The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06
An INVOLUNTARY PRESIDENT.
BY w. L. ALDEN.
Copyright, 1898, ov W. L. Alden.

OOpUTNnVNt ioVVt W W. NE htNNV
don't suppose you ever hoard of tho republic
Of orizaba, remarked my friend, the Hon. James
X. Smith. It only existed as an independent re.
public for about q dozen years. You see, II
used to be a part OF the republic of Central
America, and It is such a worthless strip OF
land and fover that whom 1t set UP on its own
account the Central Americans didn't take the
trouble to rcconQucr IL, md waited till the
United States roconquered It for them.
Orizabn had one seaport. where perhaps three
or four tramp steamers called In tho course of
tho year to sec if.thcy could pick up a cargo of
logwood. Tho country was full Of logwood OF
the very best quality, but tho natives wero so
lazy that they would never cut It unless they
were paid by the day, and even then they
worked SO slowly that it took about two months
to.furnish a cargo for n 9, 000-ton tramp. This
sameslittlc seaport, which called itself the city
of Santa Rosa, consisted of about 800 inhabi.
tants, living mostly in onc-story adobe houses,
and IL was the capital of the republic.
The way 1 came to DO President OF Orizaba
was what I started out to tell you, and I'll try
to keep to tho point. III get wandering off into
other subjects, just pull me up and start me
again on tho right track. Along in 1876 I was
the Junior partner of o firm In San Francisco
that did n big business in lumber. Bromley,
Twichell IL Co. was tho name of the firm, and 1
WHS bno w.. ou DEOHllcy, tuc beTlOT partner.
was n mighty enterprising man, and one day
he came to me and told mo that there was a
chance OF building up a tremendous trade in
logwood, provided somebody would 20 to
Santa Rosa and run tho thing. 80" says
Bromley, II have decided that You arc just tho
man for the place, and 1 want you to start by
n steamer that is going to sail for'the Central
American ports next Wednesday, and will put
you ashore at Santa Rosa. I've induced tho
Administration to make Santa Rosa a consular
port, and you will be appointed Consul at that
place in the course Of n day or two. There
won't be any money in the office. but YOU won't
have any official work to do, and the fact that
you are Consul will give You all the opportuni-
ties you will need for collarinr tho logwood
business. l believe that is all 1 have to say,
and I presume. Mr.. Smith. that you will BIO
ready to sail next week"
That was just old Bromley's way. He mover
wasted a word. Some men would have taken
half II day to tell mo what they expected me to do
in Santa Rosa. But Bromley just let mo know
that 1 was to go thercsand collar the logwood
business. I was to do 1t in my own way, and IL
/ succeeded it would bring me a lot of money,
and If I failed, why, Bromley would size the thing
up, and put tho blame where 1t belonged. Inever
hesitated n minute about going, and when I
landed at Santa Rosa. with u trunk, an Ameri-
can flag, and $1,000 in my belt, 1 knew 1 had
my future as n business man in my own hands.
The President was.old Gen. Alvarez, who had
been elected twice, and had then made ND his
mind that elections were n waste Of time, and
consequently held on to his office without ask
ing permission Of any one. Ho was glad to DO
recognized by the United States, and as I was
the only Consul in tho whole republic, / was a
pretty important man. However,, my mind
was more set on business than it was on honor
and glory. ] went to work and gathered to-
Rether moro logwood in two months than had
been exported in the previous two years. I
loaded a tramp with the logwood, and my firm
decided to run.a monthly steamer of their own
between San Francisco and Santa Rosa. I saw,
too, that the country was full of irst.class ma
hogany, and l calculated to build up a good
business in that as well as in logwood. Besides
/ meant to induce the natives to go in for coffee
growing. In short, / thought l saw my way
to make a big fortune for myself and partners,
and to make tho republic of .Orizaba.a pros
porous concern. &
l had been in Santa Rosa about a fortnight
when n young fellow-Col. Mendoza-who was
the commander.of the Presidents guard, came
rushing up to my door with his drawn sword
in his hand and a mob of soldiers and citizens
If a lot of lazy. half-dressed Indians can be
called citizens-at his heels. l let him in at
once, for he was cvidently.in n big hurry, and
SO was the crowd that was after him. He
dropped into a chair, clean ont of breath, and by
the time l graspcd the situation and got my
gun ready, the whole crowd was hammering at
the door, and yelling for the.Colonel to come out
and be killed. l will Say no was a bravo man,
for. although he had every reason to believe
that the mob would break in and massacre him,
he sat smiling and gasping in his chair, and as
soon as he got his breath no began to apologize
fnr li1t,,rhtn~ mn nnI nffnrnI e. lnn,.1 -. 800
il he was putting me to any. inconvenience. I
told him to stop where he was, and then 1
opened the door and holding my repeating rifle
in my left hand ! asked the people what:thcy
wanted. Somebody sung out that they wanted
Mendoza's life and meant to have 1t, and that il
I interfered in the circus l would BIO hanged on
the nearest tree. l didn't mako any answer I'M
til / had seized my big American flag and
spread 1t out on the front door sill and all along
my entrance hall. Then 1 said to the crowd
that l was tho American Consul; that nobody
could ~get.into the house without trampling on
the American flag. and that if.any living ORR
Fabian dared SO much as to touch it with his
dirty bare foot I'd send for a man of war that
would blow the town to smitherecns and hang
the President and every other man in the re-
public who was respectable enough to wear
trousers. II give you fair warning" I added,
that ! shall open fire on you from my top win.
dows In five minutes, and I'm not afraid to fight
you and yonr whole army till you take n bath,
which, calculate will BIO some years to come"
That settled them. Like all half-civilizcd half
breeds. they could understand tho meaning of
n rife in a white mans hand. They skunk away
as II they had been operated on with n horse
whip, ana when l went back to the room where
the Colonel was sitting he put his arms. around
my neck and kissed me on both checks, and
swore that he'd never forget that l had saved
his lifc-which there isn't the slightest doubt
that | had.
That was the beginning of my friendship with
the Colonel. We got to he as thick as thieves
in a short time. and the Colonel hardly ever
ing when he was off duty. flo was polite, brave
and good -tempcred, and as for honesty. no
seemed now and then to have a little inkIing of
what 1t meant, which was more than could be
said for any other Orizabian. If he had been
raised in a Christian land. with Sunday schools
and newspapers and honest elections, he would
probably have turned out TO be a firstrclass man.
One evening Mendoza said to mo as no was
starting for home. Don Smith. i want You to
promise me that you won't go out Of this house
for the next Two days; You will be perfectly
safe 80 long rs you are In your own house, but 1
can't answer for your lifc II you step outside
your door, until l send you word that the dan