Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-17
LIFE IN GUATEMALA.
"a Bad Account of Things In = Central
American Republic.

From sAs Boston A6vsrtissr.
LIVINGSTON, GUATEMALA, Jan. 2S.-
send the following letter, thinking yol
may find It OF sufficient interest to pub
iish. / came here to spend the white
months for my health, and have ha'
time TO look about. have been sur
prised to find 50 many young men, mostl!
h0utherners, but not a few from New
England, who, without any idea Of the
difficulties TO be encountered, have buried
themselves in these heaven-f0rgOtten
places on the recommendation OF this OF
that enthusiastic traveller, often an ac-
quaintance. 1t is needless TO say that they
have become disenohHRted, but there Is
nothing left them but to plod on. MY let
ter may cause other would-be settlers
10 consider the matter more carefully
before they sink the little they possess In
q countrythat has nothing but its scenery
and climate TO recommend 1t.
A few words about Guatemala may In
Iterest your readers, and correct the gen.
eral impression that plenty Of money ts TO
be made in the smaller republics OF Cen
trail America. Ny instances are drawn
chiefly from the republic OF Guatemala.
hut the condition OF the nelgnb0ring re-
publics il no better; spanish Honduras
being IN a state Of alarm over an armed
steamer lying of Puerto Cortez. supposed
.Q6 hHub Ouh ny tue tAl4cu LIGhA0cBb t9O~
who is Ia New York. An idea seems
aps held among many, even by some who
s visited the country and travelled not
lie within its borders, that Northern
AgY sud pluck Will builG up fortune
y -Ss' (" yea~s with q very small initial
paplNl. many nave very vague ideas
Ab0uA tropical Agriculture. They seem to
think t7nSl 70 chop down anew trees, and
scratch al mole with a npatohet into
which to toss 2 seed or young sprout is all
that is necessary 10 reap an abundant
harvest of fruit within a year. Books OF
travel which speak OF the various products
of the country tend not a little to foster
these erroneous ideas. Even Mr.. Morris,
she able director of the public gardens at
jamaica, in his recent book on British
Honduras, seems to me to be somewhat
guilty OF the same charge. He mentions
briefly nearly every product possible TO
raise in tropical country, and cites
Jew successful plantations. Nothing is
said OF the care and labor necessary TO
bring these fruits to perfection, or of the
Failures, which far Outnumber the sue
fcesstul ones. Young men are TO be met
al along the shore from Belize to the
Mosquito coast, who have grown prema-
iurely old from hard labor and poor food;
who have sunk the little they had, and
have nothing but a matched roof and a
Jincd checked up with weeds to show for 1t.
sAt home, with far less work, they would
nave acquired, not riches probably, but
comfortable sustenance, and few de-
pencies OF civilization. IL fruits and val
liable trees grow fast in these regions,
weeds will grow faster, Just as they do
every WHERE Droughts and innumerable
pests are ready here to destroy harVests
pc elsewhere. If there were a stable gov
ernment and good labor could be had,
there might be encouragement for inves-
tors 10 go ahead. But the country has
refrigerated steadily from the days when
an unknown race built magnificent cities,
the ruins OF which are described by
stephens and others. No such churches
and public buildings have been recently
erected as were put up during the Span
1eh rule. The country has made no inn
pfoVement since the time of Stephens
'FSasesls, some fifty years ago. Indeed,
with change OF names and a few minor
Incidents. ong can easily imagine that in
reading Stephens account OF the insur-
rectIon under CaiEega, ne IS reading the
revolution just ended VAIN the death OF
Barrios.
Gen. Don s. Rufno Baigios fiecame
President in May, 1873. His presidency
was a reign of absolute tyranny. He
found means to put out Of the way every
one who became at all Objectionable to
him. For long time his right hand man
was a common laborer, who is said to
nave enjoyed this distinction in return
lor killing any one Barrios might desig-
nate to him. One day. while drunk at the
palace, he divulged his occupation, and
claimed that he had as good right as
BarriOs himselfto the presidency. Before
night he suffered the same fate that he
had carried TO so many others. Barrios
squeezed out OF the people some ,000,-
900 h $12, O00, 900, which his widow is en-
9oY,lg in New York. Meanwhile, the
lpalace at Guatemala is besieged with
loreditors trying to get little of the money
Owed them for long time; salaries for
Those poor fellows, left penniless, who
worked on the railroad, now abandoned
tia streak Of rustin 4 swamp, beginning
and leading nowhere;" mail contracts TO
the steamers; and hosts OF others, who
will never see a cent Of their money.
, For plantation work In the vicinity of
the coast, there are none but Belize
creoles. cGribs and iQd1R0s half breeds)
10 be had. These are wretched lahorers,
sdle and thievish. So long as they have a
medic (65<c.) to get drunk with, it is
almost impossible to engage them even.
The government claims the right 70 retain
1aboTers for military service whenever it
desires, aud at present 1t is exercising
This right to the fullest extent. All dis
putes between foreigners and these
natives, or among themselves, are decided
IN a native court before the jues &c pdz
The present one 1T this port was the soul
lion Of the consular agent before he was
given this position, and can neither
read rOr write any language. For
merly these justices OF the peace be-
came very unsatisfactory, aud the ma
lives complained 10 the governm ent OF
their Injustice and lack OF intelligence.
An official decree then made the Qtc0lde, or
Mayor, the chief arbiter In lawsuits. The
Tabble became again dissatisfied. and
without any order from the government
ahe iefe, or Governor OF the place, restored
1he ilieg dc pax. He has never been called
10 account for this act OF presumption.
The governing class dislike the English
and Americans, and would gladly see
them driven from the country, though a
bill TO that effect, introduced in the as
sembly, has not been carried. The jefe Of
this place remarked before an English
merchant the other day that for his part
he never cared 10 see man who had any
English or American blood in him.
This is the government, OF lack OF one,
under which a foreigner has 20 pursue his
business. When we take into account
The policy OF the American government
towards its citizens abroad, that when
called upon 10 redress insults, and even
murder, It only replies that II they bad
stayed at home they would not have got
into trouble, there Is very little Induce
1ment for one 10 settle in this country, and
without a prntracted STAY IL Ia useless TO