New-York tribune., 1909-07-09
THE POPULAR UNREST IN COLOMBIA.
A Plea for Financial Salve on the Part of
America-Praise for Reyes

To the Editor OF Tho Tribune
Sir: The lust and fair editorial treatment ac-
corded President Rafael Reyes Of Colombia IN
the columns Of Tho Tribune and other Icading news
papers Is for thos" Of Us who ar" Colonb'a's we'll
wishers. ycry satisfactory contrast 70 tho out
rageous reports that occasionally appear in print
from Panama These eo-caIIed rcvs items from
Panama 5@gardin< Colombia ar" usually entirely
false and when occa sionaIly ther.. ia some shadow
% foundation for tl"m the facts invariably
buried under mass Of misrepresentation Of the
most virIIcntly maIcyolcn hsract"r. carried 10
tn" eVtTem" OF absurit,.
Colombia suffered very erc!y from an ,nprecc-
donted number Of Erasshoppers In RI" MagdaIena
Valley IN tn" last years. which spread some
Of the interior regions. ana everywhere almost to-
tally DESTROYED tho crops Tho writer has soon corn
sold tn" rate g. 30 q h'ishel and cacao beans
at 81 pound. such cNtrem" prices being due 70 the
lack Or Transportation facilities bring supplies
from tho Csiira VALLEY. Antioqs and other parts
pna affected by tho ocusts of course. such scarcity
Of food caused suffering and complaint and the
government pss supposed to b" st tho bottom Of
the grasshopper trouble with the ssme illogical
tina; ia tho carly '9os made ths Republican
party responsible for the industrial conditions then
prevailing bore.
As consequence the popular unrest has found
vent in opposing the trpartte treaty between the
United States, Colombia and Panama warmly
favored hy Reyes and largely the fruit Of his
diplomacy. This present opposition Is but
vivaj Of tho sentiment that defeated tho approval
Joss Of tho isthmps. As General Reyes was 4
strong advocate of the Hay-Herran treaty the re-
action of sentiment caused his election Presi
dcncy and the. regenera ton of Colombia from the
chaotic state in which he found IT, II Reyes had
lost the election Of ao4 and his rival the late DR.
Joaquin f. Yelez. the principal opponent of the
Hay Herran treaty had won. there Is little doubt
that in the hopeless financial and industrial condi-
tions which prevailed tho nation would have dis
solved into series of small countries the Cen
traI American states.
While there are various points in the present
treaty that naturally entirely satisfactory
10 Colombia such the determination OF boun-
dares the principal feature that causes dssatisfac
+ton Is the official recognition of the irreparable
Ioss of the fsthInus and It's revenues. The treaty
contains features favorable to Colomb1 that it is
.x,reuely doubtful If any less diplomatic than
Reves or not in the enjoyment of the respect
corded him in person here and abroad, could have
ohtasned The burning question in Colombia, large
Il, due 10 the nirnble grasshopper Is shall II be
approved?
n is said that the United States Senate
disposed to grant Colombia saye of 100000 or
s,5 ooo 600 after the loss of the isthmus, but
Trained from offering owing to the nian1ed state
~ mind AT Bogota. Could this offer be made
n would be master stroke Of policy. and In in
creased trade with Spanish America would prove
IN no bread cast the waters of far greater i'm
nortance than our wise generosity TO China. The
Iternative to quel the feeling OF gross injustice
1rould be fle submission of the whole question to
1he Eapie This would be appropriate act
of the American government. the leader for inter
ma ationai peace and Justice, and the question