The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-12-04
ON BRINK OF WAR
Charge d'Afairs Of Nicaragua Given
His Passports.
SOME VERY PLAIN TALK

| SOME VERY PLAIN TALK
Zelaya, President of Nicaragua
Branded as Tyrant, and Will be
Held Personally Responsible fox
tho Murder Of GIoce and Cannon,
Two American Citizens.
Secretary of State Knox has re
turned the passports of Felipe Rod
rigueE, charge d'affaires of the MIC
araguan legation, at Washington
with q letter scathingly denouncing
the Zelayan administration. The let
ter is definitely declared to represent
the views of President Taft, and lie
about as plain-spoken as anything
emanating from the State department
in years.
The extraordinary feature OF the
letter is that it seems to evince an
intention on the part of the United
States to hold President Zelaya per-
sonally responsible for the alleged
torture and execution of the Ameri-
cans, Cannon and Groce, and eX-
hibits the unique situation of one
government holding the Chief Exc
cutive of another Presidency as a
common malefactor. Zelaya is
branded as violator Of solemn In
ternational conventions, a disturber
of She national and international
peace, a tyrant whose administration
has been blot upon the name OF
good government.
Secretary Knox virtually announc-
es the recommendation Of the Mic
araguan revolutionists, declares 1t to
be the conviction of the United States
that the revolution represents the
sentiments of majority of the Mic
araguan people, and that there is
evidently, no responsible Government
| with which the United States can
deal. He therefore announces that
all parties will be held accountable
| for their actions as affecting the
interests OF Americans and the peace
of Central America. He further lns
forms Senor Rodriguez that while
he has lost his diplomatic quality,
he may still serve as an unofficial
channel of communication with the
| faction, which he Is regarded as rep
pesenting,i
This brings the crisis as near to
the status of war as it could be
brought by executive action without
definite declaration by both houses
of Congress, which will convene next
| Monday.
KnoX's Letter.
Secretary KnoX's letter to Senor
Rodriguez is as follows:
Since the Washington conyen-
tions of 1907, it is notorious that
President Zelaya has almost contin-
uously kept Central America in ten
sion or turmoil, that he has repreat-
edly and flagrantly violated the pro-
visions of the convention. and By
baleful influence upon Honduras,
whose neutrality the conventions
were to assure, has sought to dis
credit those sacred international OBJ
| legations TO the great detriment OF
Costa Rica, Salvador and Guate-
mala, whose governments mean
while appear to have been able
patiently to strive for the loyal sup
| port of the engagements so solmenly
undertaken at Washington under the
auspices of the United States and
Mexico.
at is equally a matter OF COM
mon knowledge that under the regi-
me OF President Zelaya. republican
institutions have ceased in Nicara-
qua to exist except in name; that
| public opinion and the press have
| been throttled; and that prison has
been the reward Of any tendency to
real patriotism. My consideration
for you personally impels me to
abstain from unnecessary discussion
of the painful details of a regime
which unfortunately has been blot
upon the history of Nicaragua and
4 Encouragement to a group of re-
pubics whose aspirations need only
the opportunity Of free and homes
| government.
In view of the interest OF the
United States and Of It's relations to
the Washington conventions, appeal
against this situation has long since
been made to this government by a
majority Of the Central American
republics. There Is now added the
appeal through the revolution OF
great body of the Nicaraguan peo'
pie.
1.-TWO Americans who. this gov
ernment is now convinced were Of,
ficers connected with the revolution
airy forces, and therefore entitled tC
l