The National tribune., 1907-04-18

rich coast) II the most southern of the
Central American States, and joins on
to Panama. There has been much con-
tention over its boundaries, but 1t is es-
timated to have about 21,500 square
miles, or about the size Of Maine, with
a population of something over 1000,
if all the wild Indians are counted. The
population is regarded as of somewhat
higher character than that of the neigh
boring countries, since there is so strong
an infusion of the blood of the Spanish
colonists from Galicia, who are indus
trious and peaceful The public debt
including years of defaulted interest,
amounts to something like $780, 600.
Agriculture is in more f1ourishing con-
dition than elsewhere in Central Amer
aca, and sometimes as high as $4,000
600 pounds of coffee are exported. Next
to coffee, bananas are the most import
tant product, and the expectation of
1901 about 100000 punches of bana-
mas were shipped out of the country.
The Cause of the Present War.
There are any number of stories told
as to the real causes of the present
war, but probably the dominating fact
Is the attempt of President Zelaya, of
Nicaragua, to carry out the old plan of
a strong federated Central American
Republic, with himself at the head.
In 1903 there was one of the CUSTOM
airy disputes as to boundaries, this time
between Nicaragua and Honduras. 1t
was submitted to King Alfonso, of
Spain, for arbitration, and he decided
in favor of Honduras, but Nicaragua
never accepted 1t. All the time in these
Spanish-American emeutes we must
look for the selfish ambitions and greed
of the cliques of badly educated poll
Toto cd
classes in all these countries are men
who have received q specious, SNOWY
education in the old Feudalistic schools
Of Spain. They have come back to
their own countries protesting them
selves to be republicans, but all the time
tmbued with the ideas of conquest and
plumber, such as animated the con-
quistadores of centuries ago. That is,
every young man feels that in some way
he should live I'm luxury upon the labor
of the common people. The best and
surest way to do this is to get control
of the Government and levy taxes and
collect customs. When one crowd gets
In, IT proceeds to squeeze. everybody in
order to fill dts pockets before the cp-
position gets strong enough to turn ii
out. There is very little public spirit
even IN the highest classes, while among
the Indians and mixtures of negro, In
dian and Spanish Dloods there is abso-
lutely none. All that these people want
to do is to get enough from day to day
Cor their support and save as much as
possible from the exactions of their
rulers. They take really little part In
.he wars one way or the other, and con-
sequently these are fought out by very
small forces of such men and boys as
the contestants can manage to beat up
and put into ranks with guns in their
hands. So long as these rival factions
are only depressing and robbing the
people of the country our Government
takes no interest in the matter. When,
however. as was recently the case, the
vtctors get control of the seaboard cities
and begin to raid the merchants and
plantation owners. then foreign Gov
ernments must give their citizens pro-
lection.
InsiGnihcsnce Of These Wars.
It would seem that there entered into
the war great deal of personal feeling
between President Zelaya of Nicaragua
and President Bonilla, of Honduras, and
the struggle partook largely of the ma
ture of fight between these two.
The dimensions and character of the
armies by which the struggle was prose-
cuted seem laughably. small. In the
desperate" battle of Camaguay, which
lasted half a day, and really de-
cided the fate of Honduras, il is re-
ported that there were 1000 men on
one side and 900 Hondurans. under
General" Guerrero, an Indian. As both
numbers are probably much exagger-
eted. we can imagine that the battle
really did not amount to as much o. n