The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-07

a.c,,.. the train before the explosion occurred
Csr,;t SIM is now gone home from the luna
10 asr,,,, r,,,. red to reason. Would it no
be proper to have him 'e'ofo 'ne 0o"uii''ee
He could give some very per- 'en' anu import
ant information.
Sixth Ward Politics I'm Central Amer
fca-Psrtisan Abuse 1T Homo and
Abroad.
Americans are apt to fatter themselves that
they excel oil other nations in whatever they
undertake; that they can build faster steamers,
Aght bloodier battles, "dive deeper, stay longer
under water, and come out drier," than any
other people under the sun. And we have no
doubt that our partisan politicians are happy
in the belief that in the management of political
affairs, controlling elections, and generally
drumming the machine, I" they sustain CORES
ponding superiority But this Is q delusion-
at least In so far as blackening the character
of the opposition candidate constitutes part
of the electoneering system. Whether 1t be
that our Spanish American cousins have i'm
proved on the lessons taught them by our par
+isan editors, or that they have natural talent
for that sort of thing, we are unprepared to
say; but one thing is certain-they are achieving
an unprecedented success in the art Of defama-
tion. Not that we imagine that their public
men are altogether paragons of civic or po-
Ntical virtue any more than our own; but
we can scarcely believe it possible that
they are such complete monsters as they
are represented. We are led to these remarks
by series Of electioneering documents
which have come to our hands through
the last Central American mails. The little
worlds of Honduras and San Salvador are con-
vulsed, in their Lilliputian way, with Presiden-
tial elections, and the rival parties which d.
vide them are circulating the documents"
after a fashion which reminds us of the days of
"Coflin Handbills" and "Plebeian Tracts" One
b of these, directed against the actual President
Of Honduras, General Guardiola, is qnite up to
the standard of Amos Kendall's famous or in
famous pamphlet against Henry Clay, and is
entitled Compendium Of the Most Notable
Acts of General Santos Guardiola." 1t opens
in the following emphatic style:-
People of Honauras We speak of General Santos Guar
iola visited the world to the dshonor OF
himself all the crimes and vices knoxn amongst men.
Ills vulgar aspect his brutal manners sardonc laugh
an1 narrow and sinister ambition betray the corruption
OF his soul and the degradation and OF his heart
But tot intend TO paint the general character OF
this mar the epitome and emblem Of all that vile, but
only to oraw notice to the following condensed catalogue
.ot bis crimes.
This fattering Introduction is followed by
list of alleged murders and assassina-
lions, to the number of thirty-two, with
= -
in 1871 and coming down to 1851. 1t is fear
fn1 catalogue of individual and wholesale mas
sacres, and includes several hundreds Of
victims. Some of these, it is affirmed,
fell under his own hands, but most under or
ders given in paroxysms of drunken OF ungov-
ernable fury. Of course, with one to whom
murder would seem to be so familiar, arsons
and CONGREGATIONS of towns and villages to the
number of eight could only be pastime; nor,
after reading the details of these, would any
one be surprised to find twenty odd robberies
lending their aid to fill up the outlines of the
delectable character already so boldly sketched
by our tropical pamphleteer. But if anything
were lacking in this respect, we might find it at
our hands under the subordinate headings of
s.Mutinies," Grapes and Other Outrages,"
which, we are told, are innumerable, but of
which we have nevertheless, very formida-
BILE catalogue.
1t could hardly have been intended, but our
pamphleteer winds up his indictment with o
count which we submit is rather in the nature
of an anti-climax, and which, even If true,
could hardly be expected to damage seriously
the character of the unhappy General. Says
the pamphlet
He removed without Just cause, Don Jose Mez1 from
the pos, Of Collector the port Of Omoa which that gentle
an had filed with the greatest credit and furthermore,
anued 10 INN the ep,,he,s OF "awkward sprou1p and
<stupd all because he would not connive at the
frauds which attempted on the public treasury
II General Guardiola should fail of his cleo
ton, he will probably repent of this atrocity
towards Senior Meza; and if he should succeed,
we cannot see how he will find it in his heart
to decline reinstatng that much injured gentle
man in the responsible post of Customs Colec-
tor ia Omoa. Let him apply this salve to Sc
nor Meals wounds, and we will insure cure
for them ALL
OF course the virulence and extravaganza
Of such assaults as these on public men must
always fail of their object certainly, in every
country where moderate degree of intelli-
gence prevails. We know little or nothing Of
the character or career of General Guardiola,
except that he got rather summsrily beaten by
General Walker in Nicaragua, and was subse-
ouently elected President of Honduras. How
far, locally, he may have mismanaged govern
ment, we have no means of knowing; but we
know that for four years he has preserved order
in the State, and kept it out Of those entangling
alliances and combinations against the United
States melted by Monsieur Belly and his coad-
tutors, and which, at one time, before those air.
bags burst, seemed likely to have at least
o temporary success. And if he should
be re elected, we shall not despair
notwithstanding the grievous nature Of