The San Francisco call., 1909-03-01
DAVILLA
RULER ALWAYS
OUT OF STYLE
Honest, but Unhappy. in a Re-
giOn Where SpOiIs Is the
Policy
honduras Compromise Ruler
Sits Up Nights Waiting for
Signs of Trouble
Begs Americans to Help COun-
try Which Has No Hope
of Saving Itself
By Frederick Palmer

Honduras, larger than Illinois, has
only 81 miles OF railroad. for whieh-to
The profit of politicians and money lend
ers-ft contracted a debt. amounting
now, with accrued interest. to 500. 0OO.-
600. Wnoever goes to the capital Tegu-
cigalpa, 100 miles from the Pacific and
200 from the Atlantic. must travel by
The highway. The trip is worth while
] rode mdleback for three DAYS among
the forest covered mountains, where the
banana, the orange and the lemon grow
in eternal spring beside the pitch pine
which nurses orchids on its limbs.
or course. 1 heard. of revolutionary
possibilities on the way. They are al
ways in the air and they were in the
mind of President Davilla when 1 talked
10 him. He is said TO be the one clean
handed president in money matters in
Central America. He is also the unhap-
piest-a living example of the fault of
being out of style in a region where
dishonesty is a custom rather than a
policy. Even We're he venaT he could
make little profit. All the spoil was ex-
hausted before his time Honduras is
bankrupt, stagnant. devastated; the
bone over which the neighboring die
tators quarrel for the last shred of flesh.
PRESIDENT SEEKS. INTERVENTION
An I ask is to get out alive" pleaded
the old president. Il ga to bed. every
night without knowing what may hap
pen ia the morning. have no. one whom
] can trust / have to do all for myself
What hope or peace or development has
Honduras, lying between Guatemala and
Nicaragua? None; except by interfer-
ence by the United States It is for YOU
10 see that the Central American court
is not the plaything Of Nicaraguan and
Guatemaian politicians
VIII you not drive out their spies2 ,
MMl you not use your strong arm to
give US peace-peace long enough to
learn that continual revolution is not
the natural order of a nations exist
enceE There is no act of yours guar
anteeing good government which
would not welcome. How can we care
for ourselves. how can we rule our
selves under such conditions? And you
took away the one source of prosperity
we had when you made Cuba so pros
porous that she grew her own cattle
and imported no more of ours,
This appeal of the old president
weary of his burdens was ia keeping
with the atmosphere of unrepair of the
old palace and the lifeless city which
knows no rise in values or dncrease in
population Yet in. the courtyard of
the palace I saw an exhibition which
confounded the cynical idea that these
people VIII not respond to opportunity
With his army likely to be seduced at
any moment by Cabrera or ZeIaya. the
president-called in a Chilean colonel,
who had been trained in Germany. to
organize a corps Of cadets.
SERVICE AS CADET A BOON
After looking at the miserable. shoe
less. slouchy. dirty soldiers which
af1ict the sight at every port and in
front Of every. commentaries office
from the Mexican to the Costa Rican
border, one here has a glimpse into a
German barrack room. Regular food,
daily bath, gOosestep. squared shoul-
ders, parallel bars, and the whole rig
narole were reproduced in erect young
sters who saluted in ramrod fashion
All this has been accomplished in a few
months Boys are marching in from
far and wide asking to get into that
wonderful cadet corps, so. clean and up
standing. which develops anemie youth
into good health.
Davilla is hard put to get the money
for their food and pay and he is
short tempered old man and Central
American after all. When woman re-
peatedly tried to make his cadets desert
he had her driven through the streets
with bar Of iron tied to her legs. An
American protested that this was no
way for a reform administration to
start its career. In fact il was bar
barism of the worst order
4 know it, the old man returned.
and ] did IL. Don't blame anybody
else. ] know il is wrong but this is
Honduras. 1T was the only way to.
make her understand"
IMPRISONMENT FAMILIAR TO ALL
Nor was it so bad for Honduras. Here.
as elsewhere in Central America, the
law of force is the moral law. When a
group Of leading citizens meet they
reckon up how many times each has
heen in Jail and what It cost each one
10 get free. Probably there are rot half
a dozen men Of any Importance who
have not been iBlpJsoned or had to fee
The country at one time or another.
An English banker was Informed by
the late president that voluntary loan
Of sIe0 600 in native currency was
wanted Immediately. He refused. Then
came the word that although he was
immune as a foreign subject they could
reach him by having three of his clerks
shot before sdaybreak the next morning
Then he capitulated for ahumanity's
sake. The only way that he could re-
fr,btIrse himself was to assist IN a revo-
l,,tfon-for which he did not have long
10 wait-that would put inca president
,,nder promise 10 meet the debt
There have been six revolutions in
fhe last IS years. The average term Of
service of the president since Honduras
became a nation is two and hall, years
FOR q four year term. Two presidents,
sierra and Policarpo Bonilla, retired
according to the constitution without
irving TO hold over by cunning or force
~ arms. All others were put oout by
unconstitutional means. Manuel Bonii-
II bowever-rpO relation Of Policarpo-a-
fad Policarpo in jail as matter OF
l,ome defense for over a year Manuel
Increased the length Of his own term to
~ wears. and this was the excuse for
ti.e revolution Of 1907 and Zelaya's ex-
c,,se for his war on Honduras that
forced the revolution.
WHEN Is AN ALLY AN ALbff
Al the battle of Namazioue many OF
80 Honduran troops. who were anti
sxsn,,el deserted to the enemy's SIDE