OCR Text |
Show tion of two of the members of the projected Union: Costa Rica and Nicaragua. When he took the de-cisin de-cisin of achieving by force what could "not be obtained by friendly consent, and finally mobilized an army for that purpose, El Salvador Salva-dor too, turned against him and, joining forces with Costa Rica and Nicaragua, invaded Guatemala. "Personally leading his troops against the Salvadoreans, General Justo Rufino Barrios fell mortally wounded, exactly sixty years ago on April 2, 1885 at Chalchuapa." Thus died a man whose "stubborn will and dynamic impatience" were in spite of his errors, always di-ected di-ected towards his country's greatness. KNOW YOUR ' kjjf NEIGHBOR GUATEMALA'S JUSTO RUFINO BARRIOS Justo Rufino Barrios has been called one of the immortals of Central America, who stands as a symbol of progress and unity. "Despite his faults, and they were many, the verdict of posterity continues con-tinues to be in favor" of this amazingly powerful personality whose life was a contradictory pattern of generosity and despotism, despo-tism, of cruelty and kindness. Because, Be-cause, whatever he did, he loved his country and served it, he is today the national hero of Guatemala. Guate-mala. Justo Rufino Barrios was born on July 19, 1835 in in a little- town of western Guatemala. After attending at-tending school in his province he went to the capital to study law at the university from which he graduated in 1862. The young Barrios, Bar-rios, however, did not pactice law but preferred to devote his time and energies to rural labors on the large agricultural properties that his family owned on both sides of the Guatemala-Mexican boundary. "Guatemala at this time was under un-der the rule of the Conservative party which was supported by the aristocracy and the clergy and had been in power since 1840. Burrios' liberal convictions soon made it impossible for him to stay in the country, so he moved across the border to Mexico, from which vantage van-tage point he began to plot the overthrow of the conservatives." After the death in 1865 of conservative conser-vative General Carrer who had ruled the country despotically for 25 years, his successor, Marshal Cerna, tried to continue the same regime much against the will of the majority of Guatemalans. De- ported to Mexico, Miguel Garcia Granados, prominent member of the opposition, joined forces with Barrios in 1871 to organize an uprising, up-rising, the younger conspirator already al-ready having attempted several unsuccessful coups. Together, Garcia Gar-cia Granados and Barrios led a finally fi-nally victorious insurrection and with the advent of the liberals, Garcia Granados became president and Barrios was made commandant command-ant general of the western military mili-tary district. "The reforms directed direct-ed against the clergy soon produced pro-duced disturbances that Barrios had to suppress energetically, even ev-en to the extent of waging war on Hnduras, which was giving support sup-port to the conservative partisans. Once the country was completely pacified, Garcia Granados called for presidential elections and Barrios Bar-rios emerged the winner." Inaugurated in June, 1873, Barrios Bar-rios immediately set to work to introduce reforms in Guatemala. He surrounded himself with the most competent men of his time and with their aid, he was able successfully to put into effect a number of important measures which contributed to the pregress of the nation. Advanced legislation replaced old-fashioned unpractical Spanish laws, primary education was proclaimed free and compulsory, compul-sory, modern, normal, vocational and secondary schools were established, estab-lished, highways and telegraph lines as well as railways were constructed, con-structed, and hospitals and banks were founded. Finally, lands were distributed for the development of agriculture and new ports were opened. "In the international field one of the outstanding events in Barrios twelve-year regime was the settlement of the boundary question with Mexico. Negotiations were being carried on at Washington Wash-ington in 1882 when the dispute suddenly took on a threatening aspect. as-pect. Burrios immediately came to the United States and shortly was able to reach an agreement with the Mexican government, thus putting put-ting an end to the cntroversy." With an iron hand, Barrios ruled Guatemala despotically but also shrewdly. In 1885 he had succeeded succeed-ed in making it an outstanding country of Latin America. "But one of his dreams still remained unfulfilled, the reestablishment of the Union of Central America. Towards this end he worked unceasingly un-ceasingly in spite of the opposi- |