Evening star., 1940-05-06
Colombo Celebrates
Suntunder Centenary
Reviews Career Of Lutin
American Soldier
And Statesmen

American Soldier
And Statesmen
TO the Editor Of The Star:
The Republic Of Colombia celebrated
yesterday the Tooth anniversary Of the
death OF Francisco de Paula santander,
her national hero and one Of the most
remarkable figures in the history Of
Latin America.
Soldier and statesman, santander.
like George Washington, was first in
war, first in peace and first in the hearts
of his countrymen." He is not. of course,
the only one of the great figures pro-
duced by the South American wars for
independence OF whom this may be said.
But he does stand alone as the only one
who was successful both in war and
peace.
San Martin, the Argentine hero, for
example, was brilliant strategist, but as
statesman he was unable to prevent
internal friction among the peoples he
had liberated and retired to Europe
utterly disillusioned. O'Higgins, the lib
orator of Chile and its first ruler, proved
unwise in his choice of advisers and was
forced to spend the last 20 years of his
life in exile. Iturbide, who freed Mexico
from Spain and set himself up a.
Emperor of the Aztec nation, had to pay
the penalty of death by the firing squad
for his imperialistic ambitions. And even
the great Bolivar, considered the out
standing figure of Latin America, who
never once admitted defeat on the field
Of battle, was forced to surrender to the
uncomfortable discomfort produced by
his administration.
Santander, on the other hand was the
only one of the great leaders of that
time who, having once held the reins
of government, was spontaneously re-
called by his people to head their gov
ernment second time.
Francisco de Paula Santander was
born on April H. 1892. His family was
of aristocratic stock and his father at
one time occupied the post of provincial
governor. Santander was educated at
Cucuta, the city of his birth, and at
Bogota, the capital. He had just fin
ished his legal studies in 1910 when the
first movement for independence took
place. Santander Immediately embraced
the revolutionary cause and enlisted in
the patriot army, in which he fought
for nine years, always with distinction
and on several occasions with heroic
bravery. Promoted to the rank of gen.
eral in 1877, when only Is years old,
Santander already had occupied several
important military posts.
He then became chief of staff Of
Bolivar, the patriot generalissimo, and
was sent to the region of Casanare, in
Eastern Venezuela, to recruit and train
the force with which the latter planned
to carry out the liberation of Colombia.
Santander carried out this most diff
cult assignment with such skill that he
was dubbed "the Organizer Of Victory"
Two years later the army was ready
and, after crossing the mighty barrier of
the Andes, began the campaign that
ended with the victory of Boyaca. The
Colombians made Bolivar head of the
newly freed nation and Santander Vice
President. But Bolivar departed imme-
diately to continue the war for liberia
ton in the other Spanish colonies and
left Santander in charge of the govern
ment. The year 1919, therefore, marks
the end of Santander's military service
and the beginning of his civil career.
For the next nine years santander
governed Colombia in exemplary fashion,
though the problems he faced were vast
enough to test the mettle of the worlds
greatest statesmen. He organized the
fiscal system, established schools and
courts Of justice, formulated foreign
policies, trained and supplied armies and
stimulated the development of national
industries. At time when the idea of
republican government was still in its
infancy, Santander made the people
realize the Importance of establishing a
government of laws and not of men. So
sincere was his democratic zeal that he
came to be known as "the Champion of
Legality" Santander's administration as
acting chief of state ended in 1927, when
Bolivar returned to Bogota and took over
the executive power, but he remained in
the government as Vice President.
Possessing vast administrative ability
as well as military skill, Santander had
given Bolivar extremely able assistance
throughout the wars for independence
and many were the vital though unspec-
tacular jobs accomplished by him in
both fields of endeavor. It was he who
organized the armies that Bolivar led to
victory at JUN and Ayacucho. It was
he who held the reins Of government at
Bogota while Bolivar was finishing the
task of liberation. To employ a sports
simile, Santander's work might be COM
pared to that done by the linesman on
the football team who makes possible
| the touchdown of the quarterback.
But early in 1928 Santander broke
with Bolivar when the latter proclaimed
| himself dictator of Colombia. A few
months later occurred an attempted as
sassination of the Great Liberator and
| Santander was accused of being impli-
| Gated in the conspiracy. He was tried
and condemned to death, but Bolivar
commuted his sentence to exile. San
fordor onoorJi,,olr, ,~o..k