Evening star., 1926-01-23
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Chomorro. with Diaz's support in the
election. ChOmorro served from 1916
to'1920. and then. as the constitution
forbade that President should sue
ceed himself. he gave his support to
his uncle, Dia-o ChCmOrrO, who died
In Office in 1923, and was succeeded by
Vice President Bartoleme Martinez. a
CONSERVATIVES
President Martinez called the lead
ers OF all parties together before the
campaign for his successor opened. as
he hoped to form a coalition ticker
and. possibly without opposition, 10
mead the ticket. on the ground that
he was eligible for reelection, not
having served a full term.
Gen. ChomorrO refused to consent to
the coalition and announced himself q
candidate for one faction of the Con
SerFatNeS. The coalition then nonli-
mated Carlos SOiarZano. Conservative.
for president and DR.. Juan B. Sacasa.
Liberal. for vice president. which
ticket won the election by a large
majority. By campaign agreement.
president Solarzano appointed q coali-
ton cabinet-two Liberals. two Con
ServatiVes, one Progressive and one
Unionist. He was inaugurated Janu-
ary !, 1925.
x * !.
Last August the United States Ma
rIneS were withdrawn, after an ocCr-
pancy since 1909. leaving the defense
OF order 10 q native cOuSta buIary Of
200 men. under command Of a former
officer of the United States Army. Mai
Carter. y few days after the depar-
ture of the marines Gen. Chor1orr-o
with an army OF revolutionists, took
possession of the fort near the capital.
It's garrison of 500 men accepting his
authority. without firing a shot.
The troops from the fort, with the
recruited reVolutionistS. marched into
the city. the constabulary were pa
raded and those members who were
not in sympathy with the revolution
were ordered to step out of ranks and
he dismissed. There was a skirrnisIl
with citizens and guards at the presi-
GENITAL residence. where two or three
men We're killed and several wounded
president Solarzano was forced TO sur
render and to deliver to Gen. Cho-
MORO $4,000 from the public treas
ury to finance the revolution against
himself. He was also forced to dis
miss two members of his cabinet and
TO appoint Cen Chomorro general-in-
chief Of the army.
4 i
One of the first acts of Gen. Chomor
70 as Commander-in-chief was 10
send a detachment to Leon to arrest
inc vice president, DR.. Sacasa--a prac-
ticing physician. The NicaraguaD
vice president has no governmental
duties unless the President dies or re-
signs. Having received Il warming of
| his impending arrest, DIR. Sacasa es-
capped to the United States. and he is
now staying in Washington He is a
graduate Of the Columbia University
Medical College and has resided IL
years in this country. He has been re-
Joined by his wife, a native Nicara-
guam.
The next step of Gen. Chomorro and
his followers was to unseat all Liberal
members of Congress, and then the,
Chomorro Congress impeached the de-
parted vice president, SaCasa. on
charges of inCiting opposition to Cho-
MORO and disturbing the peace of the
republic, through his activities in Cen
| tral America and the United States
lie was sentenced to two years exile
which he and his charming wife are
enduring" In Washington society
The hand-picked Congress elected
Gen. Chomorro president designat,"
and gave President Solarzano an An
definite vacation" so that while the
office of President would not be de
clared vacant, making the vice presi-
dent the legal successor, the President
would be stripped of all power and the
president designat" would exercise
full authority. SOlarzano remains IN
Managua, without even a semblance
of the power of his office.
Reports that some of the Latin
American republics had given diplo-
matte recognition to the Chomorro
coup d'etat are officially contradictod.
No nation has recognized the new
power. The American Minister will re-
| main unofticially to observe events
and protect American interests. Thus
! the 1928 treaty of the five Central
| American republics is adhered to.
| Americans are especially interested
| in Nicaragua. both from governmental
concern in the concession of the right
| to build and control the proposed in
| teroceanic canal and from the eXteh-
sive loans and investments of our
| bankers-Brown Bros. and the SelG-
| mans-whose interests run to several
millions, the details being under dis
pute
(Copyrsht. 1876. by PAU Y Cyllns.-