El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-24

Of the republic it is hard to say. One
of the possible complications may be
the failure of the United States senate
TO ratify the treaty. and that Nicara-
qua, already war-ridden. would find
itself in a worse state than ever be-
fore It's foreign loans are heavy and
It's creditors insistent, and the state
department. is fearful that unless the
treaty goes through there may be
complications with other governments
should they decide to enforce the i'm
mediate payment of these debts.
Condition Is DepIOrabIe.
The condition OF Nicaragua today is
such as to awaken the utmost pity
for the masses of its people. After
II years of Zeiayaism, which was only
worse than conditions which went be-
fore all, but the favored few became so
poor that they might well envy even
the proverbial mouse. To end the
regime of Zelaya another revolution
was necessary, and this has accentu-
ated the poverty stricken conditions OF
the people>~unti1 today, with undevel-
oped wealth all about them, they are
all but starving.
What adds TO the pathos OF all this
is the evidence one gees on every
hand of the good ma cure with which
the masses bear their Affections.
AlI6T centuries OF tyranny UnQ0T
which they could call nothing their
own and might be shot for even crook
ing a finger one would expect them to
be a gloomy, morose, and an embit-
tered lot. On the contrary one seldom
sees more genial and good natured
people than he meets in Nicaragua.
They seem to have become reconcileo
to poverty and dirt and go about with
smiling faces in spite of it ALL
Rich in Resources.
Nicaragua is perhaps the richest in
natural resources of any Of the Cen
trail American republics, and it is also
the largest. But in spite Of all this
it is the poorest in available assets
The cause is not far to seek. There
never has been time in many long
years that the people have not been
the football in the game played by the
politicians. Revolutions have succeed
ed one another so rapidly that the in
diEidual has not cared much in which
army he was fighting. A remarkable
illustration Of this Is a story Of the
last revolution. A lot of troops were
guarding some prisoners near Mana
qua. They got tired doing guard
duty and deserted The prisoners,
preferring to be such, rather than to
be in the field. did not try to escape.
The government requested them to go
and search out and bring back the
deserters, which they did
The Nicaraguan government has laid
ambitious plans for the expenditure of
$40, 900, 000 or $4,000, 600 which it
hopes to get through the good offices
of the United States government 1t
is expected to utilize q part of it to
build a railroad from the capital to the
east coast. or at least from Lake Mic
aragua to the Atlantic Some contend
that if ought to go TO q point called
Rama while others say that it must
be built to Monkey Point. Built to
the latter place it would open up an
entirely new banana region. Today |
the entire country east of Lake Mic 1
aragua, with the exception of a mar
row strip along the Atlantic. is prac
tically a primeval forest filled with I
the finest hardwoods in the world |
There mahogany is much cheaper +!
than cedar In addition to the forests /
there are mineral deposits OF great I
range and value.
Another portion of the loan will be
aevoted to the Improvement of the /
capital city, and still another part of /
L will be used for the rehabilitation
Of the railroad from Corinto to Grana-
la. It is asserted by some that the /
of the people Of Nicaragua, /
acquainted with the tendency of the |
men who constitute the government to i
use everything possible for their own. I
are opposed to the loan. On the other I
hand the United States department of |
state declares that it viii see to it |
hat no portion of the funds received i
through the loan is diverted from its |
proper channels.