Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-27
CARIBBEAN POLITICS.
Guatemala's Dictator-P President.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

GUATEMALA CITY, May @.-Ruiing
Guatemala with the iron hand OF mill
tary dictator. and possessing military
machine of rare efficiency, Estrada Cabrera
yet boasts that he is a lawyer and not
military man. He lays emphasis at all
times upon the fact that he is man OF
peace and not a man OF war. Yet II is
probable that no ruler In all central
American history ever was more harsh
or exacting than Estrada Cabrera In
fact, his sway is so absolute that no
voice here dares cry out against IL, for
the very good reason that death or i'm
prisonment without a chance TO COM
municate with the outside world would
be the portion OF him who had the
temerity to criticise his administration
In all this country Of 1000. 600 people. with
an area equal to that of the state Of Penn
sylvania. 1t would be hard to find one book
or one newspaper with a single word or
hostile criticism OF Estrada Cabrera ana
his rule. No one who values his bust
ness would take the risk of handling any
volume containing a criticism OF the
president. In fact. no one who lives here
ever dares to speak single hostile word
about Cabrera, except Ii be behind closed
doors and in the utmost confidence-for
men are shot in Guatemala for much
spies everywhere. Let a stranger pegln
to talk about conditions and Immediately
he Is admonished of the possible prox-
unity Of spies. for even to he found lis
tening to a conversation unfriendiy TO
Estrada Cabrera is dangerous.
These few simple facts show what kino
OF rule there is In Guatemala. and YET,
harsh and oppressive as has been the
sway Of this dictator. it is still debat-
able question whether it is not lesser
evil than the unbroken chain of resolu-
tons which have beset many OF the
other republics of Central America Al
least the crops are planted and harvested.
and the energies OF the bulk of the people
may be devoted to the pursuit OF peace
rather than that of war. However bad
may be the economic condition of the
Guatemalans. they are still better or,
perhaps, than the people OF Honduras
clare that. after all. Cabrera is just
about as benevolent ruler as the people
will let him be. II he were less deter
mined summarily to put to death the IN
stigators Of revolutionary movements. II
seems inevitable that there would be an
outbreak which he could not control in
a very short time. If he were to permit
free speech or free press, assert others,
conditions half as bad as those which
obtain inevitably would lead to revoiu-
ton.
This crafty ruler has a knack Of fore
stalling all signs Of revolution. He dis
trusts al
Knack Of Forestalling most every
Signs Of Revolutions. comes In
contact with But sometimes he will have
the word passed around that a little free
dom OF the press will be tolerated. This
results in those who have grudges against
the government expressing them. and
thus he learns where to look for trouble
and takes precautions to forestall it.
Cabrera never appears in public, ex-
cept on the most extraordinary occasions
Some assert that he wears a steel jacket,
and drives in bullet-proof carriage
when he goes out. Sometimes wnoie
year passes without his leaving the
portals Of his palace. He has several
gatling guns mounted on automobiles,
and is always ready for the outbreak
which he constantly breads. When Sec
rotary Knox visited Guatemala no one
thought for a minute that President
Cabrera would appear in public but
much to the surprise OF everybody he at
tended the school celebration at the Tenn
pie of Minerva and seemed to have no
fear whatever of the danger of the sharp
shooters who many people thought might
be in hiding ready to put an end to his
existence.
Cabrera has built nearly all OF the
great show places in Guatemala City.
but 1t is seldom indeed that he gets
to look at any of them. Once in q
while the government grants a sub
sidy Of $40 900 to Spanish opera com
pany to visit Guatemala City. but the
entertainment is for the benefit OF
others than the dictator.
There have been two public attempts
to assassinate Cabrera. One was in
1907. when a mine exploded and killed
his horses and his coachman. He him.
self escaped. He was driving along
the street. and when the carriage got
to q certain spot 1t stopped momen-
tarily and the explosion took place.
thrown into prison, many were sum-
| marily shot and others were logged
into insensipility to force them to re-
veal the identity of the plotters. A
party of conspirators had leased a
house and had dug a tunnel under tn e
street, placing a mine in it. The
coachman had accepted a bride to
| drive the carriage over this spot and
stop. 1t was his intention to have the
| rear part OF the carriage blown up.
Instead. he stopped just short OF the
vehicle that was over the mine when
the explosion took place. He was
killed instantly. No one suspected
him OF being q party to the plot until
his wife, who submitted a claim for q
pension, fnnocently gave up the papers
which proved his connection with 1T.
The other attempt upon Cabrera 8
life was made when the American min
lister Mai Will