New-York tribune., 1900-12-30

bound 10 suffer. The Guatemaiteco Indians are
not at all such as the Indians Of your reserva-
uons. At the time Of the discovery they had
advanced TO a considerable degree Of cultura
They were not nomads and hunters. but agri-
culturists and dwelers in towns. At the pres
ent time they are absolutely essential to all
our prosperity. for without them we should
have no laborers to till the soil of our
plantations or to operate our mines. They
work faithfully during long hours of the day
and for small wages. never demanding more
than half dollar day. and taking their pay
in. our paper currency, which is sadly depreci-
ated and has a purchasing power Of less than
one-third Of its nominal value. All that the Ind
ians ask Of whatever government may be in
power is to be allowed 10 conduct the affairs Of
their homes and villages in accordance with
their ancestral custom. against which, it must
be said, no objection can be urged.
TAXED FOR ABSTINENCE.
Yet even this small concession is not per-
mitted TO them; it must be purchased from the
Government. Let me give you Illustration
About hundred miles from the city OF Guate-
mala is the pueblo of Nahuala a community
entirely Of GuatemaltecO Indians numbering
about fifty thousand They govern themselves
strictly according to their ancient custom. just
as they did for ages before the conquest, with
the single exception Of their religion. The
chiefs or caciques. administer the affairs Of the
community. and make the few simple laws by
which they are governed. one Of these laws is
provision that no white men shall live in the
pueblo Another prohibits in the same way the
Ladinos. or people Of mixed blood. The most
important Of al their laws is that which pro-
vides for the rigid exclusion of all liquor from
the pueblo. None is allowed TO be sold, and the
people are forbidden to bring any liquor into
the town or 10 have any in their possession. So
carefully Is this rule enforced that when any
Indian has been drinking away from the town
and comes home with even the slightest
evidence Of intoxication he is arrested at the
gate Of the pueblo forced 10 remain in the fields
without until perfectly sober. and is then brought
in for fitting punishment. To any one who is in
the least familiar with the havoc which liquor
has wrought the aboriginal inhabitants of
America il would seem that government pre-
tending to be civilized could find any fault with
this regulation. made and strictly. enforced by
the Indians themselves Yet such is not the
case in Guatemala The Indian pueblo of Ma
huala is forced to pay. in addition TO all regular
taxes a special impost for the privilege of ex-
Guiding whites and Ladinos. and for its local
option as presume you would call its suppress
sion Of the liquor traffic. II must pay 20 the
central government a contribution equal 10 the
amount Of revenue that would be derived on
else accc INIT from the number Of drinking places
that an Indian town of fifty thousand inhab-
itants would support without this prohibition.
Nor is this all. The town must also pay a sec
ond sum calculated to represent the amount of
the profit that would accrue from the liquor
that would be consumed if it were not for the
wisdom Of the Indian chiefs. Why do We sub
nit TO the enOrmity OF taxing the people for the
vice which they have rejected? Well. the Ind
ians submit for the simple reason that they
Indians. And the rest Of US? Well the Gov
ernment in Guatemala does not seem to be based
on the principles of public spirit"