The San Francisco call., 1898-04-07
ALL ARE OF
 LATIN BLOOD IfWar Comes the Sympa- thy of Central Am erica
 Goes to Spain.
An Official From Nicaragua Talks on the Canal and
 Other Matters.
Merry Not Persona Non Grata, but His Official Residence Remains
 in Costa Rica.

At the Palace Hotel is staying a proni- nent resident of Nicaragua, who occu- pies, under his own Government, posi- tion corresponding to an American col lector of customs, only, instead of hay ing authority over one port, his 1urlSqic- tion extends throughout the whole State.
 When seen In his apartments last night this gentleman said: This talk of war between Nicaragua and Costa Rica Is all bosh. True, there are some disappointed and disaffected people who, for political and other reasons have been obliged to flee the country, and who hang around the Costa Rican border and try to stir up revolutions. But they are cOmpara- lively few in number and could, even if In the territory of the State they are try ing to embroil, do no harm. The people of Nicaragua are too well satisfied with the President and his administration to attempt to overthrow 1t, and while there may be little jealousy over the canal question between the two countries, it does not nor will 1t ever amount to any thing more than a strong business rivalry or mercantile war. President Zelaya is the most popular man who has been at the head of the Government for a long time and is liked and respected by not of the country, but by the masses as well. He is a man of broad mind and liberal views and has an education that fits him to meet and impress the most highly polished and best-educated of the foreign representatives that are sent to his capital.
 'Of course, the one topic ol continual interest in my part of the world is the probable completion of the great canal
 When the commission under Admiral Walker arrived on the Charleston the entire country turned out to do it honor
 and there was no reasonable concession 1t could not have mad for the asking. We Central Americans realize that our future and that of the United States are so in terwoven that 1t behooveS us to give as much as we can to the Americans In or der that we ourselves may profit thereby
 Consequently, while the American com mission got everything they wanted and
 representatives of English capital re- ceived but little encouragement. The Walker commission went into the matter
 to its smallest detail, and when it haG
 finished it's investigations it came to the conclusion that instead of $18000 00( being needed the canal could be easily finished in four years and at cost thai
 would not exceed $50 900 900 at the outside
 How does Captain Merry get along: First rate. You see, at the time of his
 appointment there was some difficulty that but very few people up here under stood. The Greater Republic of Centra America consists of a union of the three States of Nicaragua, Salvador and Hon duras. They have agreed to leave all in ternatiOnal questions to a diet formed from delegates accredited from each o1 the three States. Captain Merry was ap pointed Consul at this port from Mica
 ragua, and when it was decided to official | ly decapitate him it was done by tn, 1 diet and not by any one particular State | Consequently, while he was persona nor grata to the diet as a whole. he was { persona grata to the State of Nicaragua | individually. The official residence of tn,
 American Minister has always been fl l Nicaragua, but Captain Merry. since hi.
 appointment, has resided in Costa Rica l where he will continue until the little
 unpleasantness attending his appointment | has been definitely settled
 'As to the sentiment of the Centra
 American people in the matter of a prob 1 able war with Spain. Well, our interes certainly lies with the cause of the United l States. In a war between Spain anC Cuba we are certainly for the Cubans
 But war between Spain and the United 1 States is a different matter. Blood 1: l thicker than water. Spaniards and Cen
 tral Americans are all Latin and of on,
 blood"