Evening star., 1932-11-06
BY GASTON NERVAL.

BSORbED IN lnc news OF tnelr
n own presidential election, news
~ paper readers in the United
4 \ States have had little time to
follow the progress of another
presidential election, many miles away,
in which Uncle Sam is playing an i'm
portant role.
Today, in the Central American Re-
public of Nicaragua, new Chief
Executive will be selected for the next
constitutional term Of four years Po-
litical and commercial considerations
taken into account, any change of
administration in one of the neighbor-
ing Latin American republics should be
Of interest to this country. But this
time that is not all.
This presidential contest in Nicaragua
is being conducted under the super
vision OF the United States Govern
ment. Representatives of Uncle Sam
are the umpires. United States Ma
rines are preserving order and enforcing
the voting regulations, devised by an
American expert, to avoid fraud, vio-
lence and like irregularities" The
Government of the United States is
guaranteeing the fairness of the cleo
ton
This is net the first time that the
Washington Government supervised
presidential election in Caribbean
country. But from recent indications
and from the latest changes in the
Latin American policy of the State De-
partment it might be the last one.
The trend during the last four years
has been one of lesser and lesser inter-
ference with the domestic affairs of
those nations Before President Hoover
was inaugurated, during his good will
tour of Latin America, he promised to
follow policy of greater respect fer
the sovereignty and independence of
the small Central American states than
previous administrations had observed
He pronounced himself against inter
vention, notwithstanding the fact that
his predecessor had been one OF its
most ardent advocates.
StimsOn Understood.
Nothing proved better the sincerity
Of President Hoover's pledge to his
Latin American hosts than the appoint
ment of Col Henry L. Stimson as his
Secretary of State Col. Stimson had
lived in Latin America Like few citi-
zens Of this country who go there in
an official capacity, he had succeeded
in gaining the confidence and good will
of those peoples. Like even fewer. he
had succeeded in grapsing their points
Of view and in understanding the vital
and dramatic importance with which
they looked up these matters Of politi-
cal sovereignty.
He had been in Nicaragua as Presi-
dent Coolidge's envoy of peace, trying
to put an end to the civil war then
raging in that country He had. there
fore, flrst-hand knowledge of the fear,
resentment and problems which inter-
ventions in foreign states provoke.
Once inaugurated in office, Secretary
Stimson devoted himself to clearing up
the misunderstanding Of the intentions
OF the United States which had been
created in Latin America through the
errors of past administrations. He
condemned military Intervention. dis
avoWed any designs of political domi-
| nance in the rest of the Continent and
announced as the best line of conduct
| for the United States to follow one OF
complete aloofness from the purely do
mestlc questions of Latin American
politics.
This attitude. a complete departure
! from the position adopted by the State
Department since the days of Theodore
Roosevelt's policy of the big stick. is
what has been hailed as the new Latin
American policy of the United States.
In recent articles l have had occasion,
IN reviewing the foreign record of the
present administration, to describe the
various steps and changes which have
resulted in this new Latin American
policy.
Policy Demonstrated.
AS far as internal politics is con-
cerned, instances of this attitude Of
non-interference may be seen in the re-
fusal OF the State Department to take
part in the political contests of Cuba
and Panama. where its meddling had
been solicited; in the impartial and
serene way in which it has lately wit
messed so many violent charges Of gov
ernment in that part Of the world, in
its refusal to land armed forces in Sal
vador and Honduras when internal
peace had been broken and foreign
lives and property were said to be in
danger. etc
But III two Latin American countries
the situation was much more problem
atical, when Secretary Stimson inaugu-
rated his new Latin American policy.
In Nicaragua and Haiti the United
States Marines were scheduled to re-
main up to certain date by treaty pro-
visions accepted by both nations. In
spite Of the good intentions of the Sec
retary of State. and in spite of the ap-
proval which his new policy of non
interference had received on the other
side of the Rio Grande the Marines
had to remain in Nicaragua and Haiti,
unless new treaties were negotiated
In Nicaragua the United States Gov
ernment was bound by one of such pro-
visions to supervise the 1882 presidential
election. Following the military inter-
vention ordered by President Coolidge
on the heels of his announcement of the
theory-that the property Of citizen
of the United States is part Of the ma
tional domain, even when abroad"-do-
mestic peace had been restored under
the good Offices of Col. Stimson. Liber-
ais and Conservatives had agreed to lay
down their arms, nominate their candi-
dates and hold peaceful presidential
contest. under the vigilance and con-
troll of the United States authorities.
In that contest the Liberals. who had
been for months in open rebellion
against the central government at Ma
nagua. and who had fought against the
American Intervention. had succeeded