Elections and Civil Wars in Nineteenth-century Colombia: The 1875 Presidential Campaign
On I February I875, a hopeful President Santiago Perez took pride in informing Congress of the peace and prosperity brought about by a decade or so of Radical rule in Colombia.l His optimism was soon disappointed. A week later, he quelled a mutiny only by replacing both his Minister of War and the Army Commander-in-Chief. At the end of the month, the State of Magdalena was showing serious signs of political turmoil, while the recently sacked Minister of War, General Ram6n Santodomingo Vila, was in the port of Barranquilla plotting against the government of the Union. By August, the States of Bolivar and Panama had both officially declared war against Perez's administration; rumours reached Bogotai which accused 'Santo Domingo Vila of conspiracy to be President of the Republic of Costa Firme'.2 Customshouses in the Caribbean ports were held by rebel forces for almost four months, and rebel steamers on the Magdalena river blocked the country's main artery of trade. Bloody confrontations completed the picture of another civil war, leaving behind an indefinite number of casualties and a Treasury in disarray. When President Perez again faced Congress to give his annual message in 1876, he had to acknowledge his previous misjudgement.3