The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-15

| New York Herald.
| The war which has just been declared between
Guatemala and Nicaragua will, without doubt,
| involve the whole five neighbornc states The
blind ambition of the tyrant Barrios, whose
sanguinary record is we'll known to the readers
of the Herald, is at the bottom Of the whole mis-
chief.
Since the dissolution of the Central American
Confederation, after the death of General Don
Francisco Marazan, through the influence Of the
church party and the so-caled aristocracy of
! those parts, the best men throughout all the
states have tried in vain to revive the old
federal union. In 1871 General Miguel Garcia
Granados accomplished the overthrow Of the
church party in Guatemala, and year after
ward General Barrios ousted him from power,
through vile system Of intrigue, and
placed himself at the head of the Liberal party
there. At first great things were expected from
Barros, and some honorable men went SO far as
to express the hope that he might be able to
bring about the much-desired union among the
states. But the real character of Barros speed
ily manifested itself and, instead of proving
himself patriot, he turned out to be cruel ty-
rant and sordid mercenary. Numbers Of his
bloody deeds and wholesale executions have been
repeatedly mentioned in these columns. and, as
for his greed of gold. an idea may be formed of
him in this respect when it is known that, dur
ing his term Of thirteen years in Office,
he has accumulated q fortune Of l0000 900.
much of which is invested IN the banks of England
and France, as well as in American securities.
The nature of the means employed to pile up q
fortune like this will be better appreciated when
it is stated that Guatemala which has groaned
so long under the tyrants yoke, contains pop
ulation of only 1,2500 900 inhabitants, four
q 49,. I,,1sr lo-
enue of little more than So 900 600 year.
In spite of his dreadful acts Barrios has had
shrewdness enough to keep himself before the
public a liberas and a reforiner In the way
of reform he threw out number Of small sprats
to catch the whale of public opinion but the
character of his liberalism may be judged from
the additional significant fact that there is no
public press in Guatemala, nor any
opinion save that Of this ignorant, un-
scrupulous dictator. However depending
upon physical force arguments and the
superior strength of Guatemala, he assembled in
1875 an international Congress at his capital in
which all the five States were represented The
| object Of this was to decree revival Of the
former confederation, with himself AS President
| The scheme failed miserably. The year 1876
saw Barros march triumpnantly over the re-
mains of the church party and some OF his per-
sonal enemies who had taken refuge in Saliva
| dor The late General Uraga, Of Mexico, and q
| cadre of American officers who took service
under him. had good deal to do with helping
| Barrios to his decided victories General +. +.
Men, of this city, was the chief of his personal
staff, and had principally the charge of moving
the troops.
The close of this war III May, 1876 saw DR..
Rafael Zaldivar, crony of Bariios placed at
the head of the'government in Salvador, at the
dictation of the conquerof. Zaldivar still re-
tans that place. and, although he went into of
flee without money enough to buy himself a bot
| tie of rum, he has in the meanwhile managed TO
squeeze about 80, 900, 600 out of the Co., 900 i'm
habitants of the state which he governs, In
| July or August of the same year Dr. Aurelio
| Marco Soto was called to the presidency OF Hon
duras. Although he we'll knew the character OF
Barrios, still, hoping that something acceptable
| to the country in general might result from the
real or feigned efforts of the Guatema-
Ian President in favor of union, he af-
fected TO work with him TO that COM
mon end Thus, from 1876 TO 1884, Barros
had with him the governments and the re-
sources Of Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras
with which he might in reality have effected tho
union which he now vainly attempts to achieve
under false pretenses and with reduced means
At the end of 1854 DR.. Soto insisted upon the
Legislature of Honduras accepting his resigna-
ton, and he retired from the government. But
long before his retirement from Office the Presi-