The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-27
IN SPANISH HONDURA
CONSUL FLETEs TALKS or GEN.
 TRAIL AMERICA.
Turning the Minds of Subjects From War to Agricultural Pursuits is Plan of Latin American
 Countries.

Mobile. July 36.--(Special )--Beating swords into pioughshares Is the de- sideratum of the Central American countries according to the statement made by the Spanish Honduran Con- sul to the Port of Mobile. Hon. Erneste Fletes.
 Yesterday afternoon. he sat In his once, and to prove his statement. he read from a number of newspapers printed in Spanish. and published in | the different countries which make up that neck of land which joins the North American continent to that Of South America. and which the United States government Is now engaged in cutting a waterway through.
 MT. Fletes has not been a great
 while in Mobile. but since he came here he has acquired an excellent
 knowledge of the language of the country and imbibed many of the pre-
 vailing customs. He Is a great be-
 liever in publicity. but a stickler for
 the point that all news should be ex-
 act. It is because of this he is ever
 ready to talk about the customs of the
 people of his country. their hopes
 and aspirations. and he is particularly | anxious that 1t should be shown to the world that his government Is do- ing all that Is possible for the up- building of its subjects. Nor is he at all selfish about 1t. but in praising I those things which are good about his own government. he also finds oc- casion to praise that of other Central American countries.
 Yesterday he was discussing the printed reports regarding revolutions In Spanish Honduras. and declared they were not only greatly exaggerat- were not founded on fact. It was this that brought him round to a dis- cussion Of agricultural pursuits and with seeming great pleasure he said: Do you know that In my country to-day as well as in other of the Latin American countries. they are doing all they can to turn the minds of their subjects away from war to that of tiil- In the soil2 It was only recently that the Costa Rican Congress recom-
 mended that the cabinet office of Min tster of War be abolished and that in- stead there be created the office of Minister of Agriculture.
 In my own country President Da- \ villa has already established such an
 omce and there has also been created | bureau Of agriculture, which Is ex- pected to do much toward advancing agricultural pursuits in Spanish Hon. | duras. This bureau already has un- der its direction a school of tnstruc-
 ton in tobacco growing. It is in the | clty or Dantt and is conducted by pro. fessors brought from Cuba. It has been established that as far as soil and other conditions are concerned
 there can be grown in Honduras aa inc tobacco as is grown in Cuba. All that Is necessary is that the people learn the proper way of cuitivatinK it and the correct method of curing it after the leaves have been gathered | In."
 It was at this point that Mir. Fletes picked up q file of foreign newspa. pers and read extracts therefrom to support his contention. The interview came to an end as he left the ofIce to catch the steamer for Point Clear, where with his family. he is stopping for the summer. As he crossed the threshold of his office he added: 'arhe governments of Central America are satisfied that if they once get their sunJects properly interested in agri. cultural pursuits, they are certain there will be no more talk of strife. either internal or external"