News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-05-07
BARRIOS AND HIS PEOPLE.
the Dictator as He Appeared to an Amer
lean who Lived In Guatemala.

Barrios has been abused undeservedly
by people and papers who do not know
the kind of a nation he has to deal with.
Dictator Barrios looks just like sue
cesslul Irish contractor. He is of mid
die height and weight. and has a full
grayish beard. He is sturdy, energetic,
and successful. Fifteen OR sixteen years
ago he was private soldier in the army.
He worked his way up to captain, COL
onel, general, and by the aid of the army
he became President and Dictator. Be-
fore that he had studied law, and was
half lawyer and half mule trader. I
do not believe he is dead now. He is
not that kind of a man.
For five or six years he has been fix
ing up his army and getting ready for
this contest. He has bought uniforms,
rifles, ammunition, and Gatling guns
and cannon. French officers have been
drilling his men, and his artillery corps
is very efficient. He issued his procla-
nation creating himself Dictator and
declaring the union of Central America,
on one Friday month ago. On Satur-
day flags were hung everywhere and the
city was jubilant. Sunday was feast
day. On Monday morning recruits were
brought in. He sent out the regular
army and snaked them in. He had uni
forms and rifles ready, and he mixed the
conscripts in with the old soldiers at
once. Every available man was i'm
pressed. Thirty-fve thousand were
raked in in four days. They didn't dare
to kick.
Guatemala is small country, and
man can't get out of it or travel through
it without a passport. When I left
engaged man and four mules to go to
the port with me. Before we got off
they impressed him and impressed the
mules and put them in the quartet, and
it took day to get them out. When 1
left Barrios had raised sixty thousand
infantry from Guatemala alone, without
counting Honduras.
Barrios is an absolute dictator.
There is not Judge that dares make
decision against his wishes. A few years
ago the Senate would not pass one of his
measures. He got mad and told them
he wouldn't be President any more if
they didn't stop. Three or four of the
Senators worked against him at the last
election. Unfortunately they died sud-
denly the next morning. He forces
them to elect him. Every man who
votes has to write his name on his bal
lot, and if man signs his name for
candidate who is not elected God help
him. There was a little rebellion on
one of his coffee plantations lately, and
he sent some of his officers with red
breeches and an army corps and they
shot 800 insurgents.
They have a Senate and House of
Representatives, but they meet only to
vote what Barrios wishes. If he wants
money he dips his hand into the Treas
ury, and there's nobody to call him to
account. Most of the revenue comes
lTOu lu6 CllSIOA hOUSos OTCSu lOduS
are resorted to in time of war, but they
have been paid back every time SO far.
He is credited with being worth
$18, 100000.
The people have supported him be-
cause they had to, but it's hard to tell
whether they would get rid of him if
they could. Not one in hundred of
them knows what he is supporting, and
not five per cent. can write.
Guatemala's popu4ation is 1,3OO,OOO
of whom 100000 are pure whites or
Spaniards. The others are mixed,
brindle or yellow. You can get any
shade of color. There is great deal of
silver and gold in the country, but the
mines are not worked owing to the
troublous times. The chief produc-
tions are coffee, sugar, fruit, mahogany,
and dye stuffs. There are several mil
lionaires in the capital. The Guatema-
lans make poor soldiers. They are cow
ardly, and don't know how to use their
Remington rifles.