Arizona republican., 1903-11-14

or Australia and is only less unknown
 than were the Philippine Islands be-
 fore the war. Even more than that may be said. No small part of the Iarca is little known even to the people
 of the various countries themselves. Our Knowledge of them consists
 chiefly of realization that when they
 are not engaged in domestic strife
 they are shaking fists at each other across their borders. For these reg
 sons some facts taken from an article
 in the New York Sun will prove inter-
 esting:
 Between the southern boundary a.:
 Mexico and the southeastern end of the l Isthmus of Panama, there lies a re- zion showing an area of about 220OO0
 times the area of the State of New
 York. Its length, from northwest to
 southeast, arproximates 1000 miles.
 and it's width varies from 50 to S50 miles. Within this territory there ! live five republics, a British crown 1 colony, ana q TcNOlullOn-
 The population of the entire sec
 ton probably a little exceeds 4.00O, ,O00. The governmental methods of most of the countries do not include accurate
 statistical information. A large ma
 jority of the people consists of a class
 known in Mexico, Central America and
 northern South America as Indians"
 or more or less pure -blooded descend-
 ants of the aboriginal stock. They are
 the degenerate remnant of race whirl
 centuries ago built wonderful cities and displayed a high type of a certain
 form of civilization. The record of those bygone days consists chiefly in earth buried cities and fragmentary legends. The Central American Indian of today will leave little or nothing by which his descendants will know that he ever lived, except a history of na tiCnal revolutions and perhaps a bur den of national debts.
 The industrial and commercial de- velopment of the region is due chiefly, | almost exclusively, to foreign infu- | ence and interest. The total commerce 1 of the combined area approximates i 4G,OOO,OGO per year with exports d little in excess of imports. Products | and requirements are those of the | tropics generally. Costa Rica and Nj caragua show their principal exports | in coffee and bananas. Salvadors | principal export is coffee. Guatemala | ships coffee. tobacco and sugar. Hon duras ship bananas, cattle and hides. All are potentially rich as Timing couE- tries, although comparatively little is done in this department. Gold. silver, lead, tin, copper, manganese, antimony. sulphur, platinum, zinc, iron and nick el are all reported as to be found with in the area and waiting for develop ment Agricultural possibilities are almost unlimited, and while portions of the territory are today practically inn possible for the habitatiou of white men, there are large areas of delightful climate, fertile soil and sunny skies.
 The fundamental needs of the section iPItetA tO lO Dt us IlllIlCdLlOb uIlueI d strong central government, a United Central America under the control of q man like Porfirio Diaz, supported by m ample military force. and an ex- tension of transportation facilities The railway system, if it can be called | system, now shows about 1,e0O miles of line. largely as connection between interior cities and coast ports. What s needed is spinal line from the Mexican border to Panama, with spur ines to the coast at proper points. l. should connect with Mexico's Tehu- lntepec line and thus open an alI-rail ( throughout the entire North t American continent. This is all pro- ( ected but it's accomplishment is most | 'aguc and uncertain so long as those | luarreling and unprogressive little re- 'ublics stand as an obstacle to it's con T truction.
 The political unifcation of the reg f on has been the dream and the am l 'ition of more than one Of it's people 3arriOs tried t and failed. Ezeta, the Lion of the Frontier" ried it and failed.