COLOMBIA. 



The post office in 1891 handled 1,771,645 letters 

 and postal cards, 728.732 samples and printed 

 inclosures, and 91,688 packets and registered 

 letters. 



Panama Canal. The projected canal across 

 the Isthmus of Panama, 46 miles, was left un- 

 finished by the .bankruptcy of the company 

 formed by Henri de Lesseps in France, which 

 went into' liquidation in March, 1889, after hav- 

 ing expended over $260,000,000. The plans for 

 the completion of the canal with 8 locks 11 

 metres deep, include the formation of one or 

 more internal lakes of about 40 square miles, to 

 receive the surplus water in the wet season 

 and provide water to fill the locks in the dry 

 season. A large part of the expenditure of the 

 original company was diverted by fraudulent 

 contracts and blackmail, and the official liqui- 

 dator has obtained the restitution of consider- 

 able sums. Cornelius Hertz, a fugitive in Eng- 

 land, paid 1,500,000 francs. The executors of 

 Baron Reinach agreed to pay a like sum ; 4,000,- 

 000 francs were ordered by judicial decree to be re- 

 stored by a speculator who obtained an immense 

 sum for pretended services in floating bonds ; 

 .and the contractor Eiffel promised to cancel 

 certain obligations of the company that he held, 

 .and pay 5,000,000 francs in cash to the liquida- 

 tor, or, in case a new company should be formed, 

 to invest 10,000,000 francs in the stock. The 

 Colombian Government, in March, 1893, granted 

 an extension of the term of the concession, to 

 enable a new company to be formed. Stock- 

 holders representing 72*2,000 shares met in Paris 

 on April 4, 1893, and agreed to subscribe 20,000,- 

 000 francs to begin work. The liquidator au- 

 thorized M. Mange, who was made director-gen- 

 eral in Panama, to resume construction with the 

 funds supplied by restitutions and subscriptions. 

 The cost of completing the canal was estimated 

 at 300,000,000 francs, instead of the 500,000,000 

 francs previously supposed to be necessary, as 

 French and Colombian engineers had found that 

 the difficulty of controlling the Chagres river 

 and governing the subsidence of the slopes of 

 the cutting in the Culebra mountain was not so 

 great as had been anticipated. Laborers were 

 hired and the labor begun on the Culebra section 

 on Oct. 1, 1894. The new company was legally 

 constituted in Paris on Oct. 21. 



Political Record. The Government pro- 

 voked dissatisfaction by establishing monopolies 

 of cigarettes, salt, and liquors. A scandal re- 

 lating to the overissue of several millions in cur- 

 rency in 1889, which came to light before the 

 congressional elections, involved the reputation 

 of some high officials. Another scandal impli- 

 cated prominent individuals in fraud and bribery 

 connected with the Santander and the Antio- 

 quia and Bucamaranga railroads. The elections 

 in June continued the control of legislation by 

 the Conservatives, but they were less than ever 

 an expression of the popular will, as only a 

 small fraction of the electorate exercised the 

 right to vote. In Congress a question was raised 

 regarding the boundary on the Isthmus between 

 Colombia and Costa Rica, which state was ac- 

 cused of encroaching on Colombian territory. 

 The collection of ad valorem duties and of light- 

 house fees on gross tonnage at Colon and Pana- 

 ma was resisted by foreigners as being contrary 

 VOL. xxxiv. 10 A 



COLORADO. 



145 



to existing treaties. The Minister of War, Os- 

 pina Comacho, resigned in July, and other Cab- 

 inet changes followed. At the end of September 

 President Caro reorganized the ministry with a 

 view to insuring harmony in the Conservative 

 party. Quintero Calderon, the commander-in- 

 chief of the army, who was designated to suc- 

 ceed to the vice-presidency when Dr. Caro asked 

 permission in July to retire indefinitely, became 

 Minister of War; Vasquez Barrientos was made 

 Minister of Finance ; and Sefior Galindo, who 

 had succeeded F. Suarez as Minister of Justice, 

 gave up his portfolio to Dr. Arango. 



The Liberals and Radicals laid plans in the 

 early summer of 1894 to take advantage of the 

 financial scandals and reactionary course of the 

 Conservative party to regain possession of the 

 Government by an uprising. Arms were smug- 

 gled into the provinces of Santander and Mag- 

 dalena from Venezuela. The Government made 

 arrests, suppressed newspapers, and stationed the 

 military in places where disturbances were threat- 

 ened. After the death of President Nunez, in 

 September, the agitation was redoubled. Large 

 numbers of men joined the revolutionary mili- 

 tary organizations. Congress adjourned "in No- 

 vember, after rejecting the proposal to repeal 

 the oppressive laws restricting liberty of speech 

 and publication, notwithstanding the President's 

 message in favor of granting greater freedom of 

 the press. 



COLORADO, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union Aug. 1, 1876 ; area, 103,925 square 

 miles. The population in 1890 was 412,198. 

 Capital, Denver. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Davis H. 

 Waite ; Lieutenant-Governor, David H. Nichols ; 

 Secretary of State, N. 0. McClees ; Treasurer, 

 Albert Nance ; Auditor, F. M. Goodykoontz ; 

 Attorney-General, Eugene Engley; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, John F. Murray ; 

 Adjutant-General, T. J. Tarsney; Railroad Com- 

 missioner, William A. Hamill ; Regents of the 

 University, D. M. Richards, W. E. Anderson 

 all Populists. Chief Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, G. W. Allen ; Associate Justices, Charles 

 D. Hoyt, Victor A. Elliott. 



Finances. The revenues and appropriations 

 for the fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 1893, were as 

 follow : 



Estimated assessed valuation $245,000,000 00 



Valuation as shown 238,721,401 00 



Overestimate 6,27B,599 00 



Estimated net tax collectible 550,841 66 



Net tax as shown 514,046 75 



Overestimate 86,794 91 



Estimated revenue other than tax. . . 142,100 00 



Revenue and interest as shown 165,334 51 



Excess revenue, 1 890 83,161 22 



Underestimate 106,395 73 



Total estimated income 692,941 66 



Net income as shown 762,54248 



Underestimate 69,600 82 



Total estimated expenditure 773,215 22 



Net expenditure as shown 692,329 41 



Overestimate 80,885 81 



Total of warrants drawn 654,760 37 



Purchased for the various investment 



funds 472.18631 



Less warrants redeemed 28,148 34 



Eemaining in investment funds 444,037 97 



The valuations of railroads, telegraph and 

 telephone companies, etc., are : Railroads, $33,- 

 043,749 ; Western Union, $322,729 ; Postal Tele- 



