The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-22
LIFE In GUATEMALA.
People Who Offer a Market for
Washington Exports.
REVOLUTIONS cur NO FIGURE.
A Land whose Rich spend Their Money
Acknowledgements of the In
dians-Tropical Fruits.

there IN the last year. and he has happy
and graphic manner OF communicating X
He spent most OF his time in GnaIemala
and il Is Of that country that he knows
and tells most. In talking last night with
PosT-ISrELLIsEscER reporter he said:
.Nine-,eeths of the population OF Guate-
nala IS Indian. the balance, which Is the
better class, being SpanIsh-Americans, IN
all respects similar 10 the better class oil
Mexicans. with sprinksIng OF foreigners
The poor people lie in the country IN
matched huts with no floors. and with
walls Of bamboo sticks. between which
there are intervals about an inch vide.
They are from ten TO fifteen feet
square and have only one room,
which is occupied by the Whole
family, the chickens and most OF
the domestic animals. During the day
time the people are always out OF doors.
You can always detect the presence of an
Indian hut by the cocoanut tree, for they
ali have one. and also have bananas, man
goes and plautains. which are practically
uncultiyated, and they cultivate a small
patch OF corn or rice and sometimes beans.
These people hire cut 10 the land owners.
sometimes on an agreement for certain
number of days or months work for the
free use OF certain piece OF land. about
the size OF one OF our blocks. They often
get no money in addition and ii they do
they always have little land. They are
practically part of the property aud. If
they can prove that they are. they are ex-
empt from military duty.
MANY of the Indians are independent,
but by being so they have TO serve in the
militia or the army q certain portion OF
the year. The Indians are uneducated
and submissive to the government. and
always follow their officers blindiy. the
men their captains, the captains their
colonel and the colonels the general. so
that If the general sells out 10 . revolu-
tionsry leader the whole army goes with
him. That is why tits so easy TO get up a
revolution and j. one reason why there
are so many of them.
THE planters live on their estates while
they are in the country, and have Mexican
adooe houses. They live in much the
same style as the Southern planters. with
plenty of servants and horses and 60 visit
ing one another good deal. They have
no roads except near Guatemala City, and
they are bad and in the rainy season are I'M
passabie, so they travel on muleback and
carry their supplies in the same way.
They could not make rock roads without
great expense. The large planters
only live on their estates or even
in the republic three or four months
in the year, spending the rest of
Europe, and having their permanent resi-
dences abroad. When they begin life.
they work hard for four or five years until
they get their coffee or sugar plantation IN
good order and have a.good crop; then
they go TO some foreign country to live,
for they have no attachment for the coun-
try and seem 10 regard IL merely as q
source Of income, like the Irish absentee
landlords. The children going home from
sol in 10 EFa arn MI tara
ask them il they are glad TO go home. Il
shall be glad to get some mangoes. or
something of that kind, but seem not to
care for the country.
"The Indians in the cities are chiefly
carriers, called mozos, for they have no
wagons aud few OK carts. These mozos
will take any load up to 800 pounds on
their backs any distance and up any kind
of stairs for % cents, and one man met
could carry 600 pounds, but he was a prod
Icy. For this business they seem 10 have
more endurance than mule. / have
seen string of 200 of these carriers come
into the city with their loads in square
wooden frames filled in with wicker work
or woven string slung on their backs, and
their cooking utensils hanging below. for
they had beens a week on the way. The
wives of those men culticate small garden
patches and carry the products into town
on their heads, instead of their backs. for
sale TO the market women. Almost all the.
smaller business is carried on by the
women. even to the lighthouses.
''The leaders OF the revolutions are al
ways generals, but have usually been fired
ont of the army. They retire to A remote
place or TO foreign country and keep up
communication through their friends and
correspondents, and by lavish use of
money win over part of the government
army. The leader is usually some am
bilious candidate for the presidency who is
unwilling TO wait for the election. and rev.
olutions occur 80 often that they amount
10 no more than presidential election in
the United States, and the bioodshed is
scarcely more. A few Indians are killed,
but they are not considered worth any
thing. When the leader has bought part
OF the army he starts in some district re-
mote from the capital. captures the
smaller towns aud gains support until he
reaches the capital. Ii the ruling presi-
dent sees that the people are against him
he thinks IL is good thing 10 take a trip
10 foreign country and gives up, so that
there is no lighting in the capital. The
government always has its secret agents in
Sll the smaller towns on the lookout for
revolutions, and hundreds of them of
which We never hear are nipped in the
bud. But they always start on a small
scale, and grow they win one town
aaNet ahoAlci. ~ they HhallF succeed
the ruling president fees, and the
leader takes his place. If they fail, the
leader goes abroad or is killed. IL has
been found that the pardonlng of their
enemies when they have them ia prison or
the issuing of general amnesty proclama-
tons never makes friends of them. so the
president always executes them if he
catches them. Gen. Fasquez. of Hondu-
THs. pardoned Bonilla and his friends three
times and finally they overthrow him.
Bonlia prohted By Nas0uez's experience
and executed every one opposed 10 him in
TACT that is the only way a president can
hope for an extended reign. Guatemala is
the most peaccahle Of the Central Amerf-
can republics, for il has only had three or
four revolutions IN the last ten or twelve
years, while Honduras has had three IN
the last fifteen months. The prime pal
harm done by these wars is that the coffee
grower IS liable TO lose his labor. and this
may cause him 10 lose his crop bv neglect.
President Barrios, of Guatemala. re-
fused 10 accept the presidency by revoln-
ton and vas elected by ballot His IRE
deeessor saw that il was useless 10 make
ght, because the people were 50 over
Nhesmunglv IN favor of Barrios. and so
gave ~ BaFrtoS borrowed 5000 in this
country 10 make tbs campaign and before
TIE election went right 90 TIE capital with
out any guards. This Was considered a
ioaihArdy thing, for his bittersst enemies
we're IA power, and his escape was won-
deriui. Tor everybody expected him to be
taken OF the train and murdered lie
owed MS election - his being a nephew OF
the late president RaGno Barrios. aud 10
has Being sxiled from The country tor that
reason. kuflRo barrioS was the greatest
syrsnt sho ever ruled Guatemala. but he
vas Killed IN battle with Salvador. his
ceantFy.s most bitter enemy, 50 the people
aoo4lxe hAm as q hero and martyr and
craAn h.. stalE.a Viii .L.-...-. -. !. :.