Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-12
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

What is Nicaragua? The question Is
leveled at this observer by several cor
respondents now that the little repub
lie has the center of the stage at
Washington. Wallace Thompson, an
American newspaper man, in his
Rainbow Countries of Central Amer
lea" thus describes Nicaragua:
Nicaragua is ponderous. heavy
with verdure. Wide spreading trees
rise against the sky on hilltOps
shaped like elongated hogbacks or
like round-domed huts of black
giants. 1t is tropical, brooding,
African, almost, and the edge of
the sea laps ochre-yellow rocks, the
foreground of hills that are of pur-
pie distance. not of blue"
Nicaragua is AZ. 200 square miles in
area-about as big as Alabama and
England. Its population is some $780,
900. Managua, the capital, is the
largest city, with $4,000 inhabitants.
The city of Leon is the next most
populous place. with $4,000 residents.
Within the country is Lake Nicaragua.
80 miles long and "a miles wide. the
largest body of fresh water south of
our own Great Lakes. Coffee, cattle
breeding and silver mining are the
principal industries.
X X X
United States Marines are almost
as much at home in Nicaragua as they
are at Quantico or San Diego. At the
request of the Nicaraguan govern
ment, 1000 Leathernecks landed at
Corinto in 1912 and made their way
to Managua to protect American lives
and property during revolutionary
outbreak. The American occupation"
ended when the last hundred Marines
were withdrawn in 1925. Americans
have had a finger in the Nicaraguan
pie for decades. Early in the Cali
fornia gold rush of 1S49 Cornelius
Vanderbilt established a line of trans
port across Nicaragua from New York
and New Orleans to San Francisco.
Gold seekers by thousands used the
route, which became the de luxe road
for travel for more than a quarter of
century. Nicaragua played a bit of
role in the curtain raiser of the
American Civil War. In 1855 a buc-
caneering Californian named William
Walker. with a band of co-adventurers,
invaded Nicaragua for the purpose. as
many believed at the time. of extend
ing the slave territory of the United
States. Walker fought himself to the
presidency of Nicaragua, but ended
up on the gallows. His last words be.
fore his execution were this message
to the Confederate States:
II have defended the cause of
slavery in foreign land. You have
failed to aid me in that battle,
Soon you will yourselves have to
defend that cause. in your own
fields of corn and cotton
X y
Senator Reed Smoot, Republican, of
Utah, was IS years old on January 10.
His son, Ernest w. Smoot, who is one
of his fathers secretaries, assembled
Is brother solons to have a birthday
luncheon with the veteran Mormon
politician in the latter's committee
room (f1nance) in the Capitol. 1t was
a bipartisan and non-partisan func-
ton, and the atmosphere was loaded
with goodwin for the man who is
rounding out "a years of continuous
services in the United States Senate.
Roughly. Smoot has passed three
eighths Of his life In that body. He
came in 1903. Senator Lee S. over.
man, Democrat, of North Carolina,
took the oath of office on the same
day. Only two Senator's have held
office for longer continuous periods
than Smoot and Overman-Warren of
Wyoming, who has served since 1895,
and Simmons of North Carolina, who
has been on duty since 1901. Once 1t
was thought that Reed Smoot pre-
ferred the high church duties at Salt
Lake City, which are now his by
seniority, to further service in the
Senate. But he was reelected last
November for another term, upon
which he is about to enter in APP
parently unimpaired vigor.
, ~ \
Lord Ashfield. london traction king.
who paid his respects to President