Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-05
N|CARAGUAN
POLICY ST|RS
UP CONGRESS
Challenge Administrations
Move to Reinforce Ma
rines to South.
MOVE PROCEEDS
Navy Department MObiIiz-
ing Marines for Service
In Nicaragua.

WASHINGTON, Jan 4 up - The
announced policy OF the Coolidge adj
mlnistration to reinforce marine de-
tachments in Nicaragua and cooperate
fully in the establishment of order
there was challenged on the floors of
the house and senate today by demo-
cratic and independent republicans de-
n1andS that the marines be withdrawn.
The challenges came less than "a
hours after the state department had
explained emergency orders Dispatch
ing 1000 additional marines to Mica
ragua by the flat declaration that the
Washington government fully int
ends" to carry out terms of the Slim
son agreement for American super
vision of the Nicaraguan presidential
election this year.
Referring to recent hostilities in
Nicaragua Which have cost the lives of
six American marines, Representative
Huddleston of Alamaba declared it the
administrations and not the Ameri-
can peoples war"
"You cannot have free ballot boxes
at home and marines debating at the
ballot boxes in foreign countries he
said
In the senate the challenge went
unanswered by regular republicans but
in the house two of the majority party
representatives, ,Begg of Ohio and
Wainwright of New York, a former
assistant secretary of war, resented
implication that the administration
was engaged in war.
"This isn't a war;" declared Begg.
'"This is preserving the peace and pro-
tecting the lives of nationals of other
countries because there is no stable,
government there. The, United States
is protecting the peace of the world"
In this view Wainwright concurred,
but at the other end of the capitol
Senator Nye of North Dakota, re-
publican independent, presented
resolution which would prohibit use of
the army, navy or marines to settle
disputes between Americans and for
eign countries. Senator Heflin of
Alabama promptly supplemented this
proposal with resolution demanding
withdrawal of. marines from Nicaragua.
Both resolutions were referred to the
foreign relations committee.
While Nicaraguan developments were
creating this uproar in congress, the
administration put further pressure on
it's moves to back up the marines al
ready. in the Central American coun-
try. The navy department announced
that detachments from San Diego and
from Paris Island, S. c., would sail
January and that several light cruis-
ers were en- route from various points
to Nicaraguan ports.
The state department denied flatly
statements of Pedro Zapeda, Nicara-
guam liberal agent in Mexico City that
several hundred American marines"
had been killed in Nicaragua in recent
months and information as to these
casualties suppressed in the United
States. The department placed ma
rine casualties to date at Is killed and
about 40 wounded while estimates of
casualties to the Sandino forces rang
ed from 381 to 456 killed with no esti-
mates as to the recent fighting.
In the house during the hour or so
of discussion of the Nicaraguan situa-
ton, Representative Garrett, the demo-
cratic leader, affirmed the policy Of
protection of American lives and prop
erty in foreign countries, but asked
when the life and property OF any
American citizen in Nicaragua had
been endangered.
Huddleston argued that the marines
were in Nicaragua to safeguard Amer
ican investments and declared that
Henry L. Stimson, who during the
summer served as special American
envoy to Nicaragua, in bringing peace
between two warning factions, had
promised Moncada the presidency of
Nicaragua after he had indicated a.
friendly disposition toward New York
bankers.
Contending that the strife in Mica
ragua had developed "after IL months
of the Coolidge plan of pacification,"
Huddlestor said that it also came at
time when "our ambassador of good
Will' Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh,
Continued on Page Eight