The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-06
IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
rise and Fall of the Greater Republic
Diplomatic Complications.

Diplomatic Complications.
The years events in Central America
deserve more than passing mention.
menacing rupture between Costa
Etica and Nicaragua was happily COM
posed by the signature of convention
between the parties, with the concur
renee of the Guatemalan representative
as mediator, the act being negotiated
and signed on board the United States
steamer Alert, then lying in Central
American waters. 1t is believed that
the good offices of our envoy and the
commander of that vessel contributed
to that gratifying outcome.
In my last message the situation was
presented with respect to the diplo-
matte representation of this govern
ment in Central America, created by
the association of Nicaragua, Hondu-
ras and Salvador, under the title of the
Greater Republic of Central America,
and the delegation of their information
al functions to the diet thereof. While
the representative character of the diet
was recognized by my predecessor, and
has been confirmed during my admin
istration by receiving its accredited en-
voy and granted eXequators to consuls
coming under is authority, that recog-
milton was qualified by the distinct I'M
derstanding that the responsibility of
each of the component sovereign re-
publics toward the United States is
wholly unaffected.
This proviso was needful, inasmuch
as the compact of the three republics
was at the outset an association where
by certain representative functions
were delegated to a triparte commits
sion, rather than federation possess
ing centralized powers Of government
and the administration. In this view
of the relation OF the United States to
] 1,a oil oh in q
representation of this country in Cen
trail America was neither recommended
| by the executive or initiated by con-
gress. thus leaving one of our ENJOYS
! accredited, as heretofore, separately to
] two states of the Greater Republic
/ Nicaragua and Salvador-and to a
/ third state-Costa Rica-which was not
a party to the compact. while our other
/ envoy was similarly accredited to the
union state-Honduras-an a non
union state-Guatemala. The result
/ has been that the one has presented
credentials only to the president of
J Costa RIGA, the other having been re-
Hceived only by the government of Qua
! temala.
Subsequently the three associated
! republics entered into negotiations for
I taking the steps forecasted in the orig
! iual compact. A convention of their
( delegates framed for them a federal
( constitution, under the name of the
United States Of Central America, and
! providing for a central federal govern
nent and legislature. Upon ratifica-
ton by constituent states, the 1st Of
I November last was fixed for the new
system to go into operation. Within a
! few weeks thereafter the plan was Sc
verely tested by revolutionary move
ments arising. with a consequent de-
mand for unity of action on the part
of the military power of the federal
states to suppress them. Under this
strain the new union seems to have
been weakened through the withdrawal
CT it's more Important members. This
I government was not officially advised
OF the installation of the federation,
and has maintained an attitude of
friendly expectancy, while in no wise
relinquishing the position held from
the outset that the responsibilities OF
the several states toward us remain
unaltered by their tentative relations
among themselves.