Evening star., 1932-07-03
MARINE ADDITIONS
DENIED NICARAGUA
State Department Decides
Against New Troops as
Congress Cuts Funds.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

No more American Marines will be
sent to Nicaragua. This decision was
reached by the State Department after
Congress had finally refused to appro-
pirate the necessary money for the
transportation and the upkeep of the
Marine clerks to supervise the Nicara-
guam election and the Nicaraguan gov
ernment had realized that its budget
could not stand the expense OF paying
the expenses of the Marines.
AS a consequence Of this decision, IT
Is reported that the coming Nicaraguan
presidential elections will be supervised
by the American Marines at present in
that country only as far as the princi-
pal cities are concerned, and that the
native national guard will supervise
the booths in the more remote parts OF
the country especially in the jungle
districts. If at any time some serious
trouble should occur in the districts
supervised by the national guard, Amer
ican Marines will be sent from the near
est important center.
Guard Less Reliable.
The idea of the national guards su-
pervising the election does not seem to
please President Moncada. According to
official rportS, the Nicaraguan guard is
getting every day less reliable and more
Sandinist in its feelings. 1t also is
said that the military training OF the
guard is not what it should be for the
particular kind of military operations
which must be carried out against San
dino and his followers.
President Moncada's troops are not
sufficiently mobile in their operations.
They move with remarkable slowness
and, careful of their personal welfare,
they always carry with them somewhat
cumbersome loads of food, clothing and
ammunition. The Sandinists, on the
other hand, operate by quick movements
and don't carry anything but their
rifles or machine guns. with an ade-
uuate supply of ammunition. They
don't worry about food supplies because
they live on the country.
The National Guard does not take
such chances and always moves with all
the necessary food supplies for the dur
alton of the campaign. When the food
supplies give out their military opera
tions also cease.
1t is believed that Sandino is planning
q daring move during the coming cleo
tions. Sandino himself, it is reliably
reported, might be willing to bury the
hatchet and reach some kind OF a com
promise with the administration, but
SanQlnO has now become mere uSuTe-
head in the hands of his lieutenantS,
who are anxious to carry on the guer-
rilla campaign which has heretofore
proved so profitable for themselves and
their countries. Nicaragua, like all other
countries, feels the pinch OF the depres-
sion, and the life Of looting and living
without paying taxes or having to work
hard to acquire the necessities OF LIE
appeals to Sandinos followers.
Fear SandinO Trouble.
The Nicaraguan government is wor-
ried lest Sandino and his followers de-
eide to cause trouble during the election.
II is true that there still are some 900
American Marines in Nicaragua at the
present moment, but this force is in
sufficient without the loyal support of
the National Guard.
The loyalty Of thees troops is now
seriously doubted by the Nicaraguan
government They say that the happy
life of the Sandinists appeals to many
guardsmen and in the last few days
there have been unmistakable signs of
the spirit of the Guardia. Early last
week a few men deserted to Sandino
with their arms and ammunition, after
having killed their officer, an American
Marine sergeant. In other parts OF
Nicaragua, especially on the East Coast,
where the Sandino influence is stronger,
a number of similar desertions have
been sign2led.