The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-08
BARRIos.

Should the rumor of the death OF
General Barrios, President of the little
Republic of Guatemala, prove true, the
mourning for the man should extend
beyond the limits of the nation for
which he has done so much. 1t is true
he was an autocrat and engaged in an
undertaking that is repugnant to all
ideas of free and independent govern
ment; at the same time, the success OF
his scheme would have proven the best
thing that could happen to the little
REPUBLICS of Central America. If these
countries are ever brought under good
government, it will be through what
the world would call an injustice or
assumption. They are incapable OF
giving themselves good government, and
the man who is now reported dead
seemed the one man capable OF doing
what they were unable to do for them
selves.
Barrios is, or was, fuIl-bleoded In
dian, native of Guatemala, and man
of ambition, energy, persistency and
passion, and possessing extraordinary
diplomatic ability and shrewdness.
When he became President Of the Re
public, the people were little more adj
vanced than the savages. They were
unenlightened, indolent, degraded in
their habits, superstitious. and averse
to innovations of every kind. Barrios
took hold with energy, and soon
wrought complete social and material
revolution. First, he drove out the
Jesuits who had hitherto dominated
the people. He established strong !
standing army, introduced reforms in
the government of which he had been
appointed head, lightened the burden
of taxation, brought in civilized Gus
toms and introduced the products of
civilized countries, and developed the
resources of the country by arousing
the people to a sense of their opportuni-
ties and the natural wealth of which
they were the unworthy stewards.
Guatemala, with its million and a quar-
Ter of population. now stands at the
head OF the Central American republics,
thanks to the energy and executive
power of this man. 1t is no wonder
that man of so much re-
source, such ambition, and who
had achieved so high degree of
success should permit his ambition to
lead him beyond the narrow limits of
his own Republic, and put into his
head visions of greater power and
dominion.
Barrios' scheme was to consolidate
the Republics of Central America into
a nation of States, of which he should
be dictator, with very nearly absolute
power and authority. His method for
carrying his plan into effect was the
readiest and most effective one-subju-
Cation by force of arms. Had he lived
there would have been little doubt of
his sgcces, provided, of course, he had
not been restrained by foreign interpo-
sition. Honduras, the second strongest
Republic, readily agreed to the pro-
posal, and at once put an army into the
field to cooperate with that of Guate-
mala. The armies of these two allies |
we're larger in number than the COM |
bined forces of his enemies, and much |
better equipped.
Under the circumstances, and con-
sidering the substantial good that
would have come from the proposed
conquest. it is to be regretted that
Mexico thought it proper to interfere,
and it is even more mournful that the
brave Barrics has been-if he has been
killed-eut short in a career which bid
fair to give the world famous man
from the Central American Indian race!