El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-14

the chaotic political cOnuluohS WliIcA
exist In this warridden country. When
the late Thomas G.. Dawson patched up
q provisional government IN Nlca.rds ia
with Juan Estrada as PROVISIONAL pres
ident, on the understanding IuSI rs
trada could not succeed nlnSelI' ana
the further understanding tnaI a4ler
two years there should pe a reg ulsiI
and fair election held TO choose the
first president under the constitution
" hfch was to be made by the provision
al government. Mr. Dawson THOuBhL
that things had been fairly ADJUSTED
and that all parties and facuOns WouId
ac0uiesce and help TO make the new
government a success Every oody re-
jOtced at the departure or Lelay d. anu
were grateful to the United states Ior
taking the stand which resulted IN MS
Moffatt Made Good Record.
When Mr. Dawson. at that time
Z flying squadron of peace rePresenllhs
the state department. left Nicaragua
the affairs Of the department were
, left in the hands of Thomas P MOI
| fatt. who had made an excellent rec
| ord for himself at La Guta, Venezuela
and who had afterwards been promoted
first to be consul at Blueftelds, ana ar
ter that to represent the United states
at Managua during the time diplomatic
relations were broken off between the
two countries. MOffatt was the init
mate personal friend Of Estrada and
gave to that gentleman the necessary
word Of encouragement at the critical
| moment of his revolution
Department Refused
When diplomatic relations were
again about TO be established, ne ue-
sired the appointment as American
minister to Nicaragua, and mad pro-
visiOual president Estrada ask the
United States to request his appoint
ment. The state department turned
down the request and appointed Elliott
NOrthcott, until that time minister at
ROgOta. 10 the post al Managua- FROM
the arrival Of NOrthcOtt forward there
Evil har
Estrada had developed an ambition to
succeed himself in spite Of his agree
nent with Mr. Dawson and In this ne
Is said TO have been encouraged ana
aided by Moffatt. while, on the other
hand. minister NOrthcOtt insisted that
Estrada should live up 10 his part OF
the agreement
Mena Wanted Presidency.
While this was going on Gen Mena,
one Of the leaders OF the Estrada reVO-
luton, got the presidential bee IN MS
bonnet. and his cOmrade In that war,
Cen ChamOrrO, likewise developed as
piratiOns for the presidency. There
was a provision in the agreement pc
tween the Nicara guam factions and Mr.
Dawson providing that the new cOnstt-
tuition should be made by the congress
and approved by the president A
congress met and adopted a constitu-
ton, the terms OF which practically
made inevitable the election of Mena
as president. Tt also had other clauses
in it which were unsatisfactory 10
president ESTRADA ana ne refused 10
sign II and sent the congress home.
Situation Complicated
Later. another congress came to
Managua and adopted constitution
which was as friendly 20 Chamorro as
the other had been to Mena- There
was further trouble. and the situation
finally became complicated one py
reason of the determination of Estrada
Mens was in cOrGmaud of the army and
by virtue Of his position as secretary
Of war. decided 10 throw him out OF
that position and 10 remove all OF the
officers Mena had appointed. substi-
tuting therefor officers who were
friendly to him Mena was thrown
went there himself to make sure that
no harm befell him as a result OF
deliberate plot TO asSassinate him un-
der the guise OF keeping him a pris-
Estrada Plans Fail.
But the plans Of Estrada went aWry.
The army would not take orders from
the officers whom he had appointed
10 command it. but were loyal to those
who had been appointed by Mena- Mena
was released from prison. and Estrada,
realizing that health conditions would
not be very good for him in Nicarau-
ga thereafter, abdicated his office and
fled TO the port at COrinto He expect
ed to get a certain steamer out of Co
rinto, but missed IL by reason Of the
fact that his friend, MOffatt, who was
departing on that steamer, thought
the passenger for whom II was or
dered held was Mena- and he in turn
ordered that II should not be held. The
result was that Estrada had TO remain
in COrintO until the next steamer, two
weeks later.
Espinosa Thrown Into Prison.
Meanwhile the Liberal leaders VINO Z
had been exiled when the Zelaya re-
gime was forced out of power. had I
returned TO Nicaragua under an am
neSty proclamation. The leader or the z
Liberals at that time was DIT. ROdOlfO /
Espinosa- perhaps the leading physi- /
clan of Nicaragua That he was pOpu- ]
lar with the people was EVIDENT from ]
the ovation he received while travel !
ing from the port at COrinto to Mana I
qua, and from the welcome he was
accorded in his home city Later there I
was an explosion in the arsenal at \
Managua- and EspinOsa was thrown
into prison charged with being a party
to a conspiracy responsible for the ca
Knox saved Hts Life.
But for the Intervention Of secretary
Knox. Espinosa. would have been shot
There is a wide difference OF opinion I
as to whether or not the explosion was
the result Of careless smoking on the
part of the soldiers In the arsenal or
the result Of a genuine plot Anyone
acquainted with the haolts or the aV-
erage Nicaraguan soldier VINO thinks /
nothing OF seating himself on a key of /
powder and enjoying a cigaret, can
readily believe that IT was an accident. /
-NNN ct LntlESS il was a HVNA NhlItL LlllL-
~ 10 get rid OF EspinOsa- and he was i
again banished from the country.
The Knox Plot.
When secretary Knox visited Mica
IA qua there was a rumOr that dyna- I
mite had been concealed under a bridge I
and his train was 10 be blown up. The
government as well as secretary Knox,
asserted that there was nothing tan
gible whatever about the rumOr. Later
copies of the official gazette of Mica
ragua reached the public. containing
circumstantial account of the finding
OF the dynamite through the premature
explosion OF a cartridge. and saying I
that some of the so men arrested fu
Herewith already had been
executed Tt IS Impossible to say with |
any certainty whether or not there
was a real conspiracy against secretary
Knox. There are those who believe {
that the dynamite was planted and /
found beforehand BY the Z
very people who had planted fl. In or
der to put the Liberals in further bad I
odor at home and abroad
Dfaz rs President.
After the abdication Of president /
Estrada. Adolph Diaz. then vice prcsi-
dent. succeeded TO the presidency. He I
also DEVELOPED ambition with the cleo I
tive term Of president as its goal Bur 1
real norr--- 0