The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-13
INTERESTING REVELATIONS
OF Negotiations Between United States
and Nicaragua.


Managua, Nicaragua, March l3.--A
Blue book, containing its diplomatic cor
respondenee for 1914, just published by
the ministry of foreign relations Of Mic.
aragua, discloses the details of some in
teresting episodes that bear on the obli-
cations and duties of the United States
under its Monroe doctrine. They relate
to demands made upon Nicaragua by the
governments of Germany, Great Britain
and Italy for the payment of debts due
their subjects, resident in Nicaragua, and
the inability of this government to meet
the strenuous requests. The concluding
episodes have not yet been published, re-
lating to the Intervention of the United
States in the affair, but are no secret.
The government OF Nicaragua owes
and acknowledges, considerable amounts
to these foreign residents, part for mon
ey borrowed, part for merchandise
bought, and a large part for claims for
damages to person or property. Two
thirds of the floating and internal debts |
of and claims against Nicaragua go back |
to the regime of the late dictator Ze |
laya, besides five-sixths of the bonded |
debt.
Upon his downfall in 1910 and the as
sumption of the government by the pres.
ent administration it asked the United
States for advice and assistance, espe-
cially in relation to a settlement and
payment of the floating debts and
claims, amounting on their face to over
S6,000,000. The American minister, the
late Thomas c. Dawson sent by the
state department to Nicaragua for the
purpose, arranged, among other things,
that the government should appoint
claims commission. for the adjudication
and settlement of all the unbonded, float
ing and miscellaneous debts. foreign and
BY convention, the secretary
Of state selected one member, the presi-
dent of the commission, Hon. Otto q
then a Judge of first instance
in Porto Rico, who had previously been /,
with the commission to set :
tie the debts of Santo Domingo. Mic
iragua named one of its leading lawyers, :
Hon. Carlos Cuadra Pasos, a man of ju-
iicial and equitable temperament. The
bird member, and selected A. r. Thomp-
ION of Washington, who had had expert
nee in the Cuban intervention This
commission worked laboriously for three
ears, examining 1905 claims and allow
ng Sl,s40432 as just out of the Sl3,
0s, l6l claimed In other words, il
truck out and disallowed nearly six
evenths as watered.
When Mr.. Bryan became secretary of
tate and had informed himself of the
ituation he backed this mixed claims
as strongly as had Secretary
,nox. BY the end of 1913 the commits
ion had nearly completed its work, but 4
he government of Nicaragua, due to its
financial circumstances, was {
aging none of the claims allowed. At {
ne instance OF Secretary Bryan, in Octo- !
er, 1913, Nicaragua keeping faith with !
he United States, agreed that the Amer =
an collector general of customs should q
locate 90 per cent of net customs rev /
lues to the claims commission for pay q
ent of its judgments, besides 100000 a
proved for the purpose. There was q
IS. 54S so paid out of customs receipts
fore it was stopped in February fol-
wing. The commission paid the small d,
aimants frst-the poor people whose W
rises, or cows or utensils, or huts had h
en requisitioned. and seized in the va. t.
1us revolutions.
Nearly all the claims presented to the b
mmission were by Nicaraguans or d
nericans. The other foreigners for the n
ost part refused to recognize the com .
ssion, and some who filed claims with a
ew them at the instance of their con r,
Is. Only per cent of the claims were IL
foreigners other than Americans nj
hen this international claims commits
m began paying the small claims al
we'd, the governments of Germany, Dir
eat Britain and Italy, in the autumn RI
1913, at once demanded that the ~
inns of their subjects be also paid and 10!
100 cents of their face amounts. Mic ri
lgua was up against it.