The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-24


Desth grisvous wrong.
Deep - hell count his error.
Let him hear my song
A Nd 90 I let the poet Tennysou
n Introduce my story Of the great
{ = and good friend Of the United
states. Manuel Estrada Cabrera. the
president Of this Guatemala repopnc.
There Is no doubt of his ruling ny Yer.
ror. Every man. woman ana cnaso 40
the country 10 afraid Of him. ana ne
who would criticize him gets bshino
the wall and speaks with bated breath
Ny first experience a. to the rear
Shich permeates the hearts OF tns
Guatemalans was In a hotel In the
capital Of Costa Rica- ! had SPOKEN Oh
Cabrera. and In an ordinary tone was
telling q story I had heard concernihS
him TO an Amer tcan who had large IN
,erests In Guatemala. He begged me
TO speak low. saying that there were
spies everywhere. and that could hos
say anything In Central America tnss
Cabrera would not near. mere IN
Guatemala am told that the presioehs
knows everything. even what &c"
nan eats for dinner, and a. to the
guests that sit down at hts table. III
MANY cases the very servants are III
mis- nay and all society Is said TO Do
noneycombed with his spies. There 10
absolutely no freedom OF the press. AZ
though now and then the newspapers
sritictze the administration. such CRIT.
icisms. however. are always o'rectso
from the palace and are merely gum
my expressions to give the impression
abroad that freedom exists.
The Man o. BLOOD sn1 1seo.
a.
man OF blood and iron. He 10 COM
bination % strength and weakness. OK
greatness and the reverse. In some
r.,pects he reminds one OF Nero. IN
others Of Napoleon. and again OF Aooot
Hamtd, tn. now dethroned sultan Ok
The Turkish empire. He was Nepo-
con in hts grabbing the presidency:
and q Nero and CaiiYuia In some oi
MS acts since he took charge. now over
fourteen years ago. He has been
Napoleon in his arbitrary rule. which
has kept the people quiet. ana put
down revolutions with an iron mana
order 10 better kept in Guatemala
than in any other C>1tral American
republic, except Costa kicA. ana the
people are far better off than those OF
Honduras or Nicaragua. II 10 true
that the financial system OF the couh-
try II, 10 use a disgusting expression
rotten, and that the dollars here are
worth onlys cents OF our money. but,
nevertheless, the planters are growing
rich and the coffee crop brings In its
millions 4 year. It II due to Cabrera
that railroads are being built ana tnet
the iron track running from New York
through Mexico will soon DO laio
across Guatemala to the capital OF
Salvador, SO that we may In time 30
TO Panama on the cars 1t 10 due to
him that education 10 being pushed
throughout the republic. and that
new peon law which proposes to 90
away with Indian slavery has been
enacted.
Afraid u Assassans.
And now take Cabrera as the ABDUL
Hamid OF Central America! When Alb
dul Hamid was Sultan he was half
crazy from his fear OF assassination
Everything that was cooked for him
had TO be prepared in . certain way.
and he had his professional tasters
who. II was thought. would get the
fret bite at the poison He always
had a revolver at his right hand, and
l wa. told In Ccnstantinople that there
were times when he sat up at night 10
watch. His career ended BY revolu-
ton and an enforced a'odication. and
ne Is still trembling now that he 10 In
retirement
do not know that Cabrera tresn-
bles. I doubt il. He seems to be the
sou, Of bravery. but Of caution AZ Well.
When Secretary Knox was here he
came on, OF his palace for the first
time In many months. and when his
state coach drove TO the door OF the
ralace where Mr.. Knox was enter
tanned i. was surrounded by secret
police. When It left II went by the
back way. and II II said that others
OF his journeys. taken during that
visit were made in street hacks In