The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-16
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luatemala illustrates, on a small scale, the
belligerent and aggressive ideas which often
lake possession Of States inflated by military
Iuccesses. Scarcly emerged from her late
Ttruvpls for life, and still heaving with those
turbulent elements which have involved her
In anarchy since her separation from the
parent State, Mexico should be the last country
20 wage war, especially against a sister repub-
Iio with whom friendly alliance is almost
Essential to the permanenoe of her own nation
ality. Sanguinary disputes az empty bom-
bast seem to be inseparable from the Spanish
character. Hence we hear of vaingiorious
Mexican leaders breathing defiance against the
United States, to whom they owe their de-
hverance from the foreign yoke, while their
press INDUCES Quixotic speculations upon the
possible capture and annexation of Cuba by
Mexico and, finally, war is declared against
Its next door neighbor, Guatemala. Already
forces, said to be several thousand strong,
have crossed the Guatemalan frontier, and,
doubtless, by this time the cdH du ldit inhabi-
tants Of those volcanic regions are at each
others throats in the most approved Spanish
American fashion.
The immediate result of such a contest is of
slight Importance to Americans. Guatemala,
anti-progressive in policy, and shut up within
itself by Japanese exclusiveness, has little
From the era of its independence up to about
twenty years since, when the Indian President
Carera usurped dictatorial powers, Guatemala
has presented scene Of bloodshed and crime
quite equal to anything in Mexican annals.
Under the iron rule of Carera, as well as that
of CerDa his successor, the Executive has
welded the functions of royalty to all intents
and purposes. Guatemala leaned decidedly
towards the late empire, and JuareZ owes her
grudge for her ill-judged sympathy. Durin
the French Intervention secret allianceg was
in negotiation with Guatemala, by which
that State was eventually to have been an
nexed to Mexico. part OF this plan was to
bring in the other Central American repub-
Hos, and form grand Spanish American en-
pire; but those little sovereignties peremp-
torily declined, and the scheme was abandoned.
Soon after this the withdrawal of the French
troops was announced as decided upon and
ringing the knell of the empire. Guatemala
thereupon hastened to wash her hands of the
proposed alliance by circular sent by Senor
Aycenena, then Minister of State, to foreign
governments, denying all intention Of surren-
dering its sovereignty to any power what
ever. This affair, however, has been in part
made pretext in Mexico for warlike demon
strations.
Since the overthrow of the Spanish authority
in 1921, the city of Guatemala has been to a
great extent controlled by sort of provincial
mobility the remnants of the old aristocratio
families who fourished under the vice-royalty,
and some of whom retain their titles to this
day. The mongrel classes such as comprise
the patchwork populations of Mexico, exist
proportionally in Guatemala to less extent
than in any other Spanish-American State,
the extreme of rich aristocratic families and
the vast Indian hordes who comprise four
fifths of the inhabitants being more distinctly
defined. The earliest intestine wars of Cen
trail America grew out of this aristocratlc re-
dictionary element, guided by the priesthood,
aiming at Capitalization of power in Guate-
mala over the other four republics, and which
for half century has effectually prevented
Federal union. The ideas of this controlling
party are anti-republican, and, among their
leading men, even monarchical. Their readl-
ness to listen to the overtures of the late I'm
perial Government in Mexico was only in con-
tinuation of the attempt of the old vice-royal
families in 1922 to incorporate Central America
with the empire of Yturbide.
But with all these local repellant forces
Guatemala will probably be vigorously sus-
tanned by her little sister States in this war
with Mexico. There is still a latent bond OF
union between them, based upon common
origin of race and religion, which is invariably
aroused by foreign aggression. An attack
upon any one enlists the sympathies of the
whole, as was instanced in the Mexican inva-
sion in 1922, and the more recent combined
efforts of the whole to expel Walker and his
flibusters from Nicaragua The present in
vasion, therefore, by Mexico of Central America
will tend to unite the five republics on the
principle of self-preservation; for it is well
known that the alleged settling of disputes
about Chiapas and SOconusco are only pretexts
for extorting money and even of acquiring
further territory to the southwark, by forcing
from weaker power what stronger one has
taken from Mexico to the northward. To ex-
tend the Mexican republic, divert the public
mind from their present embarrassments into
other channels, dazzle the people with visions
OF national aggrandizement, and come to a
reckoning for the sympathy shown to the
French intervention, are the objects of the war.
Should Guatemala invite to its aid foreign
elements, from whatever source, as Nicaragua
did Walker in 1854 Mexico would find herself
menaced from a new direction, and this time
not alone by her own race; nor could she
count upon having the tremendous moral force
OF the United States In her favor. She would
be left to fight her own battle against those
who have bitter scores to settle with her, and
whose assistance Central America would gladly
accept. Thus, instead of aggrandizing herself
by attacking an unofendng neighbor, Mexico
may yet find herself in the condition of the
raven who attempted to fly away with the
ram. central America is being Americanzed
Lar more rapidly than Mexico, owing to the
seVe[ai routes OF interoceanic communication
now at1racung the attention of capitalists o
america ana EUROPE and the great immigra
LION schemes on loot, especially as regards
donduras' Inns Mexico -Guatemalan war
therefore, may be the first step towards tn,
downfall the Spanish American povarnrnant
I. 10. n 4I,s-