The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
AMERICANS BACK OF REYES
CAUSES or THE RECENT UPRISING
IN NIC1RdGUI.

NEw ORLEANS, March THE sudden coll
lapse OF the Reyes revolution In Nicaragua
caused surprise In New Orleans, where tissue
cess was believed 10 be assured. II Is now SAID
that the revolution was premature and was
preeIpitated before the revolutionists had Or
ganized their forces and laid in n PROPER supply
OF arms and ammunition. Revolutions have
for some time been predicted for the spring
IN several OF the Central American StatoS. 40
tably Honduras and Nicaragua, the weakest OF
the Ave little repdbllcs, but they should not
have been started until about May. Simulta-
neous outbreaks wero promised In these two
republics in particular. The fact was we'll
known In New Orleans and Mobile, whence
the revolutions were TO be organized and d.
rected. President Xelaya OF Nicaragua forced
the hand of Reyes and precipitated the upris-
ing several months before Reyes and his men
were ready for It and before Honduras had
risen. His trick has worked well and one OF
the most promising Of revolutions" collapsed
before IL had got well under way. The col
lapse was net q complete one, however; indeed,
Il Is only a prelude to another revolution which
is to come at an early day and lie likely to re-
produce the story Of Gen. William Walker. the
gray. eyed man of destiny"
The Reyes revolution was slightly different
from previous affairs OF the kind. because It
was almost wholly an American enterprise.
It was conceived and engineered bv Ameri-
cans. and it's success might have given this
country n preponderating influence In Near
aqua and tho control OF Greytown and the
eastern or Atlantic terminus OF the proposed
Nicaragua Canal. The United States might
have secured in fee simple, without the least
trouble. all the land it desired for a trans
isthmian canal had Reyes won what he hoped
To get through the American element in Mic
$500 - - H. ...lt. yA
the meanwhile yasQuez. who is trying to get
control OF Honduras from the weak President.
Terencio Sierra, installed on Feb. /, has boldfy
recruited his forces In this country from some
OF the volunteer regiments Just mustered out.
If the United States Government does not in
terfere too energetically with this tili5uster
movement. there will he a considerable force Of
Americans in Honduras in the next fe months
and the revolution expected there will occur.
1t Is this appearance Of the American ele-
ment that promises TO make future revulu-
lions somewhat different from the opera
bouffe of Central American outbreaks. There
are thousands OF men In the United States
just mustered out Of service. They Joined
the army to fight. but had no chance Of doing
80. They see chances of adventure in Central
America. and the eNiied Presidents Of these
republics who. after amassinP fortunes. have
been driven out by revolutions. realize that
one American Is worth many natives. and are
bidding for the support of these volunteers.
Unless the neutrality laws are rightly enforced
this sum mer. two at least OF the Central A:l-
erican States are likely to be under Ar. erican
influence before the winter sets ir
The Nicaraguan affair bears . close resem-
blance to the Hawaiian inc.Lent. In the last
ten years American int ests on the Atlantic
coast Of Nicaragua bHve grown so as to con-
AL ALa -.,.N - II Il.
6S' completely as me Americans control Hawaii
ant spite OF t..eir small numbers. Biuefelds.
rougLcapj.al OF the district, is = town of from
minat to 5000 population, where more Eng
ket. Is spoken than Spanish. 1t receives all
w fupplies from the United States. its Mayor
IA citizen OF New Orleans. and all Of its prop
NIFTY is owned In this country. 1t has i'm
proved greatly of late and taken on the 'ap-
pearance OF an American town, and only n few
weeks ago 1t sent representatives here to pur-
chase the machinery and pipes necessary to
establish a complete system OF waterworks
and sewerage-a wonderful piece of progress
for a Central American town. All this devel-
opment has been through American capital
and enterprise. Just as at Honolulu. Adozen
years ago Biuefelds was a to wn of a few huts.
inhabited by Mosquito Indians. Carlbs. Ma
rooms and Jamaica negroes. The country
was then known as Mosquito reservation and
was under the protectorate OF England. II
owed a nominal allegiance to the republic.of
Nicaragua. but was absolutely free. paying no
taxes. recognizing no Nicaraguan officials and
disregarding all Nicarnguan ordinances and
laws. The Government was supposed to be
In the hands OF the Mosquito Indians. but this
was a mere fiction. That tribe has practically
ceased TO exist. A few specimens. more negro
than Indian. we're TO be found on the Wanko
n IL f.
OF the population were negroes. Nicaraguans
and foreigners. The chief OF the MOSQUITOES.
Clarence by name, ruled the country. but his
Cabinet was composed wholly Of Jamaicans.
subjects OF Great Britain. though its agents
ruled the country as completely as it lid Belize.
Four years ago there was a sudden change.
The present President OF Nicaragua, Zelaya,
seeing that the region and. particularly Blue
fields. was growing rich in consequence OF the
deveIopment OF the country by the Americans
and the growth Of the fruit trade. asserted au-
thurity over the reservation on the ground
that II was and had always been part Of Mica
ragua and that the Government OF Prince
Clarence OF the Mosquitoes was n mere mockery.
as there were no Mosquitoes left. Gen. Reyes.
who led the recent revolution. was commits
stoned Governor of Mosquito. the name OF
which was changed to Zelaya In honor of the
President. and sent with a considerable force
TO take possession OF BlEeflelds. There can
be no doubt that Zelaya's contentious were
correct. Nicaragua had never surrendered its
sovereignty over the coast country. but had
simply failed to exercise it because it was not
strong enough to overcome the Mosquitoes.
As for the British protectoratA. IL was a purely
trumped-up arrangement without the least
validity or backing. When the Nicaragua
army marched on Blneflelds 1t brought the
question to n sudden crisis. II is possible that
Great Britain might have interfered had not
It's case been so thoroughly bad-and besides.
the attitude OF the United States Just then was
one OF suspicion and England did not care fur
Their to offend us regarding tho Nicaragua
coast country. Prince Clareace appealed to
the foreign residents of Bluefields, mainly
Americans, who were disposed at first to help
him. as his Government was an easy going one.
lowing no taxes and interfering with no one
so long as thu Prime received his salary but
ZslAya's movement was too sudden for taem.
aud besides they concluded that they could do
as well under Nicaraguan as under MOSQUITO
-.