Evening star., 1895-04-30
BADLY MANAGED
The Administrations Handling of
the Nicaraguan Episode.
GOSSIP In DIPLOMATIC,CIRCLE
This Governments Loss of Prestige
With the Latin Republics.
MONROE DOCTRINE EXPLODED

The Star en- Saturday in quoting opinion
IN the subject held in both political and
diplomatic circles, pointed out that Mica
ngua. in her present contention with
Great Britain. had acted all along as if
warranted in expecting very substantial
ervice of some kind from this government,
lnd that. having failed to receive any sup
port whatever. her feeling of friendship
tor the United States must have experience
I'd something of a chill. The situation
turns out to be even more serious than
that Today's cable quotes a prominent
Nicaraguan statesman as charging some
Thing like betrayal on the part of this gov
krnment. While this statement of the case
will probably be rejected as extreme, it
serves a purpose. 1t is thought to show
eonclusively that, either because of a
Change of policy, or because of the want
Of a policy. this governments part in the
unfortunate episode has been wretchedly
managed, and that the administration
Stands condemned both at home and
abroad for failure to meet the full re-
Quirements of the occasion. The charge of
want OF spunk may be only irritating;
the charge of bad faith is considered a
very grave matter.
DIR. Guxmnn Has Been Careful.
There Is no suggestion that DR.. Guzman
any time about the attitude of this govern
ment In the premises. He is regarded as a
careful man. and he has certainly been u
diligent one in the conduct of this business
He has taken every pains to keep informed
about the latest phases of the case as they
might relate to the course of the United
States. He has probably confined himself
In his dispatches home to such information
as had come to him officially. What Eote
he took. If any. of public sentiment on the
subject, as expressed in interviews with
pubic men, or In newspaper articles, is his
own affair. He cannot, it is suggested.
have been in ignorance at any time of the
true and overwhelming nature of that SEN
timent, and it is conceded that if it led him
TO hope that the administration would in the
end be IN some measure influenced by it he
was no more rash than were many Ameri-
can citizens. But, in some convincing way
as 1t turns out, the Nicaraguans were ex-
pecting the substantial good offices of this
government, and now feel outraged and in
dignant at having failed to receive them
Their big brother, in their opinion, went
back on them at the last moment, and they
are at the mercy of the big bully who
stands over them club in hand.
What the Admfnistration's Friends
Say.
Friends of the administration assert that
the Monroe doctrine, so called, Is not in
volved, for the reason that Great Britain
has no other purpose in view but the col
lection of debt. She is not, they say,
seeking to set up a monarchy in Nicara-
qua, or to encourage the setting up of any
such form of government there If she
were, the United States, it is intmated,
would step in and promptly object. taking.
II necessary, the whole quarrel of the little
republic on her own broader shoulders
But, in reply to this. it is asked, why not
have responded promptly to the necessity
OF helping to keep the peace In Nicaragua?
If English invasion shall result in such
local disorder as to overthrow the existing
government of Nicaragua, set all local
political factions by the ears and bring
about, even temporarily, dictatorship,
will not that call for the Intervention of
the United States? Will not England have
contributed in such circumstances very ma
terially to such an undesirable state of
case! Every time republic is overrhrown
the cause of free government receives a
blow. The United States, 1t Is insisted
should have acted SO as to have made the
republic of Nicaragua secure from .his
danger. The people of the country are re-
of mind as the result Of the humiliation
put upon them by Great Britain, and riot
ing may lead to revolution.
The LOSS of Prestige.
But, more than all this, many public men
In this country deplore the danger they
fear must arise throughoe@ the whole of
Central and South America from this loss
of prestige on the part of this govern
ment. Nicaragua Is important because of
the proposed canal, but the United States,
1t is held, should, for many other reasons,
have carried herself with some dignified
assertion in this matter. She has been the
guiding star Of all the leaders in Latin
America seeking to extend the cause of
popular government. They have conjured
with her name. Dom Pedro, emperor as he
was, admired the United States so greatly
that he copied her wherever he could in
Brazil. 1t was asserted, in fact, that he
carried this feeling SO far, and liberalized
his own government so much, he under
mined his own throne in the end. The ad-
miration for the United States, indeed, has
has dominated sentiment from the Mexican
line to the last inch of land in South
America.
This has been considered not only the
ideal but the strong government. 1t had
survived the bloodiest of all civil wars and
power. And yet what have the Latin
Americans just seen? From their stand
point they have seen the great republic
collide with Great Britain and appear to
go under. the so-calle1 Monroe doctrine ex-
ploded as myth, and their own hopes of
help from a source they considered not
only sincere, but masterful, dashed to
pieces. 1t is not thought to help the case
to protest that Nicaragua had no right to
put her own construction on the Monroe
doctrine. The fact remains that she did,
and that in doing SO she followed the line
of reasoning employed by eminent Ameri-
can statesman. Besides. this leads to
long explanation. and the administration
that has to explain is considered almost
hopelessly off as the woman who hest
tateS.