
Wednesday is found still shouting
Viva Colombia" but this time with the
powers that be.
As to uniform. this is merely a ques-
ton of a tag Of color to distinguish diff
1erent sides, cotton tunic and a pair
OF loose drawers, with sort Of KEPT
for = full-dress hat-otherwise a ragged
as we'll The common soldier wears no
shoes, but occasionally sports a pair of
sandals, hitched to the foot by thong
passing between the big toe and it's
neighbor.
In cold blood. he is inclined to keen
out of sight; but rouse his enthusiasm,
and he viii rush, without hesitation or
care OF the consequences, into the
mouth Of hell. Properly led and disci-
p1fuaT fhava 9nrrTT 10 no 1,offo- -o11ro,.
As it stands he is without discipline.
not led at all, and hence no effect. Co
lOmbiau tactics are essentially Of the
guerrilla type, vet there have been in
stances of attacks in the face Of GER
tain destruction which are appalling i'm
their utter disregard of danger. 1t is
scarcely. conceivable, if Colombia should
wish 20 forcibly oppose the attitude Of
the United States and the presence Of
its soldiers on the isthmus, that il would
be able to offer a force which could ac-
complish anything; but if the attempt
should be made, it would not be despic-
able, and her soldiers would acquit
themselves with honor and valor.
Difficulties of a Campaign.
The chief difficulties which an Anglo
Saxon army would be forced to meet
on the isthmUs Of Panama, where il is
safe to assume all of the actfve~opera-
tons would take place, are those COM
mon to most tropical countries: fevers.
heat and insect pests. These, taken in
connection with the fact that there are
no roads OF any sort. and only one
mule trails which lead nowhere. make
the problem sufficiently complicated.
The Panama railroad provides a means
of crossing from one ocean to the other
Cthe isthmus has only a breadth here
Of forty-seven miles). but step a rod
to either side of the traEk and one is in
an unbrOken, impenetrable Jungle
There is a sort of trail leading from
Matachin, one the line OF the Panama
railroad, approximately parallel with
the Chagres river. to a town called
Crusis. Here an Old paved road, built
by the Spanish cOnquistadores in, 1914.
for carrying treasure from the Pacific
TO the Atlantic, is intercepted; but this
road is no longer used except for very
short distances and not in connected
lengths, so to all intenFs and purposes
1t has reverted to the jungle.