The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-24
DRAWS DARK PICTURE OF
RULE OF RUIN IN VENEZUELA

nOLC VI nOtN NV eGNGEO6hN
Writer Of Note Describes Results OF
castro's Rapaeious Regime--Foreign
and Home Industry Destroyed and
= People Starving.
over the signature OF Stephen Bon
sal, who writes from first hand knowl-
edge of affairs In Venezuela, the New
York Times prints an article on "Ci-
prlano Castro, Cattle Bandit of the
Andes" Mr.. Bonsal says:
II Is undoubtedly mistake to char
acterize Castro as South American
type. lie Is fortunately an exceptional
man in any continent.
For many years now Castro has had
no relations with the respectable
classes among his fellow countrymen,
except those which the jaller has with
his prisoners and the burglar with
those whom he robs. One after an
other the European and the South
American powers have at the instance
of self respect been compelled to sever
all relations with the bad man" OF
Caracas. The representatives Of Co
lumbia, Chile, the United States and
France recently withdrew, and now
even the stolld, long suffering Dutch
minister has gone, until today the dip
lomatic officers remaining In Caracas
can easily be transported in four
seated barouche.
Looks Out For Own Profit.
From the day when Castro entered
the astonlshed capital with the lin
view of his acts almost sacrilegious
words, "God and the Federation" em-
blazoned upon his yellow banners he
has ruled the country according to the
dictates of his personal caprice and
for the greatest profit TO himself and
his Andean comrades.
Several of the half hearted defend
ors of the Castro regime, and few
such there are, say that all the
friction which has resulted in the al.
most complete ostracism of Castro by
the civilized world has arisen over the
claims of foreign concession hunters
After all. 1t Is asserted, these men in.
vested their money in the country
with full knowledge Of the conditions
obtaining there, and several of them
in advance committed themselves ia
the position of promising TO seek nc
redress for their wrongs, real or fan,
cied. except at the hands of the Vene
Zuclan courts.
Courts Are Castro's Creatures.
This view OF reasoning sounds well
but 1t is not in accord with the facts
When the American concessions which
have now been confscated or are dis
puted were made there were courts In
Caracas which commanded confidence
and Castro has abolished them oil
changed their personnel without OBJ
serving the due processes of the law
In so doing.
The other charge which the partlsans
OF Castro bring has much more founda
tlon in fact. The accusation Is thai
during the Matos rebellion all the for
clgners aided the Matos forces will
These charges have never been proved
by evidence that would stand scrutiny
but here at least there is some basis IL
fact In three years Castro had ham
pered and indeed in many instances
as in the asphalt concession, absolute
ly ruined every enterprise in the lant
conducted by foreigners.
Matos Failed TO Save Country.
Then Matos, an honest man of good
antecedents and with the best blood
in the country flowing through his
veins, made his bid for the presidency
In the revolutionary way, the only
way, owing TO the utter defiance of the
electoral laws by the usurping cattle
thief, that was open to him. Matos
failed because he was not a man ol
war, and during the last four years
Castro has devoted himself to the In
dian punishment Of those whom hi
suspects, undoubtedly with some rea
son, of having abetted his rival.
AS n result the commerce of the
country has dwindled TO nothing; tn,
bountiful crops are not harvested be
cause there Is no money In the land
people are starving In what wa,
actually the land OF plenty; only the
black death travels from deserted por
to grass grown Caracas, inhlcting til,
last touch to a gloomy picture.