 He was noted for his opposition to the attempts by the anticlerical caudillo Eloy Alfaro to secularize Ecuadorian society.Despite his opposition to the anticlericals, he could be conciliatory and was known as a peacemaker during the country's volatile times, helping to maintain continuity in the nation.Of particular note was his public denunciation of a Conservative force massing in Colombia in 1900, a declaration that effectively ended five years of Civil War and ascribed a measure of legitimacy to Alfaro's Liberal government.