El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-08
RIVALRY OF LEON
AND GRANADA
UNSCRUPULOUS METHODS OF ZELAYA
IIL-Turbulent Central America.

I'm order to understand what has hap
pened of late in Nicaragua the read
- er must remember that, almost
from the day they were 1ounded, there
has existed a bitter rivalry between the
cities of Leon and Granada.
These are the two most important
cities in the republic, and from time
immemorial have been competitors in
business But their opposition has not
halted there. In opinion, in intellec-
tual activities, and, above all, in poll
tics, they have been arrayed against
each other. IN fact, the early history
of Nicaragua is merely chronicle or
revolutions fomented first by one and
then by the other Of these cities.
strOnghoIds of Parties.
Leon has been a stronghold Of the
Liberal party since 1921 Granada has
been just as consistently Conservative.
The various contests for the presidency
have been, generally speaking, strug-
giles between the candidates of the two
cities. Leon, it is true, has had the
advantage Of population, but Granada
has always been the richer and more
cultured, and SO in political influence
they have been nearly equal.
But for good many years Granada
was in the ascendency. After the dis
solution of the union of the Central
American republics. in 1888, the control
Of the Conservative party-that Is to
say, of Granada-fell into the hands
of half dozen families-the Chamor-
ros, the 4-avalas, the Cardenases, the
Cuadras and the Sacasas. more espe-
cially.
No Liberal Dynnsties.
Among the Liberals rnere were no
such dynasties. Their leaders stood
of fnfa 9
they forged their way to office, it was
through individual prowess, rather than
with the help of influential family
connections; and when they fell, as
they usually did after a brief tenure
OF power, to be displaced by Conserva-
tive candidates. they left no heirs.
But the Conservatives had trouble
among themselves Sometimes they did
queer things. It was & Chamorro, for
instance, who brought Walker into
Nicaragua, and who was afterward shot
by the great American adventurer.
Liberals Look for Leader
In time the presidential succession
became practically restricted to the
families of Clamorro. Zavala and Car
denas. The Liberals in Leon looked
around for leader. They found him
in Trinidad Cabanas. Of Honduras.
One of the curious things about Gen.
traI America Is that If you are a citt-
zen Of one Of the little republics you
are citizen of all the rest, and can
dabble in their politics as freely as you
can in your own country's. So Trini-
dad was warmly welcomed in Leon,
and made himself an important place
in Ntcaraguan politics-that is, until
Don Fruto Chamborro went in search
Of his scalp.
Don Fruto, having disposed Of Ca
banas, made himself supreme dictator,
and the Liberals found themselves once
more out in the cold
Supreme Dictator
Supreme dictator was the style az
fected by the rulers OF Nicaragua down
to the time of president Zavala. "a
vala promulgated a constitution and
assumed the presidential title His
predecessors I'D been irresponsible
despots, holding themselves accountable
to God, and not very much accountable
even in that direction
But Zavala saw the signs of the
times. He it was who tried to smooth
out the animosities OF Leon and Ora
NADIA He brought together the repre-.
senIatives Of the two cities. and in
duced them to locate the capital Of the
republic at Managua. This town was
acceptable to the rival cities, possibly