Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-24
NICARAGUA,
1.-THE PRESENT SITUATION.


With the army loyal to Mena and with
no Immediate chance of recruiting an
other army friendly TO him. there was
little left for Estrada 10 do but accept
the inevitable and resign
X
From that time on things have been
in a very chaotic condition. Minister
Northcott has
State of Chaos been keeping
Has Been Prevailing. n ne s,ase
carefully advised as 10 the movements
of all the different interests. and II -
confessed that the outlook for peace is
none too bright. Ii is conceded on All
sides that but for the restraining hand
OF the United States there would Re a
revolution in few weeks at most. and
there are many who believe II Will come
IN spite OF the efforts OF the state De-
paftment To preserve peace. No one il
able To forecast the DEVELOPMENTS of the
next six months
What effect all OF these conflicting ann
bitions may have upon the welfare or the
republic IL Is hard to say. One of the nossi.
oie computations may he the failure OF the
.Nnted states Senate TO ratify the treaty.
anu , maj nicaragua. already war-ridden,
wouia ma itself In a worse state than
ever before. Its foreign loans are heavy
anu It's creditors insistent, and the State
department Is fearful that unless the
1,ealy goes through there may be COM
pHcauons with other governments should
they decide to enforce the Immediate
payment of these debts
The condition OF Nicaragua TODAY in
such as to awaken the utmost pity for
the masses OF It's people. After seven
teen years of Zelayaism, which was only
worse than conditions which went le-
lore. all but the favored few became so
poor that they might well envy even tha
pfoverblal church mouse. To end the
regime OF Zelaya another revolution waa
necessary. and this has accumulated tha
poverty stricken conditions OF the peo-
pie. until today, with undeveloped wealth
al about them, they are all but starving.
What adds TO the pathos OF all this in
the evidence one sees one every hand OF
the good nature
Bear Affections with which the
With Good Nature. ma, ~ Sc s,e = Dear
After centuries of tyranny under which
they could call nothing their own and
might be shot even for crooking a finger.
one would expect them to be gloomy.
morose, and an embittered lot On the
contrary. one seldom sees a more genial
and good-natured people than he meets
In Nicaragua. They seem to have be-
come reconciled to poverty and dirt and
go about with smiling faces in spite of il
all
Nicaragua is perhaps the richest in
natural resources OF any OF the central
American republics, and II is also the
largest But In spite OF all this ii Is the
poorest in available assets. The cause is
not far to seek. There never has been
a time in many long years that the peo-
pie have not been the foot ball in the
game played by the politicians. Revolu-
tons have succeeded one another so
rapidly that the ordinary individual has
not cared much in which army he was
fighting remarkable illustration OF
this is story of the last revolution. Y
iot OF troops were guarding some prlson-
ers near Managua. They got tired of do
ing 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
/
ten or fif-
Has Laid Plans teen mil
for Spending Millions. With !,
hopes to get through the good offices OF
the United States government. II is ex-
pected to utilize a part of II to build
railroad from the capital to the east coast
or at least from Lake Nicaragua to the
Atlantic. Some contend that it ought TO
go to point called Rama, while others
say that it must he built to Monkey
Point Built TO the latter place II would
open up an entirely new banana region.
Today the entire country east OF Lake
Nicaragua, with the exception of a mar
row strip along the Atlantic, is practical
ly primeval forest, filled with the finest
hardwoods in the world. There. mahog-
any is much cheaper than cedar. In ad-
dition to the forests there are mineral
deposits of great range and value.
Another portion of the loan viii be
devoted to the Improvement of the capital
city. and still another part OF ii will lie
used for the reha bilitation OF the railroad
from Cornto to Granada. 1t is asserted
by some that the majority of the people
of Nicaragua, acquainted with the tenden-
cy of the men who constitute the govern
ment to use everything possible for their
own. are opposed TO the loan. on the
other hand. the United States Department
of State declares that Il will see to il that
no portion OF the funds received through
the loan is diverted from IT'S proper cham
nels.