The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1895-06-06
TO TEST JONATHAN
Rumored Meaning Of the Recent
Occupancy Of Corinto.
WHAT AN ADMIRAL SAID OF IT
He Declared That Monroe Doctrine Was
Farce, and Couldn't BE En-
forced Anyhow.

N%opyilSHtcu, 1880, Dy Associated GTcSS.)
Nicaragua, May 1S.-If the British had
occupied Corinto a little longer they
would have been able to capture the
British steamer tho Delay, which ar
rived there two days ago. loaded with a
full supply of modern, improved field
artillery, rifles and ammunition for
about 5000 officers and soldiers of the
Nicaraguan army. and Admiral Steph-
enson would thus have been able to
collect the f15500 claimed by Great
Britain as indemnity from Nicaragua
without any difficulty.
The British warship sailed away May
5, and this most valuable cargo arrived
at Corinto May 16. under the British
lf1ag, to the great delight of the Nicara-
guam authorities. who feared the supply
of war material would fall into the
hands of the British. 1t is considered
more than likely that Admiral Stephen
son would have seized and detained the
Delay until the indemnity was paid
and there is a great deal of rejoicing
here at its escape, for it would have
made an admirable substitute for port
| and custom duties of Corinto,. which the
British admiral was prevented from col
| lecting by the fact that the Nicaraguan
government declared the port closed
| shortly after it was occupied by the
British
Nobody here doubts that had the
| British admiral captured this supply of
war material and satisfied Great Brit
aims claim against Nicaragua by its
| sale, the act would have so thoroughly
Inundated the present government as
to have caused it's overthrow at once by
| revolution.
| 1t is not doubted that Admiral Steph-
enson could have taken possession of
the Delays cargo, in spite of the fact
that it was under the British flag, as
the war material was purchased in Ger
many in 1884 by the present government
of Nicaragua. Then again, the people
here insist that Great Britain was de-
sirous of obtaining a "coaling station
on the island of Corinto and another
| coaling station on Corn island, near the
Atlantic entrance to the proposed inter-
oceanic canal through Nicaragua, and
thus Great Britain would have been
able to control both entrances of the
| approaches of the canal
| 1t is claimed to be the intention of
| Great Britain to cause the overthrow
of the present government of Nicaragua
and to place in power native Nicara-
guans of her own choosing and there
are some, prominent natives of this
| country who are fond of Great Britain
1t is claimed by irrita<ed people here
| that Admiral Stephenson and several
of his officers, when at Corinto just be-
| fore they actually took armed possess
| sion of that port and island, publicly
| declared to many persons. among whom
was W. T. Tisdale, a United States cit
| izen and agent of the Pacific Mail
| steamship Company, that the Monroe
| doctrine referred to in the United States
press and by that people is a myth,
that the United States would not and
| could not if they desired enforce it.
and ii is added that British officers as
serted that the occupation of Corinto
was intended to test the question.
| 1t should be said in conclusion, how
| ever, that it has been denied that there
was any truth in the story that British
officers made such statements.
The export of the coffee crop of 1894
| from this country is now so nearly COM
| pleted that fair estimate can be made
of it's aggregate, and it is believed 1t
will amount to 10000 900 pounds, against
about 13,000,000 last year. The quality
is unusually good. The price in Europe
and the United States for good to best
qualities is from to 22 cents in gold
per pound. The export tax is cents,
Nicaragua currency, per pound, if ex-
ported from San Juan Del Sur or via
the San Juan Del Norte river. There is
one-half a cent per pound difference in
favor of Corinto although seriously
against the interests of many coffee es-
tates in the departments of Choutals
Granada and Riva, and for the purpose
of influencing shipments to be made
over the national railroad extending
from Granada to Corinto. The aggre-
gate of this tax to the government OF
Nicaragua in 1895 will be about $265, 900
or at the present rate of exchange
about $132, 900 in gold.