El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-21

X AN SALVADOR. Salvador, May p.
Except Porto Rico. Salvador is
- the most denseIy populated coun-
try in the new world. If the United
States haG as many people to the
square mile as salvador it would have
over 7OO.OOO.OOO inhaEltsnts. salvador
is also the smallest of all the Amerl-
can republics, having an area smaller
than any one of 100 large counLles
in the United states IT has anoJner
claim for distinction. in that Its import
duties are probably the heaviest OF any
country in the world.
But with all its heavy taxes and Its
density Of population, the people OF
Salvador seem comparatively prosper
Gus and happy. 1t seems that upon
landing at La Union or at La Llbertad,
or at Acajutla, the atmosphere Is some
what different from that in otner Cen
trial American countries There Is an
erectness of carriage, q cheerfulness
Of expression, and Withal more stamina
in the people than in some of the neigh
boring republics 1t is true that the
foreigners cannot land at any OF the
ports without first having direct per
mission from the capital and also
that no one can depart without the
same sort Of credentials. And yet the
visitor is less impatient about this
when he learns that many efforts have
been made by neighbOring republics,
lions in Salvador, and that this watch
fulness is the result
Has a Middle Class.
The secret Of SalvadOr's prosperity
is the fact that there is something Of a
middle class here One may travel in
any part OF the country and see little
plats Of ground, some Of them not big
ger than a city block, il is true. where
small farmers raise crops Of coffee, ba-
nanaS. etc They are an indus triOus lot
of people, and although Salvador ap-
pears but a little country perched on
the western slope of the COrdilleras
and ready to slide into the Pacific, the
people manage 10 make II produce
more per square mile than any other
country south of the Rio Grande. If
the exports OF the United StaeJs We're
as great in proportion TO area as those
OF salvador, they would amount 70
something like S3.0O0.0OO,00O annually
When one visits san salvador after
travelling in some Of the other Central
American republics, he cannot but no
tice the clean streets, the well cared
Tor parks. the good looking stores,
ana IRE people 10 whom life seems to
be really worth the living. The prln-
clpal hOteI may not be up TO the New
York or Washington standard. but IL
Is run by a capable German, and ev-
erything Is clean and wholesome. The
only other place south Of the Rio
Grande and north Of the Isthmus OF
Panama where really good hotel &C
san Jose de Costa RicaN
Roads Being Built.
Means OF internal communication are
now being opened up rapidly in SAL
yador- There is a new road leading
from the capital 70 the nearest port
La Libertad, and the hundreds OF cart
loads Of coffee one meets on the eight
hour drive tell of the importance OF
the road and of the value OF the coffee
crop Then there are other main high
IN
pOrtant cities of the republic. More
important TO Salvador. perhaps. than
its new system OF state roads. is the
new railroad which the Minor @. Keith
interests are building from La Union
acrOss the country and through Guate-
mala to a point on the cline Of the Qua
temala Northern railroad. which viii
give Salvador direct railroad con
nection with the Atlantic seabOard at
Borrios. This viii permit the saliva
dOrean coffee growers TO ship their
coffee direct to BarriOs where IL may
load direct for Hamburg or otter ports.
The bulk Of Salvadorean coffee goes 10
Germany.
Germany In the LeaG.
One may see here IN all its glory the
German commercial invasion and may
study its effect While the railroads
are principally British. as are also the
mining interests, the Germans are in
on the ground floor In the banking
field and also in the realm of trade
German stores abound in the cities. and
salvador is rapidly being German
lied The German youth comes to SAL
Vador to serve a term 10 the esta blish-
ment OF some k1nsman OF friend Of his
finally He comes to stay for awhile,
and before he has completed his stay
he decides that Salvador is good
enough TO settle down in Tor life soon
ne IS moving in the native society, ac-
cepts the maners and customs OF the
people ana IN little while IS likely 70
marry SalvadOrean woman. Thereaf-
ter ne IS a part Of Salvador. The only
difference is that he is loyal 10 the
Fatherland, and never OverlOOks an Op-
portunlty TO help the export business
of his homie country.
w nile this marrying into SalvadO-
rean families tends somewhat 10 make
the Germans adopt Spanish-American
ways. at the same time il also has a
tendency to modify those ways. Won
en- IN salvador are more nearly ike our
own In their freedom than those OF
oLler caribbean countries. The cen
tral park of san Salvador on Sunday
evenings Is a place worth visiting All
OF the women OF the city gather there.
Inc park is about the size of a city
Dlockr and there is a walk outside the
low stone fence and one inside benches
Delng arranged along both walks A
oanu gives concert and for hours
husbands and wives and SWANS and
~ eetnearls take turns at prOmenading
watching the passing show. while the
ellJe mOnopOliZe the one inside.
Tariff Duties High.
As stated before. the tariff duties
In salvador are very high. 1t costs
more Ihan 10000 a year to run the
iitue republics government. The du-
ues are levied largely on the basis Of
weight, a pound Of barbed wire paying
Almost as much as a pound Of the fin
est iace- There are duties piled on top
OF duties. and when they are all met
tne man who buys an imported article
MAKES very liberal contribution 10
me country's treasury. A barrel Of
iloqr costs Sl2 and a case Of oil, worth
81 In the States, is worth 81 here. II IS I
easy 20 understand why the people eat
Dgt little wheat bread and go to bed
with the chickens.
salvador feels itself under the neces- [
SHY OF maintaining a large army. As
viii be explained Ia a later letter, pres
iuent cabrera, Of Guatemala. is a thorn
IN lhe flesh Of Salvador. and the sal
Eauorean mothers quiet their children
by telling them of the dreaded Guate- I
Just as American mothers I
a