Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-08
Some Things You Want to Know
Turbulent Central A~merica-Nicaragua, Land of Blasted Hopes

With the Creates canal on the globe
qua thought it was destined to be one Of
the favored spots of the world. 1t thought
itself the Western Bosphorus," and con-
sidered that 1t was only a question of time
until the Of the oceans would
pass through it's borders via the Nicara-
guam canal. The United States had decided
upon an interoceanic canal, all parties were
pledged to 1t, and indeed both houses OF
congress had at one time or another voted
for 1t. Nicaragua was in high hopes, and
Hannibal selling the public places in Rome
while yet without its walls found a coun-
terpart in the spirit of speculation that
possessed the N-icaraguans. But in a mo-
ment all was changed. Senator Hanna
took up the cudgels for Panama, the sem
ate turned to that route, the house fol-
lowed and Nicaragua became the land of
blasted hopes. Down there they still be-
lieve that the monumental mistake of
history was made, when Panama was
chosen.
Nominally Nicaragua is a republic, where
the will Of the people should be supreme.
Its constitution reads as smooth as our
own, but only the letter and not the
pAli WA |NNAS 1850
to rave the right of suffrage, yet there is
another provision. which sets forth that
no soldier in the army shall vote. And
the president has the right to enlist whom
he will. Result; when there is a close cleo
ton thousands of the opposition are tenn
porarily enlisted in the army. 1t is said
that in one election more than 1900 OPP
ponents of Zelaya were enlisted, while
all his friends were omitted from the
recruits. This is the way the laws and con-
stitutions Of Central America are inter-
preted, and 1t is such abuses that are
largely responsible for the constant tur-
moil there.
Nicaragua has a most unique plan OF
presidential succession in times OF peace.
The names of five senators are written
upon slips of paper, placed in as many
envelopes, shuffled, and three OF the
envelopes are drawn out and flied way
in the state archives. The other two are
destroyed without their contents being
known. When there is a vacancy in the
presidency the duly constituted authori-
ties open the first envelope and the sem
ator whose name is written thereon be-
comes president. Here We see how the
people distrust their own associates, The
name Of the heir apparent must be kept
a profound secret lest he or his friends
seek 70 hasten the succession.
Nicaragua is not noted for a high aver
age of intelligence among it's people,
Those at the head Of affairs are usually
well educated, and there is also culture
among the well-to-do classes of the coun-
try, but the rank and file are merely
ignorant, unlettered tropical people. They
are dumb driven cattle" who lend them
selves readily to the purposes OF the dema-
gogue. They are nearly always against the
government, because they so often feel the
laws restraining hand. Some idea of the
prevalence of ignorance may be had from
a report made by the head Of the depart
ment of education who states that in
Granada and Leon, the most highly civil
lized cities of the country, only 80 per
cent of the children are enrolled in the
schools. He concludes that only one
I seventh Of the children Of Nicaragua learn
to read and write.
The majority OF the people live in adobe
houses covered with tiles or with matched
roofs. Unusually there is no floor in the
rural home, and II there is a ceiling 1t is
only a sheet Of white cloth tackled up e
hide the ugliness OF the uhderroof. Beds
without mattresses, rooms without windows
cooking without stoves and grinding with