The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-12-08
Charge d'Afairs Of Nicaragua Given
His Passports.
SOME VERY PLAIN TALK
zelaya, President Of Nicaragua
Branded as a Tyrant, and VIII be
Held Personally Responsible for
the Murder of Groce and Cannon,
Two American Citizens.

Two American Citizens.
Secretary Of State Knox has re
turned the passports Of Felipe Rod
riguez, charge d'affaires OF the Nc
l, araguan legation, at Washington
with a letter ~scathingly denouncine
| the Zelayan administration. The let
ter Is definitely declared to represenI
the views Of President Taft, and IL
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 al
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
common malefactor. Zelaya IL
branded as a violator Of solemn In.
ternational conventions, a disturbeI
of the national and international
peace, a tyrant whose administration
has been q blot upon the name OF
good government.
Secretary Knox virtually announc.
es the recommendation Of the Mic
araguan reyolutionists, declares 1t to
be the conviction of the United States
that the revolution represents the
sentiments Of a 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 In
for1us Senior Rodriguez that while
be has lost his diplomatic quality,
he may still serve as an "unofhcial'
channel of communication with the
faction which he Is regarded as rep
~resenting.
This brings tho crisis as near to
the status of war as 1t could be
brought by executive action without
O definite declaration by both houses
Of Congress, which will convene next
Monday.
Knox's Letter.
Secretary Knox's letter to Senior
Rodriguez is as follows:
Since the Washington conven-
tions of 1907, 1t Is notorious that
President Zelaya has almost contin-
uously kept Central America In ten
sion or turmoil, that he has repreat-
eddy and f%agrantly violated the pro-
visions of the convention, and by
a 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 RIGA, 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.
1T Is equally a matter Of COM
mon knowledge that under the regi-
me of President Zelaya. republican
institutions have ceased In Nicara-
u to exist except in name; that
public opinion and the press have
been throttled; and that prison has
been the reward of any tendency tc
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 a blot
upon the history Of Nicaragua and
a encouragement to a group OF re-
-.l,l>. ,-ho,, oepirotioD mead only