The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-05
Colombia Charges Little Repub- lie With Enmi1
PANAMA TROOPS ARE ACTIVE
Dispute Over Boundary Is Said To Be Principal Cause of Trouble and Castro Wants Piece of
 Territory.

ernment at Colom bfa has reason to believe that the government at Panama is in- triguing with Venezuela to declare war upon this country. It is known that the occupation of Jurado which is on Atrato river, the boundary line between Panama and Colombia has angered the Panama government. The occupation of Jurado was done on the advice of the Ameri- cans which held that it was clearly within Colombian territory. The atti- tude of the government of Panama has given the United States a good deal of solicitude. One of Secretary Taft's chief missions to Panama is to try and adjust the matter. It is believed that the American government is aware of the ef- fort of Panama to induce Venezuela to | make war upon Colombia.
 New York, May 4-Passengers who | have just arrived in New York from Say nilla, Colombia, bring news of the pres | ence of President Reyes at Santa Marta, a Colombian seaport on the Goajira penin- sula over toward Venezuelan frontier line. | Durnig the absence of General Reyes
 from Bogota, his brother-in-law, General l
 public, The news of the generals pres-
 ence on the coast came as a surprise to Colomblans Tn New York for in spite of reports from Bogota and Panama that
 he had left the capitol, it was not be-
 lieved that he would dare to venture
 away. The fact that he has come down
 to the coast is taken to mean that he is very confident with regard to mainte- i nance of peace of Colombia, as other-
 wise he would not have left the admins /, tration of affairs in the hands of Gen. l eral Angulo. who is not a popular man. | Just why General Reyes has come down
 to the coast cannot be stated with author- ity, but he doubtless has been impelled l to take this step by reason of considerable importance
 His presence at Santa Marta is said to | be connected with the Jurado incident.
 the occupation of this little town claimed
 by both Co!onshia and Panama and re-
 gently occupied by Colombian troops.
 Boundary Disputes.
 Two boundary disputes enter into the
 situation that appears to be developing on
 the southern shore of the Caribbean. Castro wants a strip of Colombian ter
 ritory on the east and Panama. accord | Ing to the Colombians who came into 1 port today, is seeking to despoil Colom-
 bia. of which republic she was a state before the successful revolution of 1903, l or certain territory along the Atarto river. | which includes the town of Jurado Yen ezuela's claim or rather demand is that
 Colombia cede her a very material part | of Goajira peninsula, down the center | ot which the present boundary now runs, 1 as well as certain area in the vicinity i of Cucuta to Encentrados, where con nection is had with the Venezuelan line | running northerly to Maracaibo. The ex- | isting boundary was fixed under the ar
 bitration of Queen Maria Christiana of l Spain. Colombia insists that this line ! stand. Venezuela wants to disregard 1t and add to her domain. In so much as l Senor Restrepo has left Caracas, there l is no longer diplomatic intercourse be- 1 tween Venezuela and Colombia.
 On the other hand Panama is claim | ing an extension of her boundary. While ! this state was still a component part 1 of the republic of Colombia. the boundary 1 between it and the state of Cauca ran l from Cape Tiburon southerly down the crest of the Sierra Ninque, the Sierra Malt and the Cordillera De Los Andes to the
 Peeifc. This was the boundary line in
 
 1 the east of it; in other words, according 1 to this boundary they belong to Colombia. l Panama, it Is declared, desires to extend her territorial holding to embrace a sec | ton of the Atarto river and an area of territory which includes Jurado.
 Troops Are Dispatched.
 When Colombia heard of these aspira- tions she sent troops into Iurado for the purpose of bringing this matter to an issue The passengers from Savanilla carried the statements cabled today from Panama that Colombia occupied Jurado on the advice of the American govern ment and this is taken as clear indica- tion that Washington will support Co., lomba in the controversy.
 Panama, it is declared, would like to embroil Colombia with Venezuela on the eastern frontier. as such an outcome would give her d better chance to force her claims for territorial extension on the western frontier. Venezuela and Co., lombia have fought over this boundary line before, and should the matter come again to conflict Venezuelan invasion of the Goajra peninsula might be expected. 1t is believed that General Reyes is at Santa Marta, on the peninsula. for the purpose of inaugurating preparations to resist any such development.
 To arrange for a settlement of this own- ership is one of the purposes of Secre-