CENTRAL AMERICA. 



89 



part in the question. In case of non-agreement, the 

 matter will be submitted to the arbitral judgment of 

 tho Central- American authority about to be estab- 

 lished, or to a tribunal of arbiters composed of the 

 representatives of the neutral Central- American Gov- 

 ernments. The infringement of this principle shall 

 be considered as a crime of treason against the Cen- 

 tral-American Union. 



ART. IV. Rebellion in Central America, against 

 the lawfully-constituted authorities, is a treasonable 

 crime against the Central- American Union. 



ART. v. The duration of the presidential term 

 shall be uniform in all the Central American Repub- 

 lics, without immediate reelection, or any extension 

 whatsoever. All infractions of this principle will be 

 violations of the national pact. 



ART. VI. No one can be a slave within Central- 

 American territory. Should a Central-American 

 come to possess slaves in a foreign country, he 

 thereby loses his nationality and the protection of 

 the laws of Central America. 



ART. VII. Central America guarantees to all its 

 inhabitants the imprescriptible rights of public 

 meetings, associations, petitionSj liberty of printing, 

 of writing, of instruction, and ot industry, conform- 

 ably to the respective laws of each republic. 



ART. VIII. Every citizen of any of the Republics 

 of Central America may acquire the rights of citizen- 

 ship in all the others by expressing his wish to do 

 so before any government authority ; and such pe- 

 tition shall not necessarily deprive him of his primi- 

 tive citizenship. 



ART. IX. The right of asylum is recognized for 

 immigrants or political exiles of all nationalities, in 

 all the Central- American Republics ; with some re- 

 strictions, however, tending to protect the interests 

 of the Government of the exile's country. The ex- 

 tradition of political offenders is prohibited. 



ART. X. Literary, academical, and military titles, 

 conferred in one of the Central-American Republics, 

 shall be recognized in the others. 



ART. XL The civil and criminal legislation and 

 procedure shall in future be the same m all Central 

 America, save the modifications required in each 

 particular State. 



ART. XII. Confiscation is abolished in Central 

 America. 



ART. XIII. Property is inalienable ; and entails 

 cannot hereafter be established in the Union. 



ART. XIV. Weights and measures shall be the 

 same in all Central America, as well as the weight 

 and alloy of coin, which shall follow the decimal 

 system for gold coins and for those of silver above 

 the value of twenty-five cents. 



ART. XV. The plan of official primary instruction 

 shall be uniform in all Central America, being at the 

 same time gratuitous, compulsory, and conformable 

 to republican and evangelical principles. 



ART. XVIII. All questions of boundaries, existing 

 or that may arise in the future, between the Repub- 

 lics of Central America, shall be judged and decided 

 upon definitively by the national authority or by the 

 collective tribunal of the three States, if the parties 

 interested cannot arrange amicably between them- 



ART. XIX. As material ties to establish, foster, 

 and develop the union of Central America, the fol- 

 lowing are declared to be national undertakings and 

 will be carried out, viz. : 



1. The establishment of a line of telegraphs, 

 which, starting from the port of Colon, in Colom- 

 bia, cross the territory of Central America, to the 

 frontier of Mexico. That part of the telegraph to be 

 formed by a. submarine cable between Colon and 

 Port Limon, in Costa Rica, shall be paid or subven- 

 tioned in equal parts by the five Central-American 

 Republics. 



2. The construction of a national highway to 

 open communication between all the capitals of the 

 Central- American Republics, the quality and condi- 



tion of said road being optional with each State 

 within its respective territory. The cost of con- 

 struction and repairs of this national road shall be 

 paid by each one of these States in proportion to the 

 territory traversed by said road. 



3. The establishment of mail-steamers on the 

 coast of the Pacific, which, leaving Punta Arenas, or 

 any other port in Costa Rica nearer to Colombia, 

 shall arrive at Port Champerico or any other in Gua- 

 temala nearer to the coast of Mexico, touching at the 

 intermediate ports of the Central- American coast. 

 The expenses of the establishment and management 

 of the aforesaid line of steamers shall be borne in 

 equal parts by all the Republics of Central America, 

 the use and management thereof being dependent 

 solely on the Central- American national authority. 



4. The excavation of an interoceanic canal by 

 way of the river known as the San Juan of Nicara- 

 gua, which will be proposed by the Central- Ameri- 

 can authority or by representation in common of all 

 the States, shall be paid for by subscription or by 

 shares among^ all the Latino -American Governments, 

 but, should tnese be unable to furnish the necessary 

 funds, subscription or share lists shall be opened to 

 all the other Governments of the world, for the pur- 

 pose of forming a universal transit, but whose neu- 

 trality and keeping shall be exclusively in^the hands 

 of the Central- American Governments. It is declared 

 from now henceforth that the duties of transit shall 

 be agreed on by a Congress of Plenipotentiaries of all 

 the nations contributing, so that a tariff shall be es- 

 tablished, making a difference between and in favor 

 of the subjects of those nations that have contrib- 

 uted to the undertaking, and those that have not. 

 This association once formed, the contributing Gov- 

 ernments shall acquire the right, as has been said, 

 of dictating regulations for the preservation and ad- 

 ministration of the canal, and the distribution of the 

 net profits. Central America will exercise over said 

 canal jurisdiction and political sovereignty, guaran- 

 teeing to all Governments the neutrality and univer- 

 sality of the route. 



ART. XX. In consequence of what has been agreed 

 on in the preceding articles, the Governments sign- 

 ing this treaty engage to convoke a National Cen- 

 tral-American Congress to frame laws in conformity 

 with the bases and stipulations laid down, develop- 

 ing and arranging them, and providing for the crea- 

 tion and maintenance of the national authority which 

 shall give them force. This Congress will consist of 

 three principal representatives and an equal number 

 of substitutes for each State. 



ART. XXI. This Central-American Congress shall 

 have no power to pass any law which would aug- 

 ment or diminish the obligations which the present 

 pact imposes on each one of the republics taking 

 part therein ; but may convoke another National 

 Congress, to be held after the expiration of four 

 years at least, or eight years at most, for the purpose 

 of altering the bases of" union according to the com- 

 mon wants and conveniences which experience may 

 have shown to be necessary. 



ART. XXII. Besides the functions above enumer- 

 ated, the Congress will issue laws for the interior, 

 indicate the place of residence of the national au- 

 thority to be established, decree the budget for the 

 nation as well as its dependencies, agree on the 

 means to carry out the enterprises _ which are pro- 

 posed by Central America, authorizing, if needed, 

 the national authority to negotiate, either at home 

 or abroad, a Central-American loan, sufficient to 

 realize them ; and, finally, to determine the amount 

 of military force necessary for the security and honor 

 of the National authority and the preservation of 

 order in the population of its residence, which force 

 shall not, however, exceed one hundred men. 



ART. XXIII. All the expenses declared in the 

 budget, common to the Central- American nationality 

 spoken of in this treaty, shall be paid by all the Gov- 

 ernments of Central America in equal parts ; as also 



