124 



COLOMBIA, UNITED STATES OF. 



tion. Instead of this, however, it was sent 

 back to Congress with certain observations on 

 the objectionable features yet remaining to the 

 bill. It was accordingly submitted to a second 

 vote, and both houses declared by large ma- 

 jorities that the objections of the President 

 should not hold good, and thereby the bill be- 

 came a law in spite of the veto. The law of 

 Colombia directs that the President shall sign 

 vetoed bills after they have passed Congress 

 twice ; but, when sent to him a second time 

 for his signature, Mosquera replied that it was 

 impossible for him to sanction the bill. This 

 message was laid on the table by the House of 

 Representatives. Another incident widened 

 the breach still further. This was the affair of 

 the steamer E. E. Cuyler, or as it was called 

 after its purchase by Mosquera, Eayo, which it 

 was reported the President could use for carry- 

 ing out his unconstitutional projects. Members 

 who had been informed of the character of this 

 vessel and the irregularity of her purchase, 

 change of colors, etc., had asked the Executive 

 for a statement of the real merits of the case, 

 but without getting a reply other than that 

 Mosquera was personally the owner of the 

 steamer. Not satisfied, however, with such an 

 answer, another and more pointed demand for 

 information was made by the House, but no 

 other reply whatever was elicited. When the 

 session of Congress was drawing to a close, a 

 third attempt to set matters right was made by 

 the -House, by a proposition to request the Ex- 

 ecutive to disarm the vessel, as she did not 

 belong to the government, and private indi- 

 viduals could not by usage possess ships-of-war ; 

 also to instruct the Attorney-General to hold 

 Mr. Salgar, minister to the United States, and 

 other public functionaries, responsible for their 

 criminal participation in the affair of the Eayo. 

 The debate on this proposition was postponed 

 until the 29th of April. Another affair pre- 

 cipitated the crisis. About the middle of April, 

 the news of the attack of Mosqnera's troops 

 upon the authorities of the State of Magda- 

 lena, was received at Bogota. Congress insti- 

 tuted an investigation of this affair, through 

 their standing committee on the Constitution 

 and Laws. The majority of this committee 

 proposed to impeach the President, Secretary 

 of War, and other public officers implicated in 

 the matter. The Senate declared its discontent 

 with the action of the Executive. On the 29th 

 of April, after a very stormy session, the ma- 

 jority of the House passed the resolutions of 

 the standing committee against the Executive ; 

 the secretaries and the adherents of the Presi- 

 dent (Mosqueristas) had left the session, al- 

 though it had been declared permanent. Still, 

 on the same day, the 29th of April, General 

 Mosquera passed a decree dissolving Congress 

 and declaring the country in a state of war, 

 conformably to the 91st article of the constitu- 

 tion. On the same day Bogota was erected 

 into a federal district, the law which prohibited 

 a national navy declared null and void, and 



the steamer Eayo at the same time incorpo- 

 rated therewith. On the 30th the dictator 

 issued a proclamation to Colombians and sent 

 a message to the Presidents of States informing 

 them of these occurrences. 



President Aldana, of the State of Cundina- 

 marca (of which heretofore Bogota had been 

 the capital), was thrown into prison, and the 

 first de&ignado, Dr. Jesus Zimenez, put in his 

 place. The news of these events at once kin- 

 dled the civil war in nearly every State of the 

 Confederation, the Presidents of most of the 

 States declaring against Mosquera and in favor 

 of Congress. 



On the 25th of May, General Santos Acosta, 

 general-in-chief of the army of the Colom- 

 bian Union, and second designado for exercising 

 the national executive power, presented himself 

 in the government palace and notified the 

 Grand-General, President Mosquera, that he 

 was a prisoner in the name of .the republic. 

 This was done with the approval of the National 

 army, and in consequence General Acosta took 

 charge of the Executive, nominating General 

 Jose" Hilario Lopez general-in-chief of the army. 

 The adherents of Mosquera continued the war 

 only for a short time, and soon peace was re- 

 stored throughout the country. A trial was 

 instituted against Mosquera, which was con- 

 cluded on the 30th of October, and its result 

 was promulgated on November 1st. According 

 to the Oaceta Official of Bogota, the charges 

 and specifications were as follows : 



The Senate of Plenipotentiaries (Senators are 

 called Senators Plenipotentiary because the States 

 claim to be sovereign) declares the Grand-General 

 T. C. Mosquera guilty on the following charges : 



1. Of having promulgated the decree of Oct. 6, 

 1800, in which he prohibited the establishment of 

 salt depots for private use. 



2. Of having issued a private order to the Post- 

 master-General to exclude from the mails for a cer- 

 tain length of time certain newspapers. 



3. Of having issued a decree on the 12th of August, 

 1866, exempting the Postmaster-General from the 

 obligation of taking securities from his subordi- 

 nates. 



4. Of having concluded a secret treaty with the 

 Minister of the Republic of Peru, on the 28th of Au- 

 gust, 1866. 



These offences being of the third degree, the Gen- 

 eral is sentenced to four months' suspension from 

 office (the Presidency), to pay a fine of $12, to lose 

 all political and civil rights, and undergo two years' 

 imprisonment. 



And he is absolved from the charges : 



First Relative to the decree of November Vj, 1866, 

 which deprives the Church of the temples annexed 

 to the suppressed convents. 



Second Relative to the revolution of the 8th of 

 December, 1866, in which the accused person refused 

 to recognize the authority of the Judge of the Second 

 Circuit Court of Bogota. 



Third Relative to the arrest of Dr. Manuel Mu- 

 rillo, the order not having emanated from the Ex- 

 ecutive. 



fourth Relative to the order of the 17th of Nov., 

 1866, upon the award of maritime prizes, because 

 the order did not take effect ; and 



Fifth From all the other charges made before the 

 Senate by the House of Representatives. 



The Senate absolves Jos6 Maria Rojas Garido, 



