"
And to his sister he wrote:
"I have decided to leave for Venezuela, and I want you to know this,
warning you that I absolutely do not want you, on your account or on
mine, to incur the least expense, for you well know how poor I am."
And this was the man who had been born wealthy, who had declined to accept
a million dollars from Peru, who gave his salary to the needy, who could
have had all life can give, but who renounced all to devote himself to his
country!
When the constitution was drafted, Bolivar found that it was going to be
contrary to his desires, and he made ready to return to Venezuela, but
was persuaded by the insistence of his friends to remain. At last, they,
fearing the oppression of Santander and his followers, left Congress. This
destroyed the quorum, as other representatives had already resigned.
On June 11th, they issued a proclamation explaining the failure of the
Congress, attributing it to the oppression by a party which desired a
constitution unsuited to Colombia, and which overlooked the real facts of
the situation; and declared that the legal status of the country was as
follows:
"The constitution of the year 1811 is in full vigor; the laws are in
force, and at the head of the government is the Libertador Presidente,
who has the confidence of the nation."
When Bolivar was informed that the convention had adjourned, he wanted to
return to the capital and withdraw from public life. This would have meant
civil war with no man powerful enough to put an end to it.
Pages:
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184