Show wur IUBERAlS GAiN IN COLOMBiA 6 SenorA Diaz Guerra One of the Most Prominent Diplomats Diplo-mats of that Country Gives a Graphic Account of the Revolution and its 4ims fie Accuses the Conservatives Conser-vatives of Having Debased the Currency Opposed I Progress and Broughtjhe Country to Ruin i I I New York July 11 The present revolutionary r olutionary movement In Colombia completely com-pletely differs as regards Its origin character and ends from the revolutions revolu-tions which more or leas frequently take place In the other LatinAmeri can countries There are In Colombia two political l parties each representing directly opposite op-posite principles so far as their political po-litical Ideals purposes methods and understanding and practice oC the public liberties arc concerned The Conservative party represents the element ele-ment of absolutism In the country attached at-tached to old Spanish traditions and opposed to any idea of progress It is controlled by the absorbing and tyrannical I tyran-nical power of religious fanaticism kept alive by a clergy whoso only aspiration as-piration Is to exploit the ignorance of the people to serve their own selfish I motives The Conservative party aces In public education most redoubtable I redoubt-able foe docs not accept even the liberty I lib-erty of thought nbr the freedom of I worship nor the liberty of the press nor any liberty in fact which may represent any of the civilized rights attained by humanity In modern times As regards the administrative system sys-tem the Conservative party has made Itself conspIcuous through the mismanagement mis-management of the public moneys to enrich those who have played important import-ant parts in the politics of the country coun-try It has made use of the paper money issuing it in such enormous quantities that foreign exchange has risen to the unprecedented figure of 2000 per cent ThlB circulating medium has no fund of amortization whatever and an executive decree Issued by the Conservatives forbids the stipulation of any other kind of legal tender Foreign credit has been lost totally and In order or-der to tide over cc ° lain dllllcultleH the Government hasnot hesitated to mort I 1 I gage sell or encumber In any fqrm all 1 sources of public wealth that hiae existed I ex-isted I or do exist In the republic The political system of the Conservatives Conser-vatives consist In denying lo the members of the opposite party even those rights guaranteed by the Constitution Consti-tution so that there does not exist for i them either public suffrage nor parliamentary par-liamentary rights nor opposition press nor any other rights whatever The other parly the Liberal party j Is formed by the thinking clement of I the t country the only motto of Its design de-sign being liberty In its broadest and I most advanced meaning In the administrative ad-ministrative branch Is It characterized I I by strict honesty In tho management I of the public funds In the political branch it Is characterized by its respect re-spect to the law and its endeavors to make effective the true republican doctrines To corroborate this as well as other sKatemenls which hereafter will be made the opinion may be asked of any of the thousands of foreigners who either now reside ov have sometime I some-time lived in Colombia find It can be said that not one of them will deny any of these facts I In the manifesto Issued the board of directors of the revolution some of the motives of the present revolution revolu-tion are plainly explained From that document T do not think It amiss to quote as follows Motives that arc both legitimate and noble have prompted the Liberal party of Colombia to take up arms In order lo insure to the country freedom free-dom to establish a regime that will guarantee the progress and the very existence of the republic which are I today threatened by Institutions not framed nor sanctioned by the people and by functionaries who have received I re-ceived their authority through absolute abso-lute disregard and violent oppression of thc will and opinion of the majority I I of the citizens Both nature and tra dilion have impelled the patriotic people I peo-ple of Colombia to rebel against a condition con-dition of things in which they are prevented > pre-vented de jure as well MJ de facto from exercising their legitimate natural nat-ural rights in which a great party has been deprived of its political freedom free-dom and In which the pacific development develop-ment of the country has been arrested It Is only after exhausting all peaceable means that war has been resorted to as a last and extreme measure dire measure but one dictated and imposed by necessity x The men who today are struggling to recover their rights constitute the Liberal part and 1 form the great majority ma-jority of the Colombian people Anyone Any-one who compares the condition bolli civil and political of our people tinder tin-der the system that existed In this country for nearly half a century with the conditions created by the socalled regeneration system will no longer take the attitude of contemptuous commiseration with which our civil wars arc regarded by peoples who already al-ready have attained that liberty and security for which we arc still striving striv-ing and he will understand the significance sig-nificance of the present revolutionary movement which already begins to put an end forever we ho pcto the oppressive op-pressive government imposed on our unfortunate country The Conservative pall came into power sixteen years ago not by force of arms nor by the will of the people at the polls but by tho treason of Rafel Nanez who having been elected elect-ed to the Presidency of the republic I I by a Liberal vote a few clays after his coming into power delivered the Government Gov-ernment to the exclusive control of the Conservatives The fiscal and political measures adopted by Nunez and the succeeding Presidents bought about the complete ruin of the couiltry to which must be added as before slated daily and I clandestine Issue of paper money and thc tyrannic means employed tocruch the Liberal party This party has In I several Instances based upon the rights and guarantees accorded by the I Constitution to all Colombians demanded de-manded the fulfillment of such rights and guarantees especially as regards I I the free exercise of suffrage Far I I from complying with this just and legitimate le-gitimate demand they went so far as to Imprison and exile from the country coun-try during the election time all those who could haVe any Influence on the masses the Liberal printing offices were clgsed by order of the Government I Govern-ment the free operation of the educational educa-tional Institutes not in keeping with the ideas of lib Government and clergy i was prevented and finally It was openly open-ly declared that the Liberals could not I and ought not to enjoy the rights of citizens The country grew tired of such regime re-gime and found It necessary to use the painful expedient of lulling up arras to return its prestige and iredlt to the republic 19 the Colombians their rights Its majesty to the hn and to put into honest hands the public moneys I The present revolutionary movement move-ment broke cut In Colombia October 20th It was initialed in the old Stales of Sun lander and Bolivar J under the Inspiration of Gen rtafaol Urlbe Dribe one of the most prominent men In Colombia Co-lombia and soon after hud extended to the rent of the country During the I I first months of the campaign the Liberals Lib-erals lacked arms and suffered two reverses re-verses which could have been a decisive deci-sive blow If It be born In mind that the Conserrative party had un army of 11000 men well disciplined and having ample supplies of war All were convinced I vi need however that while there remained re-mained onlyone man read to light It Avuri Impossible to stop the war The I fact must be taken Into consideration also that at the head of the revolutionary revolu-tionary forces In Santander which had escaped the defeat of Bucaramanga I was the energetic Gen Urlbe Urlbe The I result of these combined circumstances was that a few weeks after the first unfortunate encounter the numerous army of the Government was destroyed by the few men of rI1 Uribe Lribe In a combat of almost mythological character known to history as the hattIe hat-tIe olf Peralonso The moral and material effect of this battle was to open new horizons to the evolution giving it a definite character I charac-ter to which must be added that now forces came to Increase those of the victorious army and that Gen Vargas I Santos one of the oldest mllltary men of Colombia and one of the spotless personalities of the nation was recognized recog-nized as the supreme dictator oli the war Gen Foolcn another of the most brilliant men of the country also took active part after having fulfilled certain revolutionary commissions abroad Around these greatest Colombian Colom-bian Liberals all the military men of renown in that party have rallledund the army in San lander numbers at present 15000 men After the Peralonso battle came that of Gramalote when the chiefs of divisions divi-sions arms and ammunitions and 1200 of the Gov > rnmer forces fell Into the I hands of the revolutionists The Liberal army remained for three months in the Provincia de Cucuta I Santander engaged In its convenient organization to march against Bogota This movement began about the middle of May last and after several successive I succes-sive encounters all favorable to the revolutionists the batlle of Bucara mango was fought when victory again favored the Liberal arms At the time of this writing the Liberal army Is marching on to Bogota It is not to be presumed thai the now exhausted Conservative Con-servative Government may oppose further fur-ther resistance as besides lacking in men to resist It also undeistands that any resistance would be useless In combination with theaemovementa of the land army an expedition of two menofwar was organized abroad under un-der the dirccM n of said tl Gen Sojo and I undel the inmleUia order ofGens SIcrvo Sarmlento y Justo Duian to capture the ports of the Atlantic coast particularly Barranquilla which Is the I key lo the Mngdulena rhrcr the principal princi-pal fluvial artery of Uie country and Its most productive customhouse This expedition is now under way and commands the entire department of Magdalena whose capital Santa Malta must have fallen by this lime to the two revolutionists From this point the simultaneous progress of the ships and the land forces numbering I over lOGOimon will continue to Barran quilla Any ro I MHtuncf > of the GoCrn rnent at that point will be utterly impossible t im-possible us Gen Duran already has I been victorious over the forces of the Government In Aractaca fwd the cx Jiauslcd and defeated army about 2000 trong which composes the garrison of the tdAvn either Avlll surrender without I the hope of victory or else retreat to the stronghold of Cartagena where lit I it ultimately will surrender and I wIll not be an obstacle lo the passage of tens Sarmienlp and Duran up the Magdalena river ttf Bogota where they I will meet the strong and formidable army of Suntandcr The revolution also has l wellorgan ized troops In Panama where Its triumph tri-umph has Just been confirmed In the Department of Cauca south of the I I country the revolution has another I army commanded by Gen Juan B I Gonzales Garro other land forces and manofwar under command of Gen Simon Chnux with which the Liberal0 already have captured the ports of Tumuco and Barbacoas and It Is expected ex-pected that they very soon will defeat the few forces of the Government In ths Island oC Morro Grande near Tu maco under Gen Vlncente Nlcolta I and those In Ipllaes under Gen Luclo Velazco Both arc In a state of siege All tho region bathed by the Atralo river from the bay of Darlcn lo the headwaters of the said river embracing embrac-ing portions of the territories of Cauca and Antloqula has boon months ago occupied by the revolutionary Gen I Candido Tolosa Finally In the heart of the republic In the Department of II Tollma the Government has not an i Inch of territory as it is under thc j t I control of Gens RIcardo Morales A banes F Marlin and others who occupy oc-cupy II and has been the theater of I most frequent battles during this revolution revo-lution lhey soon will receive elements of war for their worthy armed men by the Magdalena river and from Gen Duran This news army also will help to capture Bogota and with It the definite de-finite downfall of the sad regime whose burial has been the lot of the venerable I Ir Sanclemenle as good as Louis XVI but also as unfortunate as this King the heir to the crimes and faults of his predecessors > 1 can say to the publl what Bonaparte Bona-parte said to the Austrian diplomatists after the battle of Marengo Gentlemen The French republic read the Colombian revolution is as plain as the sun only those who are blind cannot see it A DIAZ GUERRA I |