Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-08-08
JUNTA GOSSIP
Is HEARD IN
WASHINGTON
specta. ov United Press Wire.

Special by United Press Wire.
Washington, Aug 8.-Now that
the summer season is on in wash
ington and most of the members of
the diplomatic corps have fitted
away to the cooling breezes of the
North shore or of the mountains. the
attention of the public can be CEN
tered without distraction upon the
Central American Junta which main
tains itself at the cafe of the Ar
lington hotel.
The gathering of exiled Central
American revolutionists in New Or
leans could hardly be more pictur-
esque or more imaginative than the
few midsummer diplomats who
gather at these headquarters and, to
the tink1e tinkle Of the cracked ice
in the long glasses, discuss the af-
fairs Of the FIVE republics,-those
events which have come to pass and
those which will come to pass, and
for the most part, those which have
not nor ever will come to pass. For
this little left behind fragment of
Washington's diplomatic coterie Is
nothing II not imaginative.
The midsummer sun beats down
hot on the striped awnings and the
pavements without bake in the heat.
Under such circumstances the whtr
of the electric fan and the tinkle Of
the cracked ice encourage meander-
ing thoughts, which percolate
through the drowsy atmosphere un-
til a Whit from the hot streets ex-
plodes them like toy balloons. What
revolutions are not stamped out,
what diplomotic coups are not dealt
under the languorous influence of
those electric fans and the seductive
tinkling Of the tall glasses!
A thousand times is the United
States, as friend or foe, crushed I'M
der foot or exalted to the skies. A
thousand times does the valor of the
great generals Of the South Ameri-
car republics gain bloodless victor
les. A thousand times is the diplom-
acy Of secretary Knox torn to tat
tiers by clever strokes,-all until enc
emerges from the cool depths under
cover of the striped awnings to re-
alize that the world is very Eoatter
of fact and very common place
again.
But, such as 1t is, the junta serves
It's purpose. Many a correspondent
hard put to 1t to find substance for
hio Scpyy bClLCS upOu luS ASdluSl-
Ing thought and makes a column of
1t for the delectation of the great
American people. A hundred times
In the summer months Is the tide
of affairs turned In Central America
In some fashion or other in that
darkened room only to be turned
back again by the announcement
from the State Department that
! fhinOa nTa j,ISf a 8 thaU hi yn hnnn
One day all is for Madriz, another
1t is for Estrada. The next Whoop
la!-zelaya Is coming back to stir
up trouble or a ship has slipped
away from Hampton Roads to blow
Managua into the sea.
What junta gossip fails to bring
forth is supplied by rumors from
New Orleans or Mobile,-long since
called the banana route by the news
g%atherers. In the past the banana
route has occupied first place, but
that has reached It's zenith. The
colony of revolutionary exiles in
New Orleans have done much to en-
liven the slow hours. Hardly a fruit
boat comes in hut some ragged fig
ure runs down the gang plank to
bear the new of home and the cause
to the few who gather about the ia
bles of an obscure cafe near the wa
ter front. Thence it goes to the
nearest newspaper Office and behold,
a new revolution is launched to over
throw one or another tyrant,-the
extent of which is confined to four
hungry men at q cafe with combined
resources of thirty-six centavos.
There are other odd channels
through which rumors of affairs in
foreign countries are borne to the
United States, most of them are as
fantastic n the reorts originating
in New Orleans or the Arlington bar.
Vancouver brings forth some strange
stories of oriental affairs. Former
ly Shanghai was the home of the
INSCRIPTIONS correspondent. Rumor
thrives In Shanghai, China being
more or less of a mysterious empire
and telegraph service poor, 1t was
easy enough to tell a thrilling tale
of things happening In the interior
and get away with a few drinks at
the club bars before the tale could
be discounted. But Vancouver has
dimmed the glory of Shanghai SO
far as the United States is oncern-
ed. Gable tolls from the Orient are
high If one has no facts but the word
of mouth of an itinerant tramp
steamer captain or the bath of a
sailor who has not see a polished
bar for forty days and has q bad
| thirst. Therefore 1t is that one sees
strange tales of Japan under a Van
couver date line. The tramp steam
or scan get to Vancouver a few days
sooner than they can reach San
Francisco and the rumor borne over
the seas is old by the time San Fran
cisco gets 1t from the Orient If 1t
ever that far.