New-York tribune., 1908-01-12
CENTRAL AMERICAN REVOLUTIONIST'S.

| CENTRAL AMERICAN REVOLUTIONISTS.
Writing in the "Diaro de ia Marina" of Ha-
/ vana Mr.. Antonio EscObar. the we'll known
! Cuban correspondent at Washington. com
! ments somewhat pessimiSticav upon that one
of the recently signed Central American con-
ventions which relates to the non-recOgn1tlon of
revolutionary governments holding that the
/ commendahle agreement not to recognize
! government established through a revolution
J or a coup d'Gtdt is practically nullifed by the
conjoined provision that such government may
! be recognized II and when the people of the
country concerned ratify it in a constitutional
manner. His view is that revolutionary die
tator could afford to 20 without recognition for
a few months. until he had prevailed upon the
Deope TO elect him regularly according TO the
constitution. and that ii would be far better
for the states. instead of agreeing not to in
terfere in the domestic affairs of any Of their
number. to provide for concerted Intervention
by all SO that revolutionary leader in one
state would have not only to overthrow the
government of that state but also to establish
and maintain his ground against the united
forces of the other four.
Theoretically that may he a correct view of the
case Precisely the course Of events suggested
hv Mr. EscOhar has more than once occurred.
and NAV occur again 1t might be supposed.
moreover that the assured active union of all
the states against him would he sufficient
diScoura cement or an insuperable obstacle to
the average wOuld-be revOlutiOnst- But there
are many things which are theoretically pos
Sibla which are also practically highly imprOb-
.abIe and there are things which are theoreti-
cally desirable which would in practice he most
Tn( psirabIp \ revoutiOnist might effect il
copp d'ttat and a little later acquire cOnstitu-
tjonal status and consequent international rec
holc +1at hp ms of
and the accompanying treaties has rendered
Such performance vastly less probable than
heretofore Ii is. moreover, matter of well
known record that a revolution in any Central
American state has usually had its origin i'll
or has drawn Indispensable aid from some
neighboring state With the abolition Of those
conditions the danger of revolutions must be
diminished The other four states might. also
unitedly intervene to prevent revolution i'll
the fifth, but in practice their doing so would
be likely to involve the whole five in the fire.
quent wars which it is much desired to
avoid: and it is quite certain that such in
terventon would greatly intensity the zeal AMI
stubbornness of the revolutionary party.
On the whole therefore il may well he the
part of wisdom to let the treaty stand il is.
For what is most desirable. after ALL is not to
bind the states with rigid fctters OF convention
in all details, but TO effect general agreement
upon few basic principles and then trust
to the educational influence of that system 10
elevate the entire standard and practice of
them all Something must he left To honor and
discretion and To the will to do right. 1t is no
small thing that the five states are now agree
ing. in the presence and with the moral CO.
operation of the United States and Mexico TO
refrain from wars and revolutions and 10 dis
courage and discountenance such proceedings
Possibly that pledge will not remain altogether
mhroken We have had actual secession once
and secession plots more than once in our
own land Put we are not sure that it will not
be better for each Central American state TO
work out its own salvation, even at the cost of
contendin. with few revolutionary attempts.