He returned to Colombia in 1876 at the center of a political fight. He had been nominated as a candidate for the presidency that year but did not win the election. He was elected as a senator for the State of Bolívar, however. From 1878 to 1888, he wrote hundreds of influential articles related to the constitutional reform for the newspapers "La Luz" and "La Nación" of Bogota, and 'El Porvenir' and "El Impulso" of Cartagena. He also wrote the lyrics for the Colombian national anthem.