Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-10-07
RICH GUATEMALA.
VAST AND VARIED REsoURcEsoF THE
SMALL REPUBLIC.


Rapid Development of the Country Pos
sible Under other Conditions-Induce-
ments offered by the Government to tho
Immigrant.
The source Of Guatemala are
varied and abundant. Coffee Is the
chief staple; and the berry is as good
as the best the world provides. Corn
and beans are the chief food Of the
people. Sugar, tobacco and other
tropical plants can be raised, to an I'M
limited extent, on the hot lands along
the coast; while wheat and other
cereals yield rich harvests in the higher
and more temperate districts of the in
terror. The revocation by the United
States of the reciprocity treaties made
under the Harrison administration
with several of the Latin-American re-
publics was a serious blow to Guate-
mala, for her government and people
had reason to suppose that we were
acting in good faith, and desired a free
exchange of natural products with that
country. Upon this assumption, large
sums of money were invested in the
production of sugar, for which the
United States furnished the only mar
ket. But, without notice, or the OBJ
servance of the usual diplomatic for
malities, the arrangement was revoked
by the enactment of the Wilson-Gor-
man tariff law, and the plantations
and sugar mills of Guatemala have
since lain idle. While the policy Of
the United States toward its less popu-
lous neighbors has doubtless been in
spired by friendly motives, these
neighbors have learned, though a
somewhat rough experience, that when
our interests conflict with theirs we
do not consider the consequences.
Guatemala might easily sustain ten
times its present population. The soil
is rich and easily cultivated, and, un-
like the other Central American repub-
lies, there is plenty of labor. Some
parts of the country are quite thickly
populated; but the others are covered
with dense forests and a variety Of
timber, which might be easily made
marketable if means of transportation
were provided. But, although Guate-
mala is much further advanced than
the rest of Central America, her rail-
way system does not exceed $50 miles;
there is no internal navigation, and
the wagon roads are in a deplorable
condition. The mineral wealth Of the
country is supposed to be large; but it
is only slightly developed. The mines
are inaccessible, and, in the absence
Of modern machinery, which at present
cannot be conveyed to them, cannot
be worked with profit. The govern
ment offers generous inducements to
immigrants. The land laws are liberal;
and efforts have been made from time
to time to secure the establishment of
colonies and the presumption of public
lands by private settlers. But all the
accessible area is at present occupied;
and no foreigner can expect to prosper
in Guatemala unless he has abundant
capital which will enable him to
purchase at high prices plantations al.
ready developed. If peace could be as
sured, if railway and wagon roads
could be extended into the interior
so that the timber regions, the mineral
deposits, and the wild agricultural
lands could be reached as conveniently
as the new portions of our country
Guatemala would offer great advan-
tages to the immigrant, and would en-
joy a rapid development.