Mr. Burton to Mr.
Seward
No. 270.]
Legation of the United States,
Bogota, September 10, 1866.
Sir: In my No. 111 I explained the
interpretation given to the constitution of Colombia, to the effect that
the overthrow of a State government by armed force of its citizens is
not interdicted by the national constitution, and that the federal
government has no power to interfere in such case so long as its
authority is not attacked, and in my Nos. 142 and 197 I reported the
consequences which had followed that interpretation.
President Mosquera has recently issued an order, hereto annexed, (B,) in
which he takes an opposite and no doubt correct view of the subject, and
declares his intention to suppress these disturbances in future. The
conservatives and Murillo branch of the liberals affect to see cause of
alarm in this, and to believe it a long stride towards a
dictatorship.
In accordance with this view of the President, he has ordered a thousand
troops to the isthmus, to preserve order there, as he pretends, but
really, as is generally supposed, and perhaps correctly, to bring about
indirectly an overthrow of the present State government of Panama, and
to substitute the parties deposed in March, 1865. (See my No. 197.) We
have much reason to regret such a
[Page 568]
change, as the present government is the best that
State has had, and the parties proposed to be reinstated by President
Mosquera are hostile to our people and interests, and unscrupulous and
abandoned men.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
B.
[Translation.]
Circular declaring when the general
order is considered disturbed.
united states of colombia—national
executive power—department of the interior and foreign
relations—section 2, number 5.
Department of the
Government.
The Governors of the States:
The executive power desires to fix the line of conduct to be pursued
in case of the disturbance of the general order, in order that, the
republic being now in peace, his determination may be perfectly
known beforehand.
It is, therefore, by order of the great general President of the
Union declared:
That when an armed faction shall rise up in any State, with the
object of overthrowing the government, by deposing the legally
constituted authorities of such State, and to give it a new
organization, the government of the republic will consider the
general order broken, and that it will be its duty, according to No.
19, article 66 of the constitution, to see that the general order be
preserved.
In case a revolutionary movement in a State shall not have in view
the object just indicated, the government of the republic will
consider it merely a question between the inhabitants of such State,
and, in obedience to the federal institutions, abstain from taking
any part in such movement, provided that the general order shall not
be broken by interfering with or disturbing the national employés in
the discharge of their functions; that the national property or
revenues be not taken possession of, nor any act committed which may
compromise the republic in its international relations, and that the
State government may have a force sufficient to re-establish order
and secure to individuals the right guaranteed by article 15 of the
constitution.
I am your obedient servant,
JOSÉ MARIA ROJAS GARRIDO.
