VENEZUELA. 



785 





iby officials in Caracas, and for this Germany de- 

 manded reparation, which was given by President 

 Castro. Other cases occurred. Finally Germany 

 decided to send cruisers to the coast of Venezuela 

 to emphasize the demands of the German charyc 

 d'affaires for the settlement of all claims and 

 questions in dispute. The threatened alternative 

 was the seizure of a Venezuelan custom-house to 

 be held until the amount of the claims had been 

 collected in duties. Before carrying out the dem- 

 onstration the German ambassador at Washing- 

 ton gave assurances that his Government had no 

 intention of acquiring dominion over any Vene- 

 zuelan territory. On Sept. 4 two expeditions, 

 largely composed of Venezuelans, were allowed 

 to go out from Maracaibo against the Colombian 

 port of Rio Hacha, on the peninsula of Goajira. 

 One, consisting of 1,000 men, sailed in a transport 

 steamer under command of Gen. Davila and was 

 escorted by the 4 gunboats of the Venezuelan 

 navy under Gen. Echeverria. The other, 500 

 .strong, marched overland. While the Colombian 

 forces were engaged with the insurgents at Boca 

 del Toro, on the border of Panama, the revolution- 

 ists who planned to make this stroke on the op- 

 posite frontier with the aid of their Venezuelan 

 allies hoped to win at once by dividing the Co- 

 lombian army. The Venezuelan gunboats began 

 the attack with a cannonade, and the troops made 

 a successful landing. The more seasoned Govern- 

 ment troops of Colombia, although smaller in 

 number, gained the ultimate victory (see COLOM- 

 BIA). The Venezuelans who were not captured 

 with Echeverria retreated with Davila, and suf- 

 fered severe privations and losses among the un- 

 friendly Indian population of Goajira. President 

 Castro threatened to avenge the insult to the 

 honor of Venezuela implied in the invasion of the 

 country by an alleged Colombian force, and 

 President Marroquin in equally menacing tones 

 demanded an explanation of the open assistance 

 given by the Venezuelan authorities to Colombian 

 revolutionists. When Venezuela posted 10,000 

 and Colombia 16,000 troops on the frontier the 

 United States Government offered to mediate. 

 The Colombian Government accepted, but Presi- 

 dent Castro declared that it would be against 

 the dignity of Venezuela to accept the offices of a 

 mediator unless Colombia first gave a satisfactory 

 explanation of the invasion of Tachira. The pres- 

 ident of the Pan-American Congress at Mexico 

 proposed that the difference be settled by arbi- 

 tration, and this proposition Colombia accepted 

 unconditionally. President Castro accepted with 

 the condition that Colombia make reparation and 

 pay damages for the invasion of Tachira. Chile 

 offered to mediate, and this offer was accepted by 

 Colombia, but Venezuela insisted on the condi- 

 tions laid down in the answer to the Congress at 

 the city of Mexico. 



The Nationalist party planned no general revo- 

 lutionary movement against Castro until the un- 

 popularity of his attitude toward Colombia, which 

 was likely to involve the country in a war, be- 

 came apparent. When an insurrection in Vene- 

 zuela was seen to be imminent President Castro 

 not only proceeded to arrest the leaders of the 

 hostile factions who did not flee to foreign soil, 

 but ordered a general conscription for the army, 

 as if in preparation for the war with Colombia, 

 although he could not legally make war without 

 the consent of Congress, which would not meet 

 till February, 1902. Forced war contributions 

 were exacted also from bankers and merchants, 

 for the treasury was empty. These acts strength- 

 ened the resolve of his enemies to undertake a 

 revolutionary enterprise for his overthrow and 

 VOL. XLI. 50 A 



alienated prominent politicians and members of 

 his Government who had aetod with him until .his 

 course toward Colombia compelled them to re- 

 sume their independence. In the western districts 

 all laborers between the ages of sixteen and sixty 

 were impressed into the army. The Rotunda 

 prison at Caracas was crowded with prominent 

 citizens who were arrested as enemies of the coun- 

 try. Some belonged to the revolutionary Nation- 

 alist party, many to the Conservative Opposition, 

 and not a few to the Liberal party which had 

 placed Cipriano Castro in- power. Most of the 

 newspaper editors, except those of the Government 

 organs, were thrown into prison. The President 

 announced that the country was tranquil, but 

 the murmurs of impending rebellion were heard 

 in all the provinces. He continued to send arms 

 and ammunition in Venezuelan gunboats to the 

 Colombian insurgents. His friends, who were few 

 outside of officeholders, asserted that he was 

 bound to assist the Colombian Liberals in return 

 for the aid they had given him in 1899 in his 

 rebellion against President Ignacio Andrade. On 

 Oct. 29 Gen. Castro, who for two successive years 

 had acted as provisional President, was declared 

 to have been definitively elected as President of 

 the republic, and his election was officially pro- 

 claimed by the Venezuelan Congress. In October 

 Gen. Juan Pietri headed an armed rebellion 

 against Castro's Government in the state of Cara- 

 bobo. Important expeditions were prepared in 

 Trinidad and Curagao. Manuel A. Matos, who 

 was Minister of the Treasury under Presidents 

 Joaquin Crespo and Ignacio Andrade and had 

 fled to Europe after being imprisoned by Castro 

 for refusing to give up money for the support of 

 the Government, fitted out in Antwerp an expe- 

 dition with a great quantity of arms and ammu- 

 nition and set out for Venezuela in an armed 

 steamer for the purpose of starting a great up- 

 rising. Ex-President Andrade and many other 

 exiles assembled from all parts of America and 

 from Europe in Curagao and other ports adjacent 

 to Venezuela. In the eastern part of the country, 

 Avhere the rebellious rising took place at the be- 

 ginning of the year, insurgents who had landed 

 from Trinidad captured Maturin, in the state of 

 Bermudez, after a sanguinary battle with the 

 Government troops. In the state of Bolivar oc- 

 curred a simultaneous rising. Gen. Montilla col- 

 lected 600 revolutionists near Barquisimeto, Gen. 

 Castillo another force at Coro. A battle with in- 

 surgents was fought near Barcelona. On the 

 river Guarapiche the Government troops were 

 victorious in their operations against insurgents 

 led by Gen. Rivas and Gen. Canas. Gen. Pietri 

 besieged the city of Calaboso. Gen. Pablo Guzman 

 attacked Aragua and captured a quantity of 

 arms, then defeated successively the force of Gen. 

 Meijas and the command of President Marcanos 

 of the state of Bermudez. Gen. Zoila Vidal sur- 

 prised the Government troops at San Felix. 



When the revolutionary movement broke out 

 President Castro no longer knew whom to trust 

 among his political friends. Dr. Blanco left the 

 Cabinet in consequence of the truculent answer 

 that the President insisted on giving to the pro- 

 posal of the Pan-American Congress to arbitrate. 

 Castro lost confidence in Sefior Velutini and com- 

 pelled him to resign. The post of Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs was given to Regino Pachano, and 

 that of Minister of the Interior to Calixto Esca- 

 lante. A few days later Gen. Ramon Guerra, the 

 Minister of War, was thrown into prison on the 

 charge of conspiring against President Castro, 

 and Gen. Gorrida was appointed to the vacant 

 post. 



