East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-12-31

Cypriano Castro, whose downfall is
now assured. is a man of humble or
igin. His father was a stock raiser in
the Andes, near the Colombian border.
He is of swarthy complexion, slight in
stature, of wiry strength, and has a
piercing black eye. He shows his In
dian extraction.
Like most Venezuelan presidents,
Castro went into office at the head Of
a successful revolution. He drove out
President Andrade, and entered Ca
racas October "a, 1899.
Much has been said of President
Castro that lacks the confirmation of
unbiased Observers He has been
freely maligned by his many enemies,
and there have been few to take up
the cudgels in his behalf with convic-
ton. Consequently he has been given
a reputation worse than he deserves.
He has shown remarkable courage, de-
termination, perseverance and politi-
cal skill in conducting Venezuela
through nine years of stormy life.
His Quarrel With Powers.
He has had to contend with power
ful revolutionary movements at home,
and at times with the combined action
against him by sea, of Germany Great
Britain, France and Italy. This oc-
Cured in 1902, and was for the pur-
pose of making Venezuela fulfill its
obligations to the said powers. Cas-
tros quarrels with the powers have
resulted in the severance Of diplomat
ic relations between Venezuela and
Holland, France, the United States,
Colombia, etc, and as long as Castro
was in power, there was apparently
little hope Of reaching any settlement
Of these various misunderstanding.
There have been several revolution
ary uprisings against Castro during his
tenure Of office. The most notable
was the Matos movement in 1902,
backed by powerful interests outside
of Venezuela. This Castro succeeded
in crushing by defeating the Nation
forces on October 26, 1902, with a
great slaughter at a place called La
Victoria, not far from Caracas.
President Castro's strong and re-
vengeful hand made him probably the
most hated of recent Venezuelan pres
idents, and, under his control, the
business and commerce of Venezuela
have suffered notably. 1t is said Of
him that he did not loot the govern
ment treasury, as has been the GUS
tom with his predecessors, but that
he acquired the wealth which he is
said to have sent to Europe before
him, by taking into his own hands and
shutting out all competition, some Of
the most profitable enterprises and
industries in the country. He govern
ed hard and for the benefit of the
clique at Caracas who were his ia
vorites.
Ill for Several Years.
Castro Is known to have been i'll for
several years, but just what the mat
ter with him was has never develop
ed 1t is believed he has some malady
of the kidneys. He has at times been
so i'll that his life was despaired Of.
His going to Europe for medical treat
ment was absolutely unexpected. He
made the announcement Of his depart
ure "a hours before he left Caracas. 1t
has been said that the idea Of medical
attention was a blind, and that the
president realized the way the wind
was blowing in Venezuela, and deter
mined to get away safely while there
was still time.
Upon arriving in France there was
a question as to how the French gov
eminent would receive Castro, mas
much as diplomatic relations between
France and Venezuela were nom exist
ent France finally allowed him to-
land as private citizen, seeking the
restoration Of his health. He stayed
but day or two in Paris, proceeding
at once to Berlin. There is no es-
arrangement between the government
Of Germany and that Of Venezuela. In
Berlin, Castro took accommodations
at one Of the leading hotels, lived ex-
travagantly until he moved to a pri-
vate sanitarium, where he is being
observed by famous Berlin special
list.
The first outbreak Of the populace
against Castro occurred in Caracas,
December 13. This was followed by
serious snti-Castro rioting on the 14th.
Since this date no news has come
through Of the happenings at Caracas