1890

A. H. Bacon recently wrote as follows from Medellin, Colombia, S. A.:

"Medellin, Sept. 19, '39.

"Dear Hardy: "Yours of Aug. 30, ultimo, received yesterday. I did not know that you are the town treasurer of Arlington, and, it seems, have been for many years, and that goes to show how little, in fact, I know about any of the members of the famous class of '9O. The little booklet you sent me was the first knowledge I had received, up to then, of how many have passed on to their reward since our 25th reunion.

"This does not mean that I had ceased to take an interest in Dartmouth. I had the fortune, good or bad, to hear Stanley lecture in city hall, Portland, Me., on his trip to darkest Africa, to find Livingstone. It made such an impression on me that, ever after, I was obsessed to see the Tropics. A trip to Colombia was the first opportunity that offered, over 25 years ago, yes nearly 30 years. John Barrett Dartmouth 'B9 had just returned from Bogota, where he had been the U. S. minister, and had taken up his life work in Washington, as director of the Pan American Union. Panama had just seceded from Colombia and naturally there was a great deal of resentment against Americans. I went to Washington to see John about it. He advised me to go, and gave me letters of introduction to the President, and many of his friends in Colombia, and last but not least a general letter to all the alcaldes of Colombia. Barrett was the first U. S. minister to Bogota after the secession of Panama. When he arrived in Bogota and everytime he appeared on the streets of the Capitol he was hissed for a time. When he left Bogota he had made himself the most popular U. S. minister ever to have represented the States there. There has never been his equal since.

"John gave me a letter to Dawson, U. S. minister, after John, who was a very able man who had been sent to Bogota to patch up the Panama situation. Dawson was the author of a history of the South American Republics, one of the best authorities to this day. Barrett's letter of introduction to Dawson mentioned that I was a Dartmouth alumnus, and that was the occasion of the greatest thrill that has happened to me in Colombia, viz., Letters in the legation archives from Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, to the American minister, Harrison, at that time, who afterwards became President. Dawson, a Princeton grad., had the same exalted opinion of Webster that all Dartmouth men have or ought to have. We both agreed that he was the greatest orator the race has produced, and the States' greatest lawyer and statesman. Colombia was a very primitive nation at that time. It took me 3 weeks to make the trip from the coast, via river steamer, horseback and railroad. Now you make the trip in 314 hours via air.

"The old Colombia I knew nearly 30 years ago has gone forever. The same is true of Venezuela, in fact the credit of the latter is the best in the world, she has no foreign debt, and I believe the same will soon be true of Colombia. An oil geologist told me that if all the known sources of petroleum became exhausted, there is enough in these 2 republics to supply the world's needs for 500 years. Colombia's iron and coal deposits are enormous. There is a continuous chain of iron and coal deposits all the way from Bogota to the Caribbean, 500 miles. Her mines of gold, silver and copper are among the world's largest. She has one of the best air services in the world. Her rail and auto roads are growing apace. The legations in Bogota and Caracas have been raised to embassies.

"Colombia has the most stable government in South America. Dictators would not last long here. She has had sense enough not to have anything to do with Newdealism. In one respect she has a better federal government than the U. S. viz.: Her federal senators are elected by the legislatures of the departments and not by popular vote, as in the States. The U. S. ought to repeal that amendment to its constitution, which has worked badly. The U. S. Senate today is a bunch of weak sisters, with few exceptions.

"I was in Colombia in 1914. Now we have another war which bids fair to out horror the last one, I mean the first one or 1914, which caused me to lose a fortune. This one cannot cause me to lose any fortune for I have none to lose. But war or no war I am coming back to the States to help elect a Republican president, and above all to be in Hanover next June.

"I did not know you had a son to say nothing about a granddaughter. Congratulations. To me life is just beginning at 70 and the best and most interesting part of life is ahead and not behind.

"You write about wanting to visit South America. I hope you do. The Tropics does things to you. Medellin is 5400 feet above sea level, with mountains on all sides rising as many feet more. We are among the Central cordillera of the Andes. Just south of us here the mighty Quindio rise to nearly 20,000 feet. The climate of Medellin is a perpetual spring. We have strawberries, peaches, pineapples, oranges, grape fruit, etc., all the year round. Every day is, to me, a new creation. I never tire of it.

"Well I have written too much, and so stop right here knowing you will never read what is above. Warmest regards to Mrs. Hardy and yourself, and

"So long until next June. "BACON"

Seven of us met in Dan Ruggles' office recently and plans were formulated for our 50th reunion next June Our Class History will soon be on the press

Secretary, 34 Gray St., Arlington, Mass.