Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-23
In NICARAGUA.
FLOATING ABOUT In THE WEIRD
AND BALMY TROPICS.
The Conquest Of Central America
and the History and Govern
ment Of Nicaragua.
Especial Correspondenee of the RECORD UNION

Especial Correspondence of the REooRD-UN1o
LEON (Nicarauga), January II. 1889.
Since the fiat has gone forth that blue
eyed race is again to invade Central
America-this time not of Latin but of
Anglo-Saxon origin, not with swords and
crucifxes and the diabolical inventions of
the Inquisition, but peaceful conguista dores,
whose weapons are books and newspapers,
plowshares, locomotives and implements
of industry-it behooves us, who belong
to the conquering horde, to post ourselves
on the history of our new possessions.
The term manifest destiny" is no
longer myth of enthusiasts, and a
prophetic eye is not needed to discern the
time when the whole American continent
will be one vast republic under a common
Government. 1t is but the survival of the
fittest, as illustrated over and over in the
history of nations since the world began.
As was the case with Florida, Texas and
California, 1t Is but question of time
when the etfete descendants of the Monte
zumas and the Spanish colonists must come
out from the shadow of centuries into the
sunlight of progress, shake off their leth-
argy and superstition and become "Amer-
lcanized" in the truest sense of the word.
Nicaragua-the present objective point
of the new conquest of peace-has check
cred story. Her earlier history is involved
in the deepest obscurity but that power
full nations once lived heretofore Christ
was born, before the Pyramids were
builded, before the island Atlantis sank
in mid-ocean, and that great disaster gave
rise to traditions of an universal deluge-
is attested by their ruined temples and
palaces, above which mighty forests have
grown.
According to Senior Guarros, the Guate-
malan historian, Nicaragua was discovered
in the year 1914, by Don Pedro Arias de
Ayila. This enterprising Spaniard, who
had already made himself Governor of
Panama, fitted out an expedition during
that year, to the South Sea-" as the Pa
ci6c was then called; and, returning by
land to Panama, he passed this portion of
Central America. Five years later his
brother-Don Gil Gonzales de Avila-by
virtue of an agreement entered into with
the Spanish monarch, fitted out another
and more numerous expedition, which
sailed northwest from Panama. They dis
embarked in the Gulf of Nicoya, and,
making their way eastward by land, dis
covered Nicaragua's great inland sea, and
converted" $50 their records say many
OF the Indian caciques to the Catholic
iaith.
1t is to be feared, however, that their
method of conversion would hardly stand
the test of latter day investigation be-
ing merely to demolish the temples of the
wondering natives, to knock down the
idols their fathers had worshiped, and set
up new one in the form of cross, COM
pelling the terrified people to bow down
before it and be baptized. But, at any
rate, they seldom failed to thoroughly con-
vert all the available wealth of the coun-
try to their own possession.
Among the Indian caciques thus hastily
Christianized was one whose name was
Nicardo, and, being powerful chief with
many followers, the conquerors gave his
name to the great lake near which he
dwelt and to all the adjacent region.
Whatever may have been Nicaragua's
original name it died with the conquered
and in Spanish mouths King Nicarao's cog
nomen soon became Nicaragua.
Captain Gil de Avila penetrated as far
as to the populous Indian city Niquichizi
(now Granada), converting" all the way,
both souls and shekels, and then returned
to Panama. In 1923 Don Pedro de Avila, the
original discoverer, sent out the afterwards
famous Francisco Hernandez de Cordova,
for the conquest of Nicarao, or Nicaragua.
That gay but cruel cavalier, accompanied
by host of Castilian adventures, reached
the northern part of the present State, and
founded the cities of Granada and Leon.
That was only thirty-two years after the
discovery of the continent by Columbus,
and consequently those two Nicaraguan
cities rank among the Oldest in the New
World.
With Cordova's brilliant but bloody
record all readers of history are familiar.
The country through which he and his
fierce soldiers swept, with fire and sword,
and halberds and blood-red banners, fol-
lowed by dark-gowned train of no less
greedy monks and friars, with crosses and
bibles and instruments of torture, was
gradually settled by Spanish colonies, and
subsequently became incorporated into the
the great Captain-Generalcy afterwards
known as the Vice Royalty of Guatemala,
which included not only Nicaragua and
Guatemala, but Honduras, San Salvador
and Costa Rica
The commonly received statement that
the first revolutionary movement in Central
Early as 1913 the Spanish Cortes conceded
to the city of Carriage COSTA Rica's ancient
capltaD the title of muy noble, and that of
euidad (city) to the villages of San Jose
and Heredia, as a reward for their fidelity
to the crown in an instruction which took
place in San Salvador and Granada, ''pro-
claiming their independence from the
mother country"
In 1921 Guatemala renewed the effort
and invited the other provinces to Join the
movement. They did so, and in Septem-
Der Of that year independence was pro-
claimed. Then came that unique docu-
ment, the Plan Of Iguala, setting forth
lturbide's ambitious dream to incorporate
all the central States into one grand Mex
lean Empire, to be ruled by himself as
lturbide I. Though strenuous opposition
was shown to this, especially by Granada
aud San Salvador, it was adopted in 1922.
But Iturhide's Empire ended about as soon
as begun, and from his fall sprang ''The
United Provinces of Central America" as
named and announced by National Con-
stituent Assembly, convoked in Guatemala
July l, 1923, in which the Central Amer
lean States formed themselves into Fed
eral Republic Taking the United States
of the north as a model, they adopted her
Constitution and conformed largely to her
political system-except that, in some re.
spects, they went ahead of the pattern
For example, when all the slaves in Cen
trail America were liberated (early as 1924
their former owners were fully Unidentified
for the loss. True, the number enamel
rated did not exceed fifteen hundred; but
it must be remembered that the infant
Republic, impoverished by long servitude
had not Uncle Samuel's full treasury to
draw from.
On the first day of September, 1926, the
Federal Congress held its first session, and
for time ali went well in this expert
mental Republic; but just thirteen years
later it held its last session. and the sew.
eral States. convulsed and distracted by a
series of struggles between the Imperial.
lists for Servilesl and tho ;barals for or,