Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-24
Germans Bid For
 Nicaraguan Rights
FACT REVEALED TO SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
oUTBID UNITED STATES
Nicarasuan Minister Said that Ger mans Had Urged that $a,ooo,ooo of- fered by the United States Was Not Enough for Canal Rights and oths, Concessions.

Washington, June z3.-Attempts by German interests to outbid the United States for rights to construct an inter oceanic. canal across Nicaragua were revealed today to the senate foreign relations committee by Nicaraguan Minister Chamorro- The minister said Germans had urged that the S3, ,0o0, 900 offered by the United States for canal rights and other concessions was not enough
 Senor Chamorro's statement was re- ceived with surprise and led to much speculation among members of the committee after he left the capitol. Some members understood him to mean that Germany had officially ap- preached the Nicaraguan government and the minister's difficulty in speak | ing English prevented his statement | from being entirely clear.
 Think German Bankers Responsible Members of the committee who did not believe Germany had made any official suggestions to Nicaragua were | inclined to the opinion that represent | atives of German bankers were re- | sponsible for anything that had been done, or even that Nicaragua might
 not be averse to playing the American game of blum.
 It was recalled tonight that no na- | tion could expect to build a canal | across Nicaragua to rival that at Pan
 anna without expending hundreds of | millions of dollars, and the opinion | was expressed that Germany hardly
 would be likely to engage in such an l enterprise. That private banking in | stitutions, no matter how rich, should | seriously contemplate such an under | taking, when there is some question | as to whether the canal across PanA- ma ever will pay. was regarded as ex- | tremely doubtful.
 Senor Chamorro was not specific
 about the German offer. but he tried
 to make it plain that whoever made It took pains to show Nicaragua that the
 United States was to get much more
 than she was entitled for s3,0oe, ,0oe. He appeared before the committee par l tfcularly to speak of the political ef- | feet upon Nicaragua of the provisions States would assume a protectorate over the country and guarantee fair
 elections there as in Cuba Ills testi-
 mony, members said. was most inter- esting.
 American Marines May Be Desired.
 The minister was questioned at some
 length about the American marines
 now in the republic. He answered
 direct inquiry by saying that no re- | quest had been made by him to send
 the marines to Nicaragua some time
 ago. He added. however, that he be- | lieved their presence might be desired
 by the Nicaraguan president, Adolfo Diaz- The marines, he explained, oc- cupy the Nicaragua White House and
 the-American flag flies there. but the | president does not reside in that | building. The marines now guard the
 Nicaraguan railroad, which Is con-
 trolled by New York banking institu- l tions, he said
 According to Senor Chamorro, for
 mer American Minister Wietzel played
 a part in the selection of Diaz as the
 conservative candidate and Weitzel at
 the time was secretary to the Nicara-
 qua council of state which selected
 Diaz for the presidency.