The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-12-14
zELAYA PAINTED
A GREAT MONSTER
Senator Rayner Dons War
Paint and Goes After
The Nicaraguan.
HE CALLS HIM A MURDERER
OFFERS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZE
ING THE PRESIDENT TO CAP
TURE DICTATOR AND HAVE
HIM PLACED ON TRIAL.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 14.-If Pres
ident Zelaya. of Nicaragua. had been
present yesterday at the session of
the United States senate, when Sena-
tor Rayner of Maryland. had his say,
the Central American would have fled
in terror.
President Zelaya was denounced as
the murderer of Groce and Cannon, Of
ficers of the revolutionary army.
Senator Rayner then advocated the
passage of his resolution. authorizing
President Taft to capture and try the
Nicarauguan President for this crime
of MURDER
"The private life of Zelaya. almost
unspeakable in its enormity,' said
Senator Rayner, SHOULD be made pub
lie by the State Department in order
that the people of the United States
may know the kind of man Zelaya is"
Mr. Rayner said there was ample au-
thOrity in international law for the
course he advocated to bring Zelaya to
the bar of justice.
Lodge Expresses Approval.
In moving that the resolution be re-
| ferred to the committee on Foreign
Relations, Senator Lodge said he was
glad to know that the Senator from
Maryland so thoroughly approved the
course taken by the administration, as
he himself heartily approved it,
Senator Cullom. chairman of the
committee on foreign relations, added
that he would have something to say
about the resolution when it was re-
ported by his committee back to the
senate, a remark which was interpret
ed as meaning that he expected it to be
favorably received.
Senator Rayner's speech, stirring
and denunciatory in tone and charac-
terized by dramatic fervor, was an I'M
sparing arraignment of President Ze-
| laya, whom he designated as one of
the criminals of the age.
What I am concerned in now" said
Senator Rayner, "is not the question of
the belligerent rights of the revolu-
tionists, or in case of their success
their recognition either as the defac-
to or the de jure government, but in
ment of Zelaya.
"This desperate is everything that
the secretary of state says about him
and great deal more. If the country
knew what is known in official circles
in reference to his depravity it would
regard the Secretary's communication
as exceedingly temperate, as it shows
upon it's face the restraint under which
he was laboring in dealing with such
a character.
Watches Usurpers.
81 have watched for years the revolu.
tionary history of Central America
and am familiar with the career of q
great many of the imposrors and usurp
ers and the grotesque and motely lead.
ers that have sprung from their chaot-
ic institutions, but Zelaya probably is
the most despicable figure that has
ever risen in their midst.
"If he were simply a highwayman
we might identify him; If he was sim
ply a tyrant who oppressed the people
for the purpose Of robbing them, we
might rarticularize him: if he was a
usurper, who was only holding on tc
power so long as there was any money
in the treasury to steal. or any further
territory that he could sack for pri
vate plumber, we could assign him Z
proper place in the ranks of his prede
cessors, and if he was purely an as
sassin, who regarded murder as legit
innate profession through which he
could despoil his victims of their pos
sessions until the time came for him
to flee from the hands of retributive
justice, it would be an easy task, also