Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05

SO far as my San Francisco partners were
concerned. by sending them about che
half the amount of taxes and the rest
sold to any purchasers that happened to
come along, and turned the money into the
| treasury. Considering that 1 never claimed
nor took a cent of salary the whole time 1
| was president, think I was pretty mid
dLng honest l considered then, as 1 dc
now, that my first duty was to the people
tnat ruled over. and l was satisfied with
the profits that Z made out of MY Iogwood
business.
There is no DENYING that 1 did use the
combination of presidency and consulate to
the advantage of my San Francisco firm
Wnen l wanted any favor from the gov
eanhent used to write rs a private Ameri-
| can citizen to myself as consul asking for
II. Ihen l would forward the letter with
strong recommendation, TO myself as
president, and generally l granted the re-
pIest rs. some men in my place would sim
ply nave taken possession of ANYTHING
they wanted without any formalities hut
1 Always had respect for law and order
, eh always endeavored 20 be as honest as
Tue particular situation in which I found
myself would allow me to be. without sars
ousiy ln1uring myself or my friends I hona
you won't think am Boosting If INV az
| ~. .,eine honesty. I'm no Pharisee, and II
am peteer than the average man I'm the
| the fact attention 10
IT., IL trleo 10 improve the moral and mate.
maLo eoi ~ OF the natives but couldn't
Liidhe the least impression on them Yo,
can make a man work when he can earn
| nVlng by lying on his back in the shade
the eating eating ripe bananas. AS for getting
ed,c pTp,e 10 Understand the benefits of
suued'on, might as well have tried tn
get miikman to understand the benef1ts
OF not yelling his head off IN the streets
p pneae were about dozen men in Santa
Rosa, not counting the priests who co,id
| read and write, and they wanted IN Esa,,
me knowledge to themselves Thew said
mat II tried to establish public schools
ana 70 make the people attend them, there
would be revolution IN good earnast
However, I did accomplish one great 20.
FORM. When l took the presidency the
"hoie country was swarming with nolice
VINO stole pretty much everything they
| could lay their hands on and kent The
population in a state of terror Nv Their
crimes. Just abolished the entire nolice
force, with the exception of two cnnsta.
pies whom kept in the palace yard, where
L could keep my eye on them The army
consisted of fifty men. under Iieut CO.
Mendoza, and I gave orders that the sol.
| olers should shoot any man on sight whom
they might catch in the act of committing
any police operation. This very nearly nut
| an end to crime In Orizaba You see, the
average Orizabian, providing he wasn't a
professional policeman, hadn't the energy
to steal, and with the exception that
! row and then there would be quar-
| rel, and one man would stab another there
was less crime in Orizaba than in anv
community that 1 ever knew anything
about. e
Well, not to take I'D too much time T
VIII Just say that 1 ruled Orizaba for a
year and month, and in that time l made
the fortune of my San Francisco firm.
! besides doing more to develop the trade
| of the country than any central Americas
president ever dreamed of doing / filed
| up the empty treasury till it contained over
$4,000, which in the eyes of an Orizahian
f, was tremendous sum, and Lieut. Gen.
Mendoza couldn't resist tine temptation to
handle 1t. He came to me one day. with
| a file CT soldiers at his back. and said
| that he was awfully sorry, but that the
| troops had revolted that morning, and
| made him director, and that unless 1 left
for San Francisco by that days steamer.
| he was afraid that he couldn't restrain the
bloodthirsty instincts Of the men.
| l didn't reproach Mendoza. though he
| knew we'll enough that I understood lust
how much truth there was in his pretense
that the soldiers had revolted. 1 told him
| that l would yield only to force, and that
| II ne wanted me to leave the palace he
his men to handcun me and put me on
board the steamer. which they accordingly
did. The steamer was one belonging to
| captain was considerably astonisf,ed to see
| me handcuffed. and offered to take his crew
and clean out the town, told him It was
| all right. And so It proved to be-
\ Mendoza had forgotten that I was the
| united states consul as we'll as the presi-
dent When got back to San Francisco I
complained to the government that had
eeen forcibiy expelled from Orizaba, and I
| demanded 1900 as damages. The govern
nent, being glad of safe chance to dis
play a spirited foreign policy. sent man
only collected that $4,000 from President
Mendoza, bat required him to resign his
POSITION as president In favor Of the presi-
cent CEN of, Of Central Amsrisa The final result
became once moro part Of Central Amer