The National tribune., 1906-10-04
THE NATIONAL WASHINGTON c. THURSDAY

of the Bermuda Asphalt Company have
led to complications with the United
States. Maracaibo, La Guaira and
Puerto Cabello were the principal ship
ping points, but Ciudad Bolivar, on the
Orinoco, is now a great sugar port.
Maracaibo coffee is sold in the United
States as Mocha and La Guaira coffee
as Java. Near the asphalt deposits of
Maracaibo is volcano lit up by the
petroleum. and called the Lantern of
Maracaibo."
In the past few years President Cas-
tro is trying to ape Blanco and CreSpo.
but he will find that foreign powers as
well as the United States will stand
none of his clustering The people
have a great admiration for the United
States, and in Caracas. the Capital
there are statues of Washington and
Bolivar in the Plaza. They face each
other with hands extended as if to
greet each other. and the people claim
that is the way they feel towards Amer
leans.
Spanish Americans.
The Spanish Americans are undoubt-
| edly the most re&.'e"s end ambitious
people. in certain way, in the world
Let one of them be elected to a mosi
unimportant Office, and he at once as
| pires to the most gorgeous uniform and
| longest sword in the Republic. If elect
ed Governor of a State he looks forward
| to new worlds to conquer; for, as have
said, revolutions are mostly started by
these ambitious Governors. When Por-
| firio DiaZ became President of Mexico
! he determined to curtail the powers OF
| the State Governors. There was moth
ing in the Constitution of Mexico tha
prohibited a third term, but mcdestS
kept Diaz from a third term, so ht
elected his father-in-law, Gonsalez, &
| follow him, and since that time ha!
held the Presidency himself, perhap:
% years He made the National Treas
ury the depositary of all Government
funds, broke up the State military
forces, embodying them in the NatiOna
| army and formed the "RuraleS,"
| Government police and militia, to keeI
order in the Provinces.
An IdoIizcd Bull Fighter.
There are never any uprisings now
and strange though it may seem, DiaZ
popularity is enhanced by the celebrat
ed bull fighter, Ponciano Diaz the lido
| of the Mexican masses. He is not, like
the great torero MaZzantini (whom h'
excelled) n college graduate, but he Il
a modest, weIl-appearing man of intel
| ligence and good breeding, and is th'
| impersonation of all that is great to the
people. YOU SnOulQ see Il ueIrlOuS moi
unhitch the mules from their hero
carriage in the City of Mexico and draw
| it as q triumphal chariot through th'
streets to his hotel. His name is in
delibly coupled with that of the grea
| President, and at the four bull rings il
Mexico City and the so in the Republic
the cheers for "Diaz' apply equally t.
the President and the matador.
a Hof-Red 0f Trouble.
Central America has always been
hot-bed of trouble. Altho old Pediarias
the Spanish Governor, is said to hav
slaughtered over 100000 of the ma
tives from 1914 to 1920, yet there are
great number left. The treasures o
Central America supplied the means fo
the conquest of Peru and Mexico, ant
| from all accounts the population wa
greater before the Spanish cOnques
than it is now, less than 100000, o
which Guatemala has almost one-half
Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Ric;
have respectively about 100000, 430, 00
| and 100000 population, while San Sal
vador has $780, 900 on 1925 square miles
or 10S inhabitants to the square mile
equivalent to the State of New York.
| Central America was greatly stirre'
| up by Walker and his filibusters in tn
| sos, and, strangely enough, he had
large following among the people AM
| was suppressed with difficulty, princi
pally through British interference. From
their Province of BaliZe they furnisl
arms and ammunition to all insurgents