East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-12-25
Former President Of Nicara-
qua Reaped Gigantic Profits
From All Industries.
VARIOUS MONOPOLIES NET
HIM $4,000 A MONTH
Tyrannical Dictator Had Has Hand
in Public POcket-Has Many In
dustrial MonopolIcs-Contro Dock
Privileges and Street Cleaning
Appropriates 90 Per Cent OF Gus
tom Dues-Makes Soldiers Work
His Plantation.


The magnitude of the personal sacri-
flee involved in the overthrow of
\ Zelaya from actual power and a pos
sible flight from Nicaragua. is shown
in the statement that he derived from
various monopolies and financial VEN
lures a revenue of 100000 silver
$4,000 United States money )per
month. In the building in the
Champ de Mars that houses the min
istry of war. Zelaya conducts the
monopolies of alcohol. tobacco, cat
tie, petroleum, hides, gambling, soap,
candles, ice and drugs and lumber
for railroads. fuel and ties. From
these quarters he also has controlled
local monopolies extending along the
Atlantic coast and covering traffic in
Aguardiente, leaf and manufactured
tobacco cocoanut groves, abatoirs and
turtle fisheries.
In addition to those he controls the
dock privileges at the piers Of Corin-
TO, Granada. San Jorge Monkey
Point San Miguelisto and FL Bluff
and the lease of the National rail-
road and OF the National steamship
lines.
Through some peculiar framing of
the customs laws he also benefits
from premiums on the expectation Of
coffee, lumber. gold, hides and rub
ber and from duties of from 10 to so
per cent on importations of all sorts
of manufactured articles.
Even Controls Street Cleaning.
Among his other known interests
are the street cleaning of Managua,
done by contract; the sugar refinery
OF San Antonia; the planning mills and
the sale of property to or by the gov
ernment He also exacts a share in
all concessions granted to the Blue
fields-James Deitrick Guichora,
Salzaar. Emery-and in a number of
mining concessions. The system Is
so perfect that no land owner can
devote his property to raising sugar
cane or tobacco without the authority
of trusts created and controlled by
Zelaya.
on the Atlantic side, Zelaya has OPP
Grated through the business house
of Lopez and Matinee. Lopez is a
cousin of Zelaya and is now jailed hy
house alone Zelaya has just received
profits of $4,000 or $4,000 American
money Railways and steamers of the
country are managed for him by his
partner, Mr.. Julio West Swiss. The
contract for the construction of the
railway from San Miguel to Monkey
Point, which he controls through
w est. is to cost the government $20,-
900 United States money per month.
The country already has subscribed
$500 900 in the last three years on this
line and only four miles have been
built. National finances also have
been used for his enrichment.
The system has been for Zelaya to
-underwrite government bonds at a
large discount and then to dispose
Of them to bankers at so per cent
profit.
1t is conservatively estimated that
he appropriates &c per cent of all
customs dues by the simple process
of compelling payment of customs
dues through compulsory purchases OF
government bonds which he alone is
supplied with and which he sells at
so per cent appreciation over par af-
ter having bought them at 40 per
cent discount from par.
Then, again, Zelaya operates
plantation in the Champ de Mars,
which sold ers of the garrison work
for him Another he owns in part
nership with the commander of the
penltentiary and they divide the prof
its, the labor being convict labor, for
which they do not pay Through a
dummy he has the contract for the
new drainage system of Managua, and
in a similar manner he holds the con-
tract for the clothing and equ pment
of the army.
Zelaya maintains special office
for discounting salaries of state en-
ployes. paying them 10 per cent of
their claims and retaining 30 per
cent comm issions To render this ef-
fectve, the treasury is ma ntained>in
an empty condition.
Each governor OF a department
(province) )-has the exclusive priv
ilege of trading cigars. cigarettes and
tobacco. the local privilege of traffic
in Aguardiente and the licensing OF
games of chance, and compelled
to turn over to Zelaya SO per cent of