GUATEMALA. 



465 



for such purpose assumes the title of Supreme Mili- 

 tary Chief of Central America, and the command of 

 all* its forces, until he succeeds in uniting these sec- 

 tions into one single nation and under one flag. 



2. The chief of the republic will receive the adhe- 

 sion of the governments, people, and officers, who, 

 upon the terms established in this decree, will join 

 the cause of the Union. 



3. A General Assembly, composed of fifteen dele- 

 gates irom each of the states, elected by popular vote, 

 with the greatest liberty and independence, from 

 craong the persons who, in conformity with the re- 

 spective laws, can act as public representatives, will 

 assemble in the city of Guatemala on the 1st day of 

 May next, to decree the political constitution of the 

 Republic of Central America, and determine the man- 

 ner, time, and form of the election of a President, the 

 term of service, the date when he shall assume supreme 

 constitutional power, and designate which city in Cen- 

 tral America shall bo the capital and seat of govern- 

 ment. 



4. Any person of official or private character who 

 opposes the Union or hinders its operations or work- 

 ings, embarrassing them in any way, will be consid- 

 ered a traitor to the great national cause, and de- 

 prived of eligibility to any public position in the He- 

 public of Central America, and will be liable to the 

 consequences and responsibilities accruing therefrom, 

 according to the nature of his actions. 



5. All the inhabitants of the republics of Central 

 America are exhorted to declare in favor of the Union, 

 and Guatemala joins them at once in the common 

 cause, any authority resisting the same being dis- 

 avowed. 



6. The chiefs and high officers of the Central Ameri- 

 can militia, who declare themselves for the Union, 

 offering their services for the realization of this patri- 

 otic ob.iect, will merit promotion in the army of the 

 Republic of Central America, and should they al- 

 ready have reached the highest grade, they will, in 

 that case, be decorated with a gold medal superscribed 

 to commemorate the event. 



7. Those lower officers and soldiers who may dis- 

 timruish themselves by valor and actions will receive, 

 besides promotion, recompense, which hi due time 

 will be awarded for services. 



$ ; The flag of the Republic of Central America, 

 which will be adopted from this date by the defend- 

 ers of the Union, will be blue and white, the colors to 

 be placed in three vertical stripes, that of the center 

 to be. white, the two outer stripes to be blue. The 

 white stripe will bear the coat of arms a quetzal 

 ( bird) resting upon a column with the following in- 

 scription: a Liberty and Union, 15th September, 1821 

 -28th February, 1885," 



. No negotiations regarding territory, neither in- 

 ternational treaties nor foreign, nor national loans, 

 nor any transactions of an analogous nature, which 

 may be concluded by any of the other states of Cen- 

 tral America after the 'date of this decree, will be 

 recognized. 



10. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs is empowered 

 to communicate this decree to the Assembly, to the 

 governments of Central America, and to those of 

 America and Europe with whom friendly and com- 

 mercial relations exist. 



11. The Secretary of the Interior and Justice will 

 ttend to all that may be required for the installation 

 : the General Assembly of the states. 



t The Secretary of War will see to the carrying 

 >ut of whatever may further be necessary for the exe- 

 cution of this decree. 



About the subsequent defection of Dr. Zal- 

 iivar, the President of Salvador, and the effect 

 it had on President Barrios, a Honduras officer, 

 who was at the time on a mission to the Guate- 

 malan headquarters, gave the following infor- 

 mation : " When President Barrios issued his 

 VOL. xxv. 30 A 



famous * Union decree,' he was certain of the 

 alliance of Salvador and Honduras. His dear 

 friend Zaldivar menaced Gen. Bogran, of Hon- 

 duras, and against his own will the latter was 

 compelled to adhere to the decree. When the 

 decree was issued, Zaldivar sent Barrios a dis- 

 patch which stated his full and complete con- 

 currence in the decree, and congratulated him 

 on the certainty of the speedy realization of 

 his patriotic aspirations. It is possible that 

 up to that moment Zaldivar tried to be sincere, 

 but he soon discovered that the wealthier por- 

 tion of his fellow-citizens were bitter against 

 the Union movement. He then began to think 

 about retracing his steps, and prepared for war. 

 He enlisted the sympathies of Mexico, and en- 

 tered into an alliance with Nicaragua and Costa 

 Rica. Meanwhile he burdened the wires with 

 friendly messages to Barrios, and that chieftain, 

 confident in the integrity and honor of his life- 

 long friend, quietly awaited information as to 

 how his decree was received by the outside 

 world, and by Nicaragua and Costa Rica. As 

 far as the two latter powers were concerned, he 

 was soon undeceived. They indignantly refused 

 to concur in this movement, and declared war 

 against Guatemala. Then the slumbering lion 

 was aroused, and Barrios ordered the march of 

 his force to the frontier of Salvador; but up to 

 the 9th of March he still confided in Zaldivar. 

 While preparing to join forces, Barrios received 

 a menacing telegram from the Mexican Presi- 

 dent. He read it carefully two or three times. 

 Those who were with him noticed that he 

 seemed bewildered, for he passed his hand 

 over his eyes several times, as though he dis- 

 trusted his very eye-sight. He then crushed 

 the telegram into his vest-pocket, and wrote a 

 dispatch which was immediately sent to Zaldi- 

 var. While awaiting an answer, he walked 

 rapidly up and down the room, while his offi- 

 cers and ministers stood respectfully by, but 

 none dared to address him. At last Zaldivar's 

 answer came. It breathed defiance and hatred. 

 Barrios held the dispatch a moment in his hand, 

 then threw it on the floor, stamped upon it, and 

 said : ' Gentlemen, Zaldivar has played the 

 traitor. He has entered into an alliance with 

 Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. His de- 

 fection has complicated the problem. I must 

 have time to deliberate with myself what to do. 

 Please leave me for a few moments.' The offi- 

 cers and ministers left him, and he remained for 

 two hours closeted with Barrundia, the Minis- 

 ter of War. From that moment it is probable 

 that even the Union movement was a second- 

 ary consideration with him, while vengeance 

 toward Zaldivar became the ruling sentiment 

 of his heart." 



On March 16 Secretary Bayard sent to Sena- 

 tor Miller, chairman of the Senate Committee 

 on Foreign Relations, a letter explaining the 

 treaty obligations of the United States in Cen- 

 tral America, and closed by saying: 



In response to the invitation of your committee that 

 I submit such suggestions in the premises as I desire 



