New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-21

bright account OF the daily life OF the
Americans. Englishmen. Germans and
Frenchmen settled there for CONNER
cial or Industrial purposes. or the hos
pitality Of the NeneZuelans and also or
the misgovernment with which they
put up. He points his moral az with
barbed wire by making the well gov
erned. prosperous British island OF
Trinidad as his point OF departure, TAX
ing his reader thence across mario"
stretch Of water into stagnant neg
lectcd province OF the turbulent re-
public.
The author accepted the invitation Of
n fellow American 10 make the trip
across and up the Orinoco in a two-ton
motor boat. As for supplies, his host
suggested:
Half a dozen hams They are present
for III Presidcnte, he Governor OF the
State OF Bolivar. A case OF champagne,
as presents to the officials OF the custom
House. Put down IA ten-pound box r
chOcotates-for their wives. Add case
Of beef for the Jeves Civiles In the iltte
toWns-thc mayors. you know. Tut down
five boxes OF Havana cigars for the com
mandantes And candy I'm jars for their
wives Now, put down two dozen bottles
of rum for tie minor Custom House pe"-
pie and the boltmen. They can't get
along without rum
"Fitz" knew his business "a the Sc
ouel proved. II was altogether de-
lightful experience. Notwithstanding the
millions OF mosquitoes that marred
the natural beauties OF the trip. MT.
Bates has an eye for human nature and
much tolerance for its amiable weak
nesses. lie also gathered much In
formation some OF which Is decidedly
not true. the Cuban's version Of our
Intervention in his island, for instance.
1t was started for the sake OF S2o'Ooo,-
600 in the Cuban treasury, which the
Yankees wanted. When they had
spent Il they evacuated the country. A
Venezuelan patriot proudly exhibited
the revolver his great grandfather had
carried in the war for independence
under Bolivar. He logically considered
the weapon itself sufficient dlsproof OF
the fact that that kind OF irearm was
not invented until much later.
Ciudad Bolivar opened wide It's hos
pitable doors to the visiting gringo and
gave him a Venezuelan good time" 1t
was worth having; it Is worth reading
about. At one Of the towns dinner
tables Mr.. Bates heard the following
anecdote:
A peon met a yelled figure on a lonely
who are your" asked the peon, trem-
blingly.
II am the devil" voice answered in
sepulchral tones. The peon walked UP
Embrace me. amigo" he said. IL mar
ried your sister.
The author visited the asphalt lakes
and writes OF Trinidad's trade. Ven
ezuela needs roads, railroads, industries
its enormous natural resources lie
waste. Above all, II needs a stable,
efficient, honest government. 1t needs
a Diaz, or at least another Cuzman
Blanco. who with all his vanity and
tyranny, at least allowed no one ex-
cept himself to rob the state. Still, as
the young German merchant in TRIM,
dad observed, England's annual bill for
to Venezuela is $3OOO.OOO.
S200O.OO0 but "the United
States lose out there. They send moth
ing but wheat, patent medicines and
lot Of catalogues which nobody reads.
They have not sense enough TO send
travellers speaking Span
ish down with samples. But the States
buy most-of the exports and send gold
coin back"