The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1909-06-04
BLUSTER U AWAY.
STATE DEPARTMENT RESTORES
NICARAGUA TO FAVOR.
Thoughtful Men Wonder II zeIaya Has
Paid Up or Is It the Work Of
Some Pet of the Ad-
ministration.

One of the inexplicable Interrupt
lions in the progress of national
events which from time to time be-
wilder the anxious observer has just
occurred in respect of the administra-
ton avalanche that only a few days
since was impending over Nicaragua.
AS lately as two or three weeks ago
the state department was grayely pom
dering extreme measures with Zela-
va, the cantankerous president, and
the newspapers according to their
various proclivities and abilities were
dom would take. Now the upr0ar has
suddenly ceased. Not a whisper OF
Nicaragua can be heard even by those
who listen at the keyhole.
1t will be recalled that Zelaya's Of
fence consisted chiefly in his refusal
to pay the claim of an American"
company doing or pretending to do
business in Nicaragua-one of those
adventurous concerns, no doubt that
we hear of occasionally in the more
tempestuous Spanish-American states
as setting up claims where their ex-
pectations have been disappointed and
asking damages for a wonderful rain
bow. What Zelaya's contention was
we do not accurately know, o is it
important. Perhaps he merely wanted
to govern his own people in his own
way; and that is a ~pretension to which
we have become reconciled except in
the cases of very feeble and distracted
powers indeed. So what would have
been accepted with c~Omplaisance at
the hands of Mexico or Brazil or Ar
gentina became a ranking injury at
the hands of Nicaragua, and straight
way began to bristle with gunboats
and hostile overtures and hints OF red
mouthed ultimatums in the immediate
background. Now, however, after some
weeks of this dramatic clustering we
find ourselves in the midst of flowery
peace. Nicaragua remains, Zelaya
still rules, the American company's
claim does not see to have been
paid; md yet the promised avalanche
has not moved. The state depart
ment's scowls are relaxed into serene
and radiant joviality.
There must be an explanation, but
what Is it? If Zelaya has paid up we
haven't heard of it. According to all
present appearances the American"
concern is still pining for its compen-
sation, the t%ruculent Zelaya still shows
his teeth at their more or less right
eous pretensions, and yet the state de-
partment's wrath has been in some
mysterious way appeased, a broad and
beaming smile has supplanted the
quondam threatening frown and all is
sweetest harmony-Or seems to be.
Thoughtful men are wondering.
Everybody wants to know why, after
scowling at Nicaragua so long and
procuring those fluent educational de-
nunciations of Zelaya-by way Of pre-
pairing public opinion for the impend-
ing event-we have all of a sudden, so
gence, released the once serried fur
row on a stormy brow and generally
lent ourselves to melody.
There must be a solution. Perhaps
the stricken company has sold out
on the strength Of the state depart
ment's buster; perhaps Nicaragua has
been suave and vigilant enough to en-
ploy some administration pet to de-
fend her at the seat of power; perhaps
something else-who knows? The fact
remains. What are we to take for
it's Interpretation?