Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-10
Some Things You Want to Know
Turbulent Central America Rivalry of Leon and Granada

In order TO understand what has nap
pened OF late In Nicaragua the reader must
remember that almost from the day they
were founded there has existed a bitter
rivalry between the cities OF Leon and
Granada. These are the two most impor-
tant cities in the republic and from time
immemorial have been competitors in bus
mess. But their opposition has not halted
there. In OPINION in Intellectual activi-
ties and, above all, in politics, they nave
been arrayed against each other. In fact
the early history OF Nicaragua is merely a
chronicle OF revolutions fomented first by
one and then by the other OF these cities.
Leon has been a stronghold Of the liberal
party since 1891. Granada has been just as
consistently conservative. The various
contests for the presidency have been, gen
orally speaking, struggles between the
candidates of the two cities. Leon, t is
true, has had the advantage OF popula-
ton, but Granada has always been the
richer and more cultured, and so in politl-
cal influence they have been nearly equal.
But Tor a good many years Granada was
In the ~ascendency. After the dissolution
OF the union OF the Central American re-
publics I'm 1898 the control Of the conserya-
tive party-that is to say, Of Granada
fell into the hands OF a half dozen families
the Chamorros. the zavalas, the Carde-
masses, the Cuadras, and the Sacasas more
especially. Among the liberals there we're
no such dynasties. Their leaders stood
quite alone. When at rare Intervals ,hey
forged their way to office il 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 dis
placed by conservative candidates, they
left no heirs. But the conservatives had
trouble among themselves. Sometimes they
did queer things. 1t was a Chamorro, fur
instance, who brought Walker into Mica.
ragua and who was afterward shot by
the great American adventurer.
In time the presidential succession be-
came practically restricted to the families
Of Chamorro, Zavala and Cardenas. The
liberals in Leon looked around for a
leader. They found him in Trinidad Ca
banas. of Honduras. One Of the curious
things about Central America is that If
you are a citizen of one of the little re-
publics you are a citizen Of all the rest,
and can dabble in their politics as freely
as you can In your own country's. So
Trinidad was warmly welcomed in Leon,
and made himself an important place In
N~icaraguan politics-that is, until Don
Fruto Chamorro went in search Of his
scalp. Don Fruto, having disposed of Ca
banas, made himself supreme dictator, and
theN liberals found themselves once more
out In the cold.
Supreme dictator was the style affected
by the rulers of Nicaragua down to the
time Of President Zavala. zavaia promul-
gated a constitution and assumed the pres
idential title. His predecessors had 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
1t was who tried to smooth out the animos-
tiles OF Leon and Granada. He brought to-
gether tho representatives of the two cities,
and Induced them to locate the capital of
the republic at Managua{ This town was
acceptable to the rival cities, possibly for
the fact that II was a small, insignificant
and unhealthy place. Managua has con-
tinued to be the capital, though II hasn't
improved very much over what It was in
zavala's time, and Is still inferior in prac-
tically every point to Leon and Granada.
But this well-intentioned plan did not al
lay the jealousies Of the two cities, and
down to the present day their quarrels
have been a frequent cause Of bloodshed
and revolution.
jose Santos zelaya, late president of
Nicaragua, is one of the boldest, most
skillful and most INSCRIPTIONS politicians
that has ever flourished in Central
America or elsewhere. For sixteen years
he maintained himself in power by playing
upon the inherited hatreds of these two
cities. II his growing unpopularity led to
a revolutionary outbreak in Leon. he in
cited Granada to suppress it; and Granada,
anxious to feed fat the ancient grudge,
hurried to do his bidding. And when
Granada rebelled. as 1t did once in awhile.
Leon was only too willing to even up the
score. BY deftly balancing the factions.
Zelaya made himself the master of Mic
aragua, and one of the most formidable
figures in Central America.
On assuming the presidency. one of
Zelay's first acts was to institute his now
famous policy # concessions, or course,
there is a good deal Of reticence about the
way In which these concessions were par