The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-02-18

than 100000 but. here am | with
100000 in my POSSESSION. and nc
possible way of getting out of the pre-
{ sidency and leaving this beastly coun
{ try for good and all
4 DO you really mean to say, said /
S that you want to be turned out?'
[ 'Of course l do said he when
= took the job of governing this country
: | expected to be turned out in about
two years, and to be Die to 60 40 Pa
9 ris like gentleman. But here l have
r been for nearly five years, but there
j. amt a blessed general who dreams OF
Q heading a revolution.
3 Why not have an election and have
) yourself counted out?' said l. I've
had considerable experience in practi
3 cal politics in New York, and if you
r give me the counting vf the votes /
t can have you defeated by an over
} whelming majority, no matter if there
, isn't single vote cast against you
Thank you kindly said the presi
dent, but there never has been an e.
lection in this republic, and 7 don't
, want tc disturb peoples mind by in
Producing any such useless and dan
gerOuS ceremony.
Then why don't you resi- gn?' said
You've got vice president, haven't
you? If you resign he viii come into
office, and naturally he will be glad to
have you 60.
You don't know what you're saying
replied the president. Nobody ever
heard of president who resigned If
l were to do such thing 1 should be
disgraced forever. People would say
Besides. the vice president, though he
| is middling good fellow, and has al
ways been friendly to me, isn't the
sort OF man to undertake a trouble
some job unless he can see his way to
make moley out of it. He would rath-
er live quietly on his small salary than
take my place with an empty treasury
No, Don Smith 1 haven't an ente. pri-
sing enemy in all Zarguela, and 1
haven't one single friend that can
trust to rebel against me-
Then if you won't resign and won't
order an election, why don't you bolt
some dark night with the taeasury I'M
der oyur arm?'
The presidents eyes flashed angrily
as said this, and | could see that he
was pretty mad However. he CON
trolled himself and said, in dignified
way:
Don Smith! You do not seem to
understand that for president to run
away with the treasury, without the
excuse of revolution, would be both
dishonorable and unconstitutional. l
that l am incapable of such conduct.
L have always ruled this country in a
strictly constitutional manner, and
when l leave the presidency it will be
IN the way that the constitution provies
that is to say, by being turned out by
a revolution. In that case / shall have
The right to take the treasury with me,
and no one will dare to say that / have
acted dishonorably.'
All right said l. 4 don't pretend
to understand your scruples, for I am
practical American politician, and |
don't know anything about the sort of
honor that you Spanish-Americans are
forever talking about But this is
neither here nor there. l think know
what yoG want Yon want some one
to head revolution against you, and
drive you out of the country in the
usual Central American way
Just SOL. said Don Villar y Villar,
l knew that man of your intelligence
couldn't fail to understand and appre-
ciate my situation. l have been simp
ly longing for revolution euer since
The sum in the treasury reached $780,
600, but this Internal nation is so we'll
contented with my rule that nothing
can induce it to rebel. For all [ can
see, | have got to stop here and be
president for the rest of my life, and | |
can tell you that it is mighty gloomy
prospect. Wheu / think of the good |
times all the exiled presidents in Paris |
are having at this identical minute it |
makes me wildto have to stay here,
even though l do have the pleasure |
of playing poker with the American |
minister
We'll! l felt downright sorry for
Don Nillar Y Villar, for he was by long |
odds the best public man that had |
met in any part of Central America. |
SO 1 just said to him, on the spur of |
the moment. that if he would trust M
| would undertake to get up revo
luton against him in less than fort
night,
1t wasn't till after he had jumped at
my offer, end called me his preserver
and his dearest friend. that it occarred
to me that what had really underta-
ken to do was to help him steal all the
money in the treasury. However, [
remembered that he was Central
American, and that his morals, being
Of the Central American kind, weren't
like those of yours and mine.
OF course, if had been president of
Zarguela should have considered it
stealing to run off with the treasury,
especially as L could have collared the
money honestly by issuing a regular
shipshape decree that my salary should
always be equal to the entire amount
in the treasury. However, Lhad pro.
missed Den Villar y Villar to raise a
revolution for him, and calculated to
keep NY word, no matter what it
] might cost my conscience.
Now, was acquainted with Capt
Intimidad. who commanded the pres
ident's guard of honor, and was re
sponsible for the safety of the palace.
l knew him great deal better than
the president knew him. although the
president saw him nearly every day
You see, there couldn't be any init
social intercourse between president
and a gudrd captain; whereas [, being
an Independent American citizen, could
associate with any man who suited me
no matter what his rank might be.
This Capt. Intimidad was roman
tic young chap, who believed that
the president was the greatest and
best man that ever lived. He often