Mr. Loomis to Mr. Hay.
Caracas, November 7, 1899.
Sir: The state of affairs in Venezuela since my dispatch of October 24 has been explained briefly from time to time in cablegrams, copies of which will be sent by this mail.
When General Andrade left the federal district the president of the Government council, by the express mandate of the constitution, became the head of the Government. That was a fact beyond question and beyond dispute. It was at first presumed that Gen. Victor Rodriguez, who thus became the head of the Government upon the abandonment of the power and the country by General Andrade, [Page 805] would continue to administer it for several weeks, and for that, reason I cabled on October 21, asking permission to recognize the Rodriguez Government. It was recognized by most or all of my colleagues, but practically this mattered little whether it was recognized or not, for at the end of three days it was turned over to General Castro, who came into Caracas by the invitation of General Rodriguez to assume control of the Government.
General Castro was very heartily welcomed upon his arrival in Caracas. He was popular with all parties, apparently, until he named his cabinet, and then his troubles began. The friend of General Hernandez had assisted General Castro when he was holding Valencia with both men and supplies. Castro’s army after the hard battle of Tocuyito numbered less than a thousand men and was almost without ammunition. The Hernandez following, which had also risen against Andrade, brought some 2,000 men to the standard of the revolution led by Castro. About 1,500 of these men came to Caracas in the wake of General Castro. The friends of Hernandez, who are influential and numerous in Caracas, demanded, it is understood, three important places in Castro’s cabinet for men of their clique. General Castro, who had liberated General Hernandez from prison and who had been publicly embraced by the latter with professions of friendship and gratitude, was nominated minister of Fomento. He took the matter under advisement, but acting upon the counsel of some of his friends, two days after the tender of the portfolio was made slipped out of Caracas under cover of darkness, taking 1,000 or 1,200 soldiers with him. He is now leading a revolution against the de facto Government of Castro, but up to this time has been very unsuccessful, his forces having been beaten, according to reports, in two engagements. He is said by his friends to have about 1,500 men with him and to be able to rally a couple of thousand more around him. He is now thought to be making his way toward Barquisimeto, which is held by some of his followers.
It seems to me that the movement of Hernandez is ill timed, and not likely to succeed unless the leaders of the Liberal party quarrel violently among themselves. There is no reason at present to think they will do otherwise than act in concert. Hernandez represents the Conservative party—a party which has not been in power for thirty years—and lines are being sharply drawn. Both parties, with the exception of a small wing of the Liberal party, were united against Andrade, but the alliance of Liberals and Conservatives ceased, practically, as soon as Andrade left the country.
The Castro movement is, as I have cabled, fairly well established. The only fault found with General Castro on the part of the Conservatives is that he did not give half of the places, including the ministry of war, to Hernandez men, and that he has put into the cabinet a former president of the Republic, Dr. Andueza Palacio, and Juan Francisco Castillo, the former being minister of foreign affairs and the latter minister of interior. Both of these men are said to be unpopular, and the former is charged with having caused the revolution of 1892, and so with responsibility for the long train of unhappy events which followed in its wake.
General Castro in his proclamation of principles announced with much emphasis that in his Government “New men, new ideas, and new methods” would predominate. The Conservatives, taking this utterance for a text point to the composition of the cabinet, and say [Page 806] with some force that both new men and new methods are painfully absent.
All of the ports in the country save one are held by the Castro Government, and all of the important cities and towns save Barquisimeto, which is of small value now in a political or military sense.
I think the united Liberal party can not at present be driven from power, but should it be, and should Hernandez gain control of the Government, another revolution is certain to follow. Men’s passions are becoming aroused now, and if a long period of warfare ensues many excesses may be expected.
A good deal of robbing and much cattle stealing is reported from the interior. Private interests have suffered, and some resident foreigners have been heavy losers. Fortunately very few Americans have in any way been molested.
The opinion among both natives and foreigners that the presence of the naval vessels in these waters has had a most wholesome and restraining effect is unanimous here.
Had it not been for the presence of vessels of our own and other navies it is extremely probable that I should have been called upon to report disorder attended with bloodshed at both Puerto Cabello and La Guaira. * * *
Calls for protection, for promises of protection, for aid of one kind or another make the work here extremely burdensome.
The number of naturalized American citizens scattered about this country is much larger than I supposed, and the Cubans and Porto Ricans grow both in their demands and numbers daily.
The city is a great armed camp filled with ragged and dirty, but I have no doubt valiant soldiers, who make a serious draft upon its: resources, so that the question of fresh food may readily become a pressing one very soon, while the danger of an epidemic is an ever-present menace. Smallpox broke out in the political prison some few weeks ago, but fortunately it has not spread very rapidly.
The price of coffee continues low, and not more than one-half of this year’s crop will be picked unless the men now under arms are permitted to go home and labor on the coffee plantations.
All of these conditions have their bearing upon the political situation, and make it easy to understand that with the economic condition of the country so unsatisfactory and unpromising it will be difficult for any Government to retain popularity for a considerable length of time unless it be administered by a man of singular courage, ability, and force of character.
I have, etc.,