The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-25
Visit of Americans Gives the People Chance to See
 Their President
DINNER IS GIVEN AT
 GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Little Republic Tries to 0utdo All the Other Central American Re- publics in way of Entertain
 ing-Gaily Decorated

Guatemala City, March 16.-(Corres- pondence of the Associated Press Rep resentative with Secretary Knox)-If the visit of Secretary Knox to Guatemala accomplishing nothing more 1t afforded the President of this republic a pub lie airing the like of which he has not had since the last attempt upon his life some four years ago.
 Manuel Estrada Cabrera has a keen sense of humor and he must have had in mind more than he expressed in words when he said at the dinner given by him to his American guests at the govern ment palace that he had hugely enjoyed the past three days.
 Always at the side of the secretary, Mrs. Knox or others of the guests the President repeatedly showed himself 10 the people+and to their unfeigned surprise Indeed the appearance in pub lie of the iron-handed ruler whose multi tudinous duties. as he explains. have long kept him closely confined in the palace. was the feature of the visit, \ Cities and Towns Decorated In Guatemala the wish of the national executive is law and when word went forth that Guatemala was to oudo the other Central American republics in its welcome to MT. Knox, it was a fore gone conclusion that the reception would be all that the considerable resources of the republic permitted. special train bringing members of the cabinet. high army officers and other notables met the Knox party at San Jose and the seere- .ary was escorted to the capital. The railway stations at all the villages passed were decorated with the Guatemalan and American colors and half buried behind palms and flowers. On the platforms were school children dressed in white and blue-the national colors-and who, if the train stopped, sang or waved a greet ing as the special sped by,
 At Escuintla, where a stop was made for refreshments, the secretary passed between the lines of boys and girls, and one of the children presented him with an address of welcome, At Mora1i,y the Mccsa of gacL iighteFss4a @snt iarnss'eU tho star spangied Banner into the 1 two minutes required by the locomotive | to take water
 | Passing close to the southern shore of beautiful I,aguna. the train brought to view a flotilla Of canoes fantastlcally dressed in the colors of the two coun- tries while around the craft filled with
 
 whose protruding hands held above the surface the stars and stripes
 On reaching the capital the secretary was greeted by a distinguished group of government officials ara escorted 10 mansion vacated by it's Spanish owner for the use of the Knox family, through streets gaily decorated. under arches of welcome past duplicate of the statue of liberty and always between rows of soldiers. behind whom must have been a ma jority of the -cty's inhabitants. All were respectful, but one looked In vain for a glimmer of the sort of welcome that a distinguished guest expects in North America.
 Torchlight Procession
 That evening 5000 Indians took part in torehlight procession past the foreign office and President Cabrera, giving his arm to Mrs. Knov. stepped to an open window from which he witnessed the weird scene. It was a pathetic sight dull faced men, women and children. their miserable garb made more fam tastc by the uncertain light of the torches trudging along to doleful mu-