The record-union., 1899-05-24
A CENTRAL AMERICAN POSSI-
BILITY.

"A OENIRAk AMERICAN HOSSl-
BILITY.
AT this writing the news is that a
Nicaraguan gunboat, the San Jacinto,
off the Nicaraguan coast the other day
fired upon the American cruiser De-
troit, which Immediately replied and
sunk the gunboat Without being at all
bloodthirsty we venture expression of
the hope that the unconfirmed story is
true. The news is denied and the prob
ability is that the report is untrue.
Nevertheless the subject suggests COM
ment These petty Central American
States are nearly all the time either in
the throes of a revolution, promoted to
accomplish the ambitions of some mar
row-gauge@ politician or barefooted
military leader, or else they are en-
gagged ia pestering American or British
subjects. Scarcely year closes its rec
ord that one of these States is not en-
gagged in domestic war or-in a wrangle
with some greater Power. They, one
and ALL need the lesson that is taught
by powder and ball alone.
The present trouble, which has re-
suited in the story about the sinking of
the gunboat, grows out Of one of the
Central American quarterly or BIZ
monthly revolutions. There was re-
kellion in the Department of Zelaya
with a man named Reyes at the head
Of I've, ~;
session of the custom house at Blue
fields and proceeded, as the Central
American revolutionists invariably do,
to take in grand cash. We have large
commercial interests in that town and
these paid the duties on goods passing
the custom. house to the party in pos
session; indeed, the merchants could not
dosotherwise.
When the, rebellion was over the Gov
ernnent demanded that the customs
dues be again paid. that body not recog-
nizing the payments made to the de-
facto power in charge of the customs
during the rebellion. The merchants
refused to be skinned alive, whereupon
tAA0 iCpi GSCiIldlAtG VI lllC 1OfC1lllCLI
set upon them with petty annoyances.
Our Government advised Americans to
pay the duties and again trust to dip
lomatic negotiations between the two
countries to secure refunding of the
amount. The merchants declined to do
this, knowing how slow are the wheels
of. diplomacy. They sealed UP their
goods in storage warehouses and
hoisted Old Glory over them. The new
Governor OF the province objected and
ordered the flags down because the
local laws forbid the raising of any for
eign flags in the country except over
Consulates. The merchants stuck to
their flag, however, and defied the Gov
ernor, daring him to seize the goods at
his peril BY the intervention of our own
Government in the interests of peace
and trade, It was agreed that the extra
duties should be paid to the British
Consul at Grsytown, by him to be held
until diplomacy could adjust matters
permanently.
But this has not softened feeling
much and we have thought it wise TO
send g. cruiser to Nicaraguan waters.
The Detroit, however, is too heavy
draught to get in shore where most
needed to protect our people, hence a
smaller vessel was the other day dis
patched for the purpose. If now the
story of the naval battle is true, it will
raise the whole question anew whether
the rights of our citizens in Central
American States under existing treaties
are to be protected or whether they are
to be the target for constant petty as
sault
the incident will not of necessity bring
on war between Nicaragua and the
United States. But if it should, it
would not necessarily be an evil. Ger
tainly it would result in these bronzed
pretenders at government in the lesser
Am ericans being taught this great
truth. that the whole world is weary
of their bi-monthly throat cutting, pes
tiferous squabbles and so-called revo-
lutions; that we and others have right
to see am enduring and just government
established down there, and that it is
the duty of greater Powers in the inter-
est of humanity to see to 1t that the
end referred to is accomplished.
20 IN a