Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-07-18
CONDITIONS In COSTA RIGA
Central American State with Unique
Record.
GOVERNMENT IS VERY STABLE
Large White Population, Mostly OF
Pure Spanish Decent and Not Much
Given to Disturbance-Friendiy to
the United States Under Most Cir

Given to Disturbance-frienoy ~
the United States Under Most Cir
cumstanees.
The Central American Republic o.
-rosta Rica which has been consider
ably in the public eye OF recen'
months because Of the revolution
AGAINST the rule Of President Federico
Tinoco and the reported landing OF
United States marines there TO pre-
serve order and guard American inter-
ests has been cursed by revolts ana
revolutionary movements far less tnan
,nv other countries lying south OF
Mexico and north Of the Panama can
al AS a matter Of fact, until the re-
volt against President Tinoco broke
ont Costa Rica had led peace1ul ana
nrosperous existence for sixty years.
with no sanguinary revolutions ana
no foreign wars except the brush WIN
walker, the American filibuster VINO
included Costa Rica countries among
the Central American countries ne at-
tempted to subjugate.
True, President Tinoco came INTO
mower ON the crest of reVoiutloh' ou'
II was comparatively peace1ul one
II WAS all over in a few hours, and the
then President Alfredo Gonzalez hao
been ousted with the loss OF not more
than FIVE or six men killed and no
nronerty damage whatever so far as
available records show. Tinoco always
declared he revolted against Gonzalez
in January, 1917, because Gonza1ez was
pro- German, while he was, and want
ed his country to be, extremely pro-
American and pro-Ally. To prove thls
he subsequently-in September lsI'-
declared war against Germany ana OF
sored the American government the
use of Costa Rican ports and waters
for American and Allied warships. on
the other hand, Germany was the nrst
country to recognize the new govern
ment of Tinoco, and his opponents al
wavs contended that this fact proved
that he was really pro-German anu
that Gonzalez was pro-Ally.
Tinoco's offer Of aid to the unileo
States during the war put this coun-
try in something of an embarrassing
position. It had been the pohcy ol
washington not to recognize Centrai
and South American governments
that came into power through revoiu-
tions. and that was what Tinoco GER
Z, inly had done, although the reVo-
,ut,on WAS a very peaceful one as such
things go.
The senate took up the matter ana
II was finally referred to sup-com-
mittee of the committee on foreign re-
lations, and there it has been ever
since. This country ignored the oner
of the Costa Rican government al
though President Tinoco went ahead
and did what he could to aid the Aihes'
irterning German subjects and deilV-
ering belligerent addresses by the
score. Up to few months ago TIN
oco's government had been recognized
by twenty three countries, although
not by the United States.
Probably the secret Of the success
Of Costa Rica in keeping herser SO
free from revolutions for many years
is that she is the one country between
the Rio Grands and the countries Oh
South America where the population Is
overwhelmingly white. The COSTA
Ricans are also probably the most
vigorous people of Central America
descended from the original Spanish
immigrants who were fortunate enough
to settle a country in which the In
dian population was small, so that tney
did not find it necessary either to Kill
off the Indians or to amalgamate with
them.
There are forty or more old Spanish
families in Costa Rica which are much
intermarried, and in them the RUE Oh
the nation has been vested for several
generations. Gonzalez was OF that
breed, and so is Tinoco, both OF them OIL
pure Castilian descent and OF huch
higher type of man than the usuai
Central American ruler and politician
Such an experienced observer as
Frederick Palmer has called COSTA
Rica the one real republic OF Cehtrai
America and the most peaceful, the
happiest and the best governed Oh all
republics in the south It's oulio-
ings. hospitals and national instltu-
tions are modern and up to date anu
ito bsnena and coffee plantations are
well and carefully tended. The was al
fected the trade Of the country con-
siderably, but travellers recently from
there declared that in spite OF TINS
Costa. Rica remains the most prosper
ous of the Central American countries
and a real exhibit which justifies the
Monroe Doctrine.
This unusual Central American
country was discovered by Christopher
Columbus in 1902, on one OF his later
VOYAGES, end he was so impressed py
specimers of gold shown to him py
the natives that he named the country
COSTA HlCd-6Nlo SSoS' - -
later Spain created the kingdom OF
Guatemala, which then included the
whole of Central America and a por-
tio,. of Mexico. Costa Rica became a
province of this old Castilian Kingdom
and remained such until the revolu-
tionary period Of 1S10-1S25, when
Spain lost the greater part OF her
mainland possessions in the Western
Hemisphere. The kingdom thereupon
became separated into five polisicai
divisions-Guatsmala Honduras, Sal
vador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica- In
1921 they renounced their allegiance
TO the Spanish crown and became in
dependent states.
For many years Costa Rica was un-
der the rule of director, Don Brauiio
Garlic, and after his death i'll 1S47 she
adopted her constitution, which has
seve.al times been modified. The coun-
try has an area Of about $4,000 square
miles, which makes it about half the