Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-07
Some Things You Want to Know
Turbulent Central AmeriCa-A Century of Revolution.

Guatamula having qulckened her hope Of
success, but after forcing one or two Of
the states to submit to annexation, Itur-
bide's government In Mexico was itself
overthrow and a republic established
there.
Then came a constitutional convention.
A constitution modelled after that of the
United States was prepared and adopted,
though there is no proof that II was sub
mltted to the people themselves. No sooner
had this new nation been formed than in
tense partisan spirit arose. The centralists
and the federalists, known also as the
moderates and the liberals, and also as the
aristocrats and radicals, became extremely
bitter toward one another. Starting under
the most favorable auspices, except that
the people were not fitted for the SOW
e~reignty vested in American citizens, 1t was
not long until the question of states rights
arose in a peculiar way. The National
congress planned a big celebration In honor
Of the first university Of the new gov
eminent, but Guatemala refused to par
ticipate. This refusal was most embaras-
sing as the seat Of government was in
her territory. So the National congress
passed a resolution compelling the Guata-
malans to participate in the exercises.
In 1896 President Arce issued a p~roclama-
ton converting an extra session Of the
congress, which was clearly an unconsti-
tutional act. Salvador rebelled, invaded
Guatemala and was defeated. Arce
countered with an Invasion of Salvador,
and was in turn defeated. Civil war was
the result. The troublous times brought a
leader who forced the states into submits
sion for awhile, but even he could not in
definitely postpone the separation that
seemed Inevitable. BY 1888 every state had
seeded. 1t was a general secession, for
which, in the very nature of things, there
could be no remedy. The United StateB
of Central America was nothing but a
name.
About this time there arose a new
power in Central American politics. This
man was Carrera, a mulatto with a pre-
dominant streak Of Indian blood In his
veins, and who had been q pig-driver In
Guatemala. He was as ignorant as his
vocation would indicate, yet possessed of
a cunning and cruelty seldom surpassed.
Years of fighting followed his rise. The
states were led to a reunion, only to split
up again. At times Carrera was a defeated
guerilla sulking in the mountains with a
price upon his head, and then a trium-
plant leader with a recruited force. He
finally defeated Morazan in a great battle,
and had that valiant warrior put to death
on the anniversary of Central American
Independence. Carrera placed himself at
the head of the Guatamalan government
and remained its dictator until 1859.
We now come to the time. of William
Walker, the versatile and daring Tennes-
sean who sought to establish an empire
Of his own in Central America. This dash
ing soldier Of fortune first failed in an
attempt to create a state in a lonely
Mexican province, but, nothing daunted
by this reverse, pressed on southwark In
his career of conquest. For a time he was
actually in control of the government of
Nicaragua and seemed in a fair way to
realize his ambition to be a ruler. But his
tenure of power was brief. After being
turned from one port by the American
navy and ordered away from another by
the admiral of a British warship, this
valiant freebooter was captured by Hon
'duranean troops. c~ourt-nartialed and shot.
The pubseduent history of the Central
American states is one of abortive efforts
to reunite them, of revolutions and coun-
ter-revolutions with occasional bright
periods of peace under temporary oene-
ficent administrat ions. Even as late as
1907 a serious effort was made to re-
unite the states in a permanent union like
our own. There had been such a success
sion of revolution that Mexico and the
United States Joined hands in asking the
republics to take part in a conference at
washington looking to a mutual under
standing that would end these constant
wars. When the delegates met the repre-
sentative from Honduras proposed a union
He insisted that federation was bound to
come. and that the question involved was
only whether 1t should be now or here
after. Honduras and Nicaragua favored
the proposition, but all the others opposed
It. The result was the court of arbitra-
ton, a sort of miniature Hague tribunal,
but no union.
by FREDERIC j. zAsKrN.
Observation-Disclosures Central America
nicaragua, Land Of Blasted Hopes.