[Inclosure.—Memorandum.—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign Affairs to the American Minister.
I.
There exists in all Central America a strong desire for peace, as the only means of promoting the progress and fraternity of these peoples. Weary of fratricidal struggles they desire, under the protection of the law, to develop their energies and activities for the common good, without the existence among them of deep hatreds which prevent their living in harmony. But, unfortunately, that desire of the peoples finds itself frustrated by the malevolent and perfidious activity of the President of Guatemala, Licenciado Estrada Cabrera, who, not satisfied with holding his country subject to a hard despotism, in the most absolute misery, with great loss of prestige at home and abroad, delights in keeping Central America in constant unrest, fomenting revolts and revolutions in the neighboring countries when the Governments do not submit to his odious tutelage nor second his antipatriotic designs. He is, therefore, the sole disturbing element in Central America, who does not permit the other countries to live in peace, because he endeavors to maintain an odious hegemony which honorable governments and peoples will never concede to him.
II.
Since having aided General Bonilla in his revolution against the Government of General Dávila, he has established in Honduras a sort of branch of the Government of Guatemala; for it is patent and notorious that he exercises absolute control over the Government of Dr. Bertrand, interfering in the public administration of that country in a direct manner. He caused the appointment of comandante de armas in Tegucigalpa to be given to the Guatemalan General Monterrosa, who has an absolute power, and recently he caused to be named as Minister of War Dr. Francisco Mejía, after this person was present at the congress of newspaper men held in Guatemala, where he was in the service of Estrada Cabrera. He has also sent other military men of importance, and continues to despatch elements of war across the frontier of Honduras, especially by way of Chiquimula.
III.
He keeps the Government of Honduras in perpetual unrest, both because the principal elements of society and hundreds of people of the laboring classes emigrate from their country, fleeing from that tutelage of Guatemala, and because he has made President Bertrand and Gen. Manuel Bonilla believe that Salvador will foment a revolution against Honduras, supporting the emigrados; with the result, by this last means, that Honduras is a center of menaces toward Salvador.
In fact, the Government of Honduras has numerous forces in the Departments of Choluteca, Valle, La Esperanza, and Ocotepeque ready to invade Salvador when Estrada Cabrera considers it convenient for his plans of domination.
IV.
Salvador, on the contrary, concerns itself only with maintaining a lawful government and promoting progress in all its manifestations. It desires peace with all Central America and succeeds in maintaining fraternal relations with the brother Governments. It is animated with noble wishes for the tranquillity of Honduras, and, in fact, has made great efforts to watch and concentrate the numerous Honduran emigrados, who number many thousands, and who have been successfully prevented from carrying out their projected revolts.
V.
The Chargé d’Affaires of Honduras, Dr. Manuel J. Vargas, who has just returned from Tegucigalpa, declares that Gen. Manuel Bonilla, on account of gratitude, is on the side of Estrada Cabrera, and that he wail have to make common cause with him under all circumstances.
[Page 1318]VI.
An honorable person who has just returned from Guatemala states that he talked with President Estrada Cabrera, and that the latter said “that he did not like President Araujo because he did not tolerate that any other ruler should acquire greater prestige than he, and that he would soon have to rectify this.”
VII.
For all these reasons the menace continues, and it is only fey bringing about the disappearance of this center of inquietude that Central America may enter into complete peace.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua are in perfect accord with Salvador, since Estrada Cabrera is attempting to disturb Nicaragua also, supporting a revolution headed by Zelayist elements, among whom are Dr. Julian Irias, Mr. José Gámez, and Gen. Nicasio Vásquez. The first two are in Costa Rica and the last enters and leaves the presidential mansion of Guatemala with all confidence. The Government of Salvador obtained possession of correspondence and cipher keys of theirs in this sense.
VIII.
Estrada Cabrera is maintaining on the frontier of Salvador 4,000 men under arms, and he has made the Government of Honduras believe that Doctor Araujo is disaffected toward it in order to keep that Government under his subjection.
IX.
The arms which the Government of Guatemala has given to that of Honduras and to which reference is made in No. II were transferred at the end of December, to say nothing of the previous deliveries.