The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-08
INTERPRETATIONS IN SALVADOR.

Intervention by the powers in the Central
American imbroglio is probably the only
way out of the mess. The people of the
i've Central American States shirk all the
duties Of citizenship. They neither vote at
elections nor do they resist domination by
a usurper, until some other usurper inau-
gurates civil war. Hence power passes
from one pretender to another amid general
public Indifference. Barillas of Guatemala
usurped the supreme authority when Bar
rios was killed, and holds it still. EZeta of
Salvador usurped power at the death of
Menendez, who had usurped power when
Zaldiyar was exiled. 1t is an incessant
struggle between adventures who are ami
mated by personal objects, are Indifferent
to the welfare Of their States and have no
valid title to the Offices they fill.
AT periodical though irregular intervals,
some ambitious adventurer wants to be
President of his State, and gets up an in
surrection. The Indians and half-breeds
Join his banner in the hope Of plumber. If
he fails he and his chief adherents are
shot in cold blood. If he succeeds it is the
President who is shot or exiled, and the ad-
yenturer takes his place. Then, whenever
an iHsurrectionary movement takes place
in one State, other States interfere and
take sides for OF against the existing au-
fhorities. Bogran of Honduras is the first
President who stated the broad principle
that he could not accept Barillas' invitation
to join him with troops for fear of wound
ing the suseeptibilites of Guatemalans.
Heretofore civil strife in Central America
has been in the nature of free fight, in
which everybody who wanted was at liberty
to participate.
The situation in Salvador and Guatemala
is almost incomprebensible to US. What
was the underlying purpose of the move
ment which led to the death of Menendez
and Riyas and raised Ezeta to supreme
control we cannot make out. NOR can we
understand why Barllas should have in
-Vaded neighboring State 1t is supposed
thai Ezeta took up arms to prevent union,
but the rebellion in Salvador and the inter-
vention of Guatemala were almost certain to
lead to foreign interference and that was
almost equally certain to make the union
forced conclusion. The civilized world has
only tolerated chronic disorder in Central
America because it discerned no plausible
excuse for meddling.
As matters stand now, if the dispatches
are to be trusted, which is not generally the
case with Central American news filtered
through Salyadorian sources, the United
States. Great Britain, Germany and Spain
have offered their mediation through their
representatives in Guatemala City. The
offer has probably been of such nature
that it cannot be declined. Civilization has
some rights after all. Nobody-least of all
the Central American peoples-is benefited
by chronic state of warfare which retards
the DEVELOPMENT of that part of the world
and constitutes standing menace to the
nations which border on the quarrelsome
States. To tolerate a continuance of
anarchy in Central America is to invite.
+. sooner or later, armed interference by some
European power. which would REQUIRE us
to bring the Monroe doctrine into play
with consequences which cannot be meas
ured. II is far better for all parties that
the powers should intervene collectively
and try to inaugnrate a political system
that might offer guarantees for order and
stability.
l. may be taken for granted that the
United States will not initiate any policy
locking to a protectorate much less to
acquisition of territory, and what they de-
cline 10 do themselves they will not suffer
a European power to attempt. But there
would be no violation of equity or inter-
national law in a joint demand that the
Central American States put an end to