Connecticut western news., 1885-04-15
BARRIOS AND HIS PEOPLE.
The Dictator as He Appeared to an Amer
 lean who Lived In GuntemRln.

Barrios has been abused undeservedly by people and papers who do not know the kind of 8 nation he has to deal with. Dictator Barrios looks just like a suc- cessful Irish contractor. He is of mid dle height and weight, and has a full grayish beard. He is sturdy, energetic, and successful. Fifteen CT 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 a lawyer and half mule trader. I dohnot believe he is dead now. He is net that kind of man.
 For five or six years he has been fix- ing up his army and getting ready for this contest. He hes 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 iubilant. Sunday was feast day. On Monday morning recruits were brought in. He sent ont 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-five thousand were raked in in four days. They didn't dare to kick.
 Guatemala is a small country, and 8 man can't get out of it or travel through it without a passport. When I left I 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 I left Barrios had raised sixty thousand infantry from Guatemala alone, without counting Honduras.
 Barrios is an. absolute dictator. There is not Judge that dsres make a 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 q 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 brooches and an army corps and they shot 300 insurgents.
 They have a Senate and House of Representatives, but they meet only to vote what Barrios wishes. If be wants money he dips his hand into the Treas ury, and there's nobody to call him to account. Most of the revenue comes from the Custom House. Forced loans are resorted to in time of war, but they have been paid back every time SO far. He is credited with being worth SIS, 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 a hundred of them knows what he is supporting, and not five per cent. can write.
 Guatemala's population is 1,300, 900, of whom 100, ,00O 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.