The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-09-06
THE REVOLUTION
. IN NICARAGUA
Dismissal Of Mena by PreSl-
dent Didz Started Il.
GENERAL CAUSE OF TROUBLE.
Ae Has Been In Control Of the Troops,
and a Former President Had to
Leave the Country For Commanding
Him to Lay Down His Power.


Him to Lay Down His Power.
The present Nicaraguan revolt was
directly brought about by the dismissal
of the minister of war, General Luis
Mena, by President Adolfo Diaz This
action resulted in the shelling Of the
capital by Mena and the landing OF
American marines to protect the prop
erty and lives of foreigners.
The president is the nominal ruler of
the republic, but General Mena has
been in control of the troops. His son
and other relatives have commanded
the garrison at Granada and the semi
military police force Of the capital, Ma
nagua, and General Mena himself has
lived a stones throw from the unde-
Tended palace of the president in the
semtfortress, where Zelaya, surround.
ed by bayonets and with machine guns
at the angles Of the high walls, sent
forth his barbarous DEGREES of conts-
cation, torture and death. It required
q high degree of courage for President
lister to lay down his power. A former
president tried it with Mena and had
to leave the country.
For a long time Mena and Diaz were
boon companions. Diaz is in almost
every particular the opposite of Mena,
who has a large infusion Of negro
blood. He stands more than six feet
J.; ;rh 10 a., "a l.. III
sesses a breadth Of view and grace Of
manner rare in one whose educational
advantages have been so limited.
Diaz Described.
Diaz is of white blood, moderate sta
ture, with the polish acquired by long
career on the east coast. He is the
sort of man who lets others do most of
the talking while he does the thinking
Knowing English we'll, he prefers to
conduct an interview through an in
terpreter. his critics say, because 1t
gives him time to consider his reply
while the interpreter is translating. He
took part in the war of liberation, but
it was chiefly as financier and CON-
missioner general rather than as a
fighter. He has made no attempt to
tear the laurels of military success
from the brow of Mena or Emiliano
Chamorro, the two heroes Of the war
Diaz sits at his desk, thinking, plan
ming, studying the most practicable So
lutions of his many hard problems. If
he decided that he must dismiss Mena
from the ministry of war it was no has
ty and immature decision, it Is be-
lieved. but was turned over in his mind
for many months and adopted finally
because it was the only escape he saw
from a situation growing daily more
difficult
The third chief actor in the drama,
General Emiliano Chamorro, now in
command OF the government forces.
differs essentially from the others.
General Chamorro's field of creation,
however is the battlefield. He does
not lay claim to be a profound student
of economics or craftsmanship.
Function Of tho United States.
1t is between these three men-Emi-
liano Chamorre, the lion hearted; Gen
eral Mena, in command of the revolu-
tionary army and the strong places,
and Adolfo Daz, now In possession Of
executive authority-that the future of
Nicaragua has lain. In the meantime
it has been the function of the United
States to guard against the return of
the old conditions of bloodshed, revo-
luton and anarchy. The United States
had already interviewed soon after Ze-
laya fell. When trouble first threat
ened between the successful leaders
of the revolution the late Thomas G.
Dawson, the special representative Of
the state department, persuaded the
five principal chieftains to sign an
agreement by which they were to be
bound by the choice of the five as to
the conservative candidate for presl.
dent as soon as a constitution had been
formed and it became possible to hold
free elections.
In the meantime the new national
assembly Of April, 1911, had begun the
formation of a constitution. Into that
constitution was put an article which
Is the crux Of the present difficulties
In Nicaragua. This provision Is that
the DEGREES Of the constituent assem-
bly, on the appointment of the presi-
dent and vice president and Of the
magistrates Of the courts shall remain
In force for the periods respectively set
forth. Then the assembly a few days
before the approval Of the loan in Oc-
tober, 1911, elected General Mena as
president of the republic for the term
beginning in 1913 without providing
for any popular ratification of this ac-
ton.
This promised trouble for the United
States. but no definite action was taken
until the beginning Of the present
year, when a request was submitted
by the American charge d'affaIres that
the constitution should not be promul-
gated unit! the arrival OF the new
American minister Violent rasant-