Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-07

From tho time when Nelson, then an
humble officer Of marines. but afterward
the hero OF Trafalgar, lost his shoes In
wading through a quagmire TO receive the
surrender Of a Spanish battery, down to
the living present, there has been little
rest from political tribulation and revolu-
ton in Central America. Internecine strife
has been 80 constant as to call forth the
remark that there never was a time when
Central America was not planning a revo-
luton, fighting one, or ending one. The
cause is not far 10 seek. The people are
not t"emperamentally fitted for freedom.
The republican form of government OBJ
tains in theory, but not in fact. The ballot
box, in the United States a great engine Of
liberty which TRANSFORMS the will of the
people into action. there stands for little
more than a pleasing fiction. No sooner
does a Central American ruler get into
power than he makes plans to stay there,
with the result that the only way to
change his administration is at the point Of
the bayonet. He Immediately clothes him
self with more poWe r than Edward Of Eng
land ever knew, and more than William
of Germany ever expects to have.
1t was said that the last presidential con-
test In Panama was the first fair election
ever known In tropical America. Plans
had been perfected to insure the perpetual
ton Of the Amador government, and only
a healthy display of power on the part
OF Uncle Sam prevented a revolution there,
The ms were planning to operate the
election machinery in such a way as to
insure their success, and the 'outs'' were
determined to enforce their rights at the
point Of the bayonet. Except for the part
Uncle Sam played in that event this outline
might serve for a hundred different cleo
ton row in Central America, with the de-
tails merely filled in. Some times 1t is
the moderates against the liberals, some
times the conservatives against the rad
icals, some times the centrallsts against the
federalists and some times the democrats
against the republicans, but nearly always
the trouble is brought about by the eff
forts of the 'lns' to make the results of
the ballot box favorable to them. no matter
what the will of the people. 1t is simply
q case of the shadow OF democracy and the
substance of tyranny.
The Central American states, consisting
of Guatemala, Cost Rico, Honduras, SAL
vador and Nicaragua, spent three full CEN
turtles under Spanish rule. Explored and
taken possession Of by a representative of
Cortez, in the uame of Spain, they i'm
medlately became Spanish territory. 1t
would be a long and tedious process to
review their history during these three
centuries, starting with Spanish possess
sion in 1921 and ending with independence
in 1921. The latter part of this period has
a deep interest because there was a we'll
laid plot on the part of Great Britain to
recoup her losses of the revolutionary war
In North America by getting control Of
Central America.
1t was at this time that Horatio Mel
son, still an humble subaltern, at the
head of 500 marines, waded through mud
and water and boarded" a Spanish bat
terry, as he termed 1t. Successful in his
first battle, the campaign as a whole went
against him. Once his life was saved by
a lizard running across his face and
awakening him in time to escape a deadly
viper coiled at his feet. Not long there
after he was poisoned by drinking water
from a spring in which grew q deadly
tree, and it is said that his health never
recovered from that experience.
Although England failed to get posses
sion of Central America she was respon-
sible for Spain losing it. 1t was at Trafal-
ger that the spell of Spanish power was
broken and the Invincible Armada hurled
back in defeat and despair. What Eng
Adhu ud llOL w al uIlNluB SPUN TO poverty
and weakness was completed by Ma
poleon. Enboldened by the weakness of
the mother country, and cheered by the
example OF the United States, the Central
American colonies wrote their declaration
Of Independence, and through an all but
bloodless revolution established themselves
as Independent states. 1t fell to the lot
of a little province of Chiapas, then a por-
ton Of Guatemala, to start the movement
that resulted in freedom from the Spanish
yoke. 1t declared itself independent of
Spain, Guatemala followed quickly and
her action was duplicated by the other
states. Mexico sought through Iturbide
to annex them all to her territory. declar-
ing they could not stand alone. but only
Chiapas was finally made a part Of thai
nation. Mexico did not give up her pre-
tensions to possession without a struggle