New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-31

the revenue service during the transition perlou
of civil war is of no importance " '''"C'
faction. an.
At COrnto. on the west coast the I.'''''h'o
when she arrives will have no pre'eN' ior e'',-
ploying marines on shore. There Is no -Ah'eri-
can property to be protected therc' nor d. any
of the other small ports on the racine siuc' as
no serious work has been undertaken on 'ne
western section of the canal. Coilnto Is 4 VII
lace with a popuation of few hundreds
since il is the terminus OF the railway leading
through the fertile valley of Leon to Lake
Nanaoua il is the main shipping point OF Mica
,aoua. Sacaza and his Leon supporters, If de-
fcatcd and expelled from Managua, will natu-
rally take refuge in foreign steamer calling
at Corinto. The Alliance may have the PRIV
ilcge of protecting such steamer ana OF pre-
vomiting the recurrence of the Barrundla out
raoc but this is most unlikely event Sacaza
will more probably negotiate truce with his
advorsarie, if they are successful in their mill
tary operations The feuds between Leon and
Granada ordinarily end in compromises. The
ONLY way in which the Canal Company is. af-
fected by the revolution is the interruption OF
the steam service on Lake Nicaragua and the
San Juan River. The steamers are owned by
the company The Victoria has been used by
the revolutonists in transporting small bodies
of troops across the lake. Another light
draught steamer, the Adele, was employed IN
like manner. These temporary seizures in the
inland waters cannot be controlled by United
States men of war on the seaboardS.
Tho rumors respecting popular movement
in Nicaragua in favor of an American pro-
tectorate do not require serious attention. The
politicians of the rival towns of the western
plateau have been quarreing since Walkers
day, and arc capable of settling their differ
ences without foreign intervention. An Ameri-
can protectorae is not wanted by any political
faction or by any element of native popula-
ton Owing to the slowness and lack OF
energy with which the canal work has been
conducted since the concession was obtained
American prestige in Nicaragua is not what 1t
once was. The natives expected great things
four years ago when the brcakwatcr at Grey
town was begun, but they have been disap-
pointed at every turn. They know that the
engineers have undertaken several projects-a
break water, n railway, the first section Oh inc
canal and an aqueduct-and that nothing has
been finished They took it for granted when
the inland steam service passed under Amcli-
can management that there would be marked
improvement in transportation facilities; but
even that expectation has not been fulfilled.
With such evidence Of American inaction and
Indifference as has been offered in connection
with the projected intcroccanc canal, Mica
racia has small cause for desiring al Amcri-
can protcctorate.
What Ncaraguans desire more than any
thing else, when they are not prcoccupcd with
politcal r,valres and civil war, Is 10 Obtain
control over their Caribbean seabOaId. Their
customs line begins at Castillo, a long way
ND the san Juan River Greytown is "A free
port and Of no value to them. North of II lies
a long tract OF forest coast rich III resources,
but virtually autonomous. The Mosquito
Reservation has home rule. England guardn-
tceing by treaty t. the negroes and Indians
what it denies 10 Ireland. Nicaragulns covci
the control of that rich scaboard. which could
easily be connected with the western plateau
by railways through the forest. II American
diplomacy could help them to accomplish that
purpose, they would enter into any alliance
which might be proposed. But with the mex
pcable record Of the Clayton-Bulwcr Treaty
and the Indifference of the United States TO
British guardianship of the Mosquito Reserva-
ton, what reason have they for hoping for
American intervention?