The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-03-19
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1885
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN DIS
TURBANCE.

LII D6BlnS W lOOh dS IuOuSh OhOAO ~
going to be war in the Central Amer
lean states, the question involved be-
ing control of the Nicaragua Canal
President Barrios, of Guatemala, sud-
denly appears to have become dis
gusted with a presidency of only one
little State, and conceived the plan OF
ruling with the sword the five states
of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
San Salvador ana Costa RIGA. Acting
upon this conception, he issued proc
lamation declaring himself Pres
ident of the five Central Amer
lean states, kindly consenIing
that the presidents OF the tour
states be subordinate presidents IN
der him. 1t appears, however, that
the President of Honduras was the
only one of the four willing to put
himself under the wing OF the pre-
sumptive Barrios, and 1T is said ne
cannot lead his own people into the
arrangement TO which he subscribes.
In other words, the presidents OF
Nicaragua, San Salvador and Costa
Rlca felt they were as big presidents
as Barrios, and these have con-
cluded to contest the usurp-
er's claim to a military.
Dictatorship. In this resolve,
it appears, their people join them. and
President Diaz, of Mexico, announces
his readiness to protect the autonomy
of the sister republics. Not only Ices
Mexico take this position, but the ut
terances of Secretary Bayard show
that the United States Government Is
prepared to pursue the same course DIS
that indicated by President Dlaz.
It is not a part OF BarrloS
disposition, however, to give way TO
such pressure as presents Itself in oppo-
sition to his plans of empire. He is by
nature dictator; has been President
of Guatemala since 1868. He has the
army and the press under his control
and holds himself responsible to no
one. He opposed the canal, aud dld
not allow the papers to comment upon
1t, and only permitted them to pub
lish the text of the treaty. He
concluded, that if the canal were con-
structed it would add to the popula-
ton and wealth of Nicaragua, and
thus increase its relative power amlnd
the states. The other states were de-
lighted at the prospects resulting from
the treaty; only Guatemala protested.
The relative military strength OF the
different states is: Guatemala 10
600 men; San Salvador 10000; Hondu-
ras 10000; Nicaragua 10000; Costa
RIGA 10000. 1t is asserted that Presi-
dent Bogran, of Honduras, could not
lead his people nor his army into the
Barrios combination, and hence Qua
temaIa would have to go into the con-
test with all the rest OF Central Amer
lea against her. That Barrios could
succeed under such clrcum-
stances, opposed as well by the
United States and Mexico, without
some powerful ally, is impossible.
In this connection it is asserted that
the immediate cause of Barrios'
move is to be traced to French
schemers French money, to the ex-
tent of hundreds of millions of dol
lars, has been put into the Panama
canal. and should the Nicaragua canal
fail, or be retarded, it will add to the
value of the French undertaking. In
event of war in Central Amer
lea, France would be compelled
to protect the Panama work.
She would send war vessels and troops
there, and then Uncle Johnathan
would begin to get mad. There are,
indeed. several specks of war clouds
around the political horizon, and
some of them may grow into lower
ing proportions.