CHAPTER II. A Progressive President and His Policies.
Guatemala in order to fulfil its destiny as the country of the future must be assured of stable and progressive government hospitable to foreign capital. To insure these things it is necessary to have the right man at the head of affairs. No one now questions that Guatemala possesses this advantage in the person of Manuel Estrada Cabrera, whose term as President will not expire till 1911.
The best test of any public man entrusted with the responsibility of government is the opinion of disinterested foreign observers whose position gives them the opportunity to judge. This opinion was voiced by Mr. Leslie Combs, the American Minister Plenipotentiary to Guatemala, on the occasion of a New Year's reception by President Estrada Cabrera (1905), when the diplomatic corps called on the President in a body. Speaking for himself and for his colleagues of the Diplomatic Corps Minister Combs on that occasion said:
"Upon such an occasion as this criticism or compliment would alike be out of place, but it may be permitted to mention the wonderful development in Mexico in the past ten years, the great work now in hand to the south and to predict that Guatemala in material wealth and well-being has a great future before her. We hope this will be realized in your next administration and that this year will distinctly mark its advent.
"The wise base their hopes of the future upon their experiences of the past and we look to the peace and order maintained by your administration in the past seven years as a guarantee that your people may expect as much in those that are to follow.
"We remember that called to your position of responsibility by a tragedy you have firmly held the authority with which you have been entrusted. We remember that by the diplomatic settlement of 1902, by arbitration and negotiation, you have settled all the foreign claims of importance against your government and have given rise to not one yourself. We remember that hardly had the ashes cooled after the terrible disaster of Santa Maria when railway spikes were being driven to its base and the Mazatenango Railway opened, that the Northern Railway contract seems to guarantee the completion of that highway to the Atlantic at an early date.
"These achievements in a period of depression, in the face of natural phenomena of almost unparalleled destructiveness, warrant the hope that conditions may enable you to direct the destiny of Guatemala still further along on the highway to that position all hope she may one day occupy. A noble field lies before you. That you may be able to occupy it to the greatest advantage of your country is our earnest wish."
The tribute from Minister Combs, as will be noticed, especially emphasizes President Estrada Cabrera's qualities as a man of achievement. That is the keynote of his character, to do something for his country.
President Estrada Cabrera is a civilian executive. His public life has been that of a lawyer eminent in his profession.
Support of Liberal Principles.
In his participation in public affairs President Estrada Cabrera always has supported liberal principles. It was therefore natural that he should be prominent in the councils of the Liberal party and should become the leader of that organization. His career has been one to familiarize him with all the departments of the government. He served as Secretary of Government and Justice, and it was while, holding this position that in order to investigate a land controversy he went out into the wilderness himself and spent several weeks going over the sections concerning which he desired to be fully informed. The result was that this controversy which had been in dispute for a long term of years was finally settled in the manner most equitable and just for the parties interested. This is the way President Estrada Cabrera works when the interests of the State are involved.
In 1898 when President-General José Maria Reyna Barrios was killed, Mr. Estrada Cabrera was Primer Designado, the position which corresponds to vice-president in the United States and under which he became acting President until an election could be held. At that election he was chosen President by a substantially unanimous vote. An indication of his public policies was given by him when he outlined his programme on coming into the responsibility for the government of Guatemala during the interim which he served in the character of Primer Designado. On that occasion he said:
"My administration will be brief and of a temporary character, but not for that reason shall it be left for History to demand of me a strict account of my acts during this period. I declare in the most solemn manner before my fellow citizens that I wish to hand back the beautiful standard of my country without stain. I desire that the Constitution, the sacred repository of our liberties, be not soiled in my hands. My hope is that all of my compatriots may enjoy the life and public liberties that are rightfully theirs. I wish that all the guaranties may protect them in the moment when they approach the ballot boxes to cast their vote for the person to whom it will be given to direct the destinies of our common country."
It was after this declaration and after several months' experience under President Estrada Cabrera's administration that in September, 1898, the people chose him to fill out the full presidential term and then in 1904 re-elected him for the term which will expire in 1911.
When President Estrada Cabrera became charged with the full responsibility of power in 1898, Guatemala was in the midst of political complications and of a very severe industrial crisis. His first labor was to insure political tranquillity. When this was accomplished he gave all his energies and his talents to developing the resources of the country and to the improvement of public administration. From this point a recent writer, confirming the eulogy of Minister Combs, said:
"Guatemala now enjoys unalterable peace. Her progress is most notable and instead of investing the public funds exclusively in swords and cannons there have been instituted the annual festival of Minerva, the most splendid work of Estrada Cabrera as ruler and as patriot, arousing in this manner in the people the desire for instruction and fostering by all possible means the material progress of the country; giving facilities and opening new ways to traffic and commerce; nourishing industries, science and the arts; beautifying the cities and villages; affording to all the advantages of modern improvements and spreading the knowledge of hygiene among the masses."
A Record of Achievement.
In a general way the administration of President Estrada Cabrera has been described as the political emancipation and the administrative emancipation. The former topic will be considered in the explanation of Guatemala's international relations. The administrative reforms which President Estrada Cabrera has introduced are numerous. He has reduced in a large measure the public debt and has paid almost entirely the recognized foreign claims incurred by previous administrations, has given marked impulse to the construction of highways, bridges, and other public works; has systematically fostered agriculture; has reformed and liberalized the Civil Codes and Proceedings; has extended the system of posts, telegraphs, and telephones; has established patriotic celebrations of an industrial, agricultural, literary and scientific character; has reorganized the army and the branch of military hygiene, has enacted rigorous measures of quarantine against yellow fever, smallpox, and the bubonic pests; has enlarged considerably the public schools and the charitable institutions by constructing the fine Asylum for Invalids and Convalescents which bears his name: has improved the fiscal systems of the municipalities by bringing them to a modern basis, and has secured special advantages in supplying them with light, water, and other municipal necessities.
Generally it further may be said that Guatemala owes to President Estrada Cabrera:
The rehabilitation of her railway system.
The stability of the legal regimen.
Important reforms in land holdings in the interest of the small land owners.
The institution of closer relations with all the nations of the world and especially with the United States.
The restoration of public credit.
A satisfactory immigration policy.
The re-establishment and reorganization of the public school system, and a great variety of other measures which form a solid foundation for the continued development of the country.
Popular Education Promoted.
People in the United States who believe in the "Little Red School House" as the basis of good citizenship cannot fail to appreciate how thoroughly President Estrada Cabrera has made primary education a part of his policy. In the midst of his many measures for the material development of the country he never has lost sight of the moral advancement which comes from the school. He believes in education also as the very best means of creating and fostering the national patriotic spirit. During his first term he published a decree relating especially to the education of the youth of the country. He fixed the last Sunday of October of each year for the celebration of a popular festival throughout the Republic consecrated exclusively to commemorate the education of the youth of the country and requiring that all the directors, professors, teachers, and scholars of all the schools take part in it. This was known as the Festival of Minerva. It is a sentimental recognition of the value of education, and is the complement of the practical steps which have been taken. One of his first measures on coming into the presidency in 1898 was to decree the reopening of the public schools. From that time he exerted himself constantly to elevate their standing by providing them with the best facilities, by reorganizing them in conformity with the most modern plans, and in a word by encouraging their extension and their progress in every sense.
PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF CABINET.
Besides the primary schools a system of higher education is supported, and there are normal schools and various faculties such as those of law, medicine, engineering, etc. Especial attention, however, has been given to practical education, that is, the fitting of the common people for their occupations. There are schools of commerce, of manual training, and of agriculture, as well as an Institute especially for the native Indians. On this subject of technical education Consul General of the United States Winslow in a special report said:
"There are few villages in the country where there are no schools. In the city of Guatemala of late much attention has been given to education, under the direction of President Manuel Estrada Cabrera, who has done more along this line than any of his predecessors. There are in the city of Guatemala 25 public schools, 8 institutes, and 3 colleges.
"President Estrada Cabrera has given much attention to his pet scheme of establishing an industrial school for boys and girls at his own personal expense, aided by several of the more progressive citizens of Guatemala city, where the most improved methods of instruction are to be employed. The President has engaged two able educators from the United States, and proposes everything shall be up-to-date.
"The Boys' Industrial College is in charge of Prof. Y. C. Pilgrim, a well-known educator of New Jersey, assisted by Professor Bellingham and wife, who have charge of the languages, and Professor Lorenzo de Clairmont, who instructs in gymnastics and military tactics. These are assisted by several native teachers. The boys are selected from the best families in the Republic and are limited to 50, and are all required to live in the dormitory. The college buildings are situated in a tract of land of about 60 acres, convenient to the city, with a campus where the boys are to be instructed in the modern sports and military tactics as taught at West Point, and all orders are to be given in the English language.
"The Girls' Industrial School is in charge of Miss Alice Dufour, a prominent educator of New York City, assisted by several native instructors. This institution is located in the city and is to be conducted on the same high plan as the boys' college. The idea is to teach the principles on which the American home is founded.
"President Estrada Cabrera means these institutions shall be the nucleus around which a solid and up-to-date system of education shall be built for this Republic. It is his ambition to firmly establish an educational system modeled after that in use in the United States, where the watchword shall be industry, promptness, and honesty."
The New York Tribune in a Washington dispatch had this to say on the same subject:
"American teachers who went to Guatemala some time ago at the request of the government are sending back interesting accounts of the progress which that country is making in adopting the educational methods that obtain in the United States. The newspapers also have a good deal to say on the subject. President Estrada Cabrera, who is a progressive man, for several years has had the ambition to give a new turn to public instruction, and to make it practical after the system of the United States. His idea is that the youth of the Latin-American countries are especially in need of newer methods, and of getting away from the metaphysical systems which created a large class of professional men, for whom there was no room and who were a drawback to material progress.
"Some time ago President Estrada Cabrera established what was called the practical school, which combined technical instruction and manual training. A few weeks ago exercises were held at the Escuela Practica, or technical school, and it is concerning this that the New York teachers have written so encouragingly. The President delivered an address on the value of work and of developing through the schools an aptitude for everyday life. Heretofore he said there had been too much theory and too much that was purely professional in the system followed. Now that the aspiration of many years had been realized he was hopeful that the experiment would be beneficial in giving a new direction to the national spirit, and would result in the kind of business training that would fit the Guatemalan youth for the activities of practical life rather than incline them to the traditions of the past. Under the direction of the President fields for farm experiments have been established, and the youth are taught the care of horses and other farm work, as well as the manual trades. There is special provision made for athletic sports."
System of Government Explained.
The Government of Guatemala is republican—democratic and representative—and the supreme power is exercised by three governmental branches, each independent of the others, called "the legislative power," "the executive power," and "the judicial power."
The legislative power is vested in a National Assembly which consists of a single house composed of one deputy for each 20,000 inhabitants or fraction of that number exceeding 10,000. The deputies are elected by popular vote for four years, but one-half of the Assembly is renewed each two years so that each time that it meets it contains an adequate number of experienced members. Annual sessions are held lasting two months, beginning March 1, but they can be extended one month longer in case of necessity. For the transaction of business during its recesses the Assembly appoints seven of its members who form a body called "the Permanent Commission." This commission, as well as the executive, can call the Assembly to meet in extraordinary sessions.
The executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic, who, for the transaction of public business, appoints six Ministers or Secretaries of State, who have charge of the portfolios of Foreign Relations, Government and Justice, the Treasury and Public Credit, War, Public Works, and Public Instruction.
There is also a Council of State, a purely advisory body, which is composed of the Cabinet Ministers and nine other members, of whom five are appointed by the Assembly and four by the President. These appointments are for two years.
The judicial power is exercised by the courts and judges of the Republic, organized as follows:
The Supreme Court of Justice, which sits at the capital of Guatemala and is composed of the President of the Judicial Power, four Magistrates, and an Attorney (Fiscal).
Six Courts or Tribunals of Appeals, composed of three Magistrates, of whom one presides, and an Attorney (Fiscal). Three of these Courts sit at the Capital and one in each of the capitals of the Departments of Quezaltenango, Alta Verapaz, and Jalapa. The Magistrates and Attorneys are elected, by popular vote.
The Judges of the Courts of First Instance, of whom there are six in the Capital, three in Quezaltenango, two in San Marcos, and one in each of the remaining Departments of the Republic. These Judges are appointed by the Executive from three names proposed by the Supreme Court of Justice.
Finally, the Justices of the Peace who pronounce oral judgments and are elected by the people of the districts in which they exercise their functions.
For the exercise of the political, civil, and military administration of the country it is divided into twenty-two Departments, each of which has a Governor (Jefe Politico) invested with the executive functions. For the administration of the local affairs of each district there are popularly elected Municipal Councils. The service of the members of the Councils is for one year, is obligatory for the citizens of the respective districts, and is not remunerated.
The Constitution of the Republic gives to all those who live in the country the most ample guaranties of liberty, equality, and security of their persons, their honor, and their property; of freedom of movement and of assembly, of professions, of industries, and of commerce; of the right to dispose of their property, to address petitions to the authorities and to defend their interests before them; of liberty of conscience, inasmuch as there is no official religion; of the right to freely express their opinions, whether by speech, or by writing, or by means of the press, without being subject to censure; of liberty to give or receive instruction, if they should so prefer, in private educational establishments; of the right to have their residences, their property, their correspondence, and other papers respected as inviolable; of the right of habeas corpus; of liberty of defence in judicial proceedings, etc.
Primary instruction is obligatory, and that which is sustained by the nation is secular and free. There is no imprisonment for debt. Marriage is considered a simple civil contract; but those who desire can have it solemnized in a religious form. Absolute divorce can be obtained in cases defined by the law.