Evening star., 1933-02-19
TACT SHOWN BY SACASA
in DEALINGS WITH SANDING
Uncle Sans New Latin Policy Is Sec.
Ond Factor i'm Re-establishment of
Domestic Peace i'm Nicaragua.

purely domestic questions Of Latin
American countries.
Such policy appeared In evidence in
the relations of the Hoover -Stimson
administration with the majority of the
southern republics. eliminating with
the return of the State Department to
the old Jeffersonian theory of recog-
milton of revolutionary governments.
But in Nicaragua and Haiti the situa-
ton was made more complicated. when
this new Latin American policy was put
In practice. by the existence of treaties
and special agreements which required
the presence Of United States Marines
there for certain period of time.
Peace Restored In 1927.
In Nicaragua the United States Gov
ernment was bound by one of such
agreements to supervise the 1882 preSi-
Dental election. Following the mill
tary intervention ordered by President
Coolidge domestic peace had been re-
stored late in 1927 under the good OH
ces of Col. Stimson. Liberals and Con-
servativeS had agreed to lay down their
arms and hold peaceful presidential
election under the supervision of the
United States. In that elect9Bn the
Liberals. who had been for months
fighting the DiaZ government. of dubi-
Gus constitutional origin. and later the
American Intervention sent to support
the same, had succeeded in electing
Gen. Moncada President by a substan-
tial majority.
Immediately after the election. how
ever, both political parties had requested
that the next presidential contest, four
years thence. would be also supervised
by the United States. The Washington
Government had agreed. and therefore,
the last remnants of United States in
reference in Nicaragua could not be
done away with until after the 1887
election. Meanwhile Sandino had rA
| fused to accept the Stimson peace paf
and started a new rebellion of his oYSi.
Confronted with this difficulty, ylt
| also firm in his decision to take thS
United States as fast as possible OUT
of Latin American politics, what Secre
tary Stimson did was to begin a grad
ual withdrawal of the Marines. leavirk
there only the minimum necessary %
conduct the presidential election and
complete the instruction Of the Nicara-
guam National Guard. In the mean
time. he adopted an attitude of COM
! plete neutrality and almost indifference
toward Nicaraguan internal politics.
Moncada Mission Fails.
This neutrality, and the sincerity of
| the State Departments intentions, were
| put to a test last year. when two con-
| fidential representatives of the thep
President of Nicaragua, Gen. Moncada
came to Washington to seek the support
of the United States for his scheme to
postpone the scheduled presidential elec-
tion and to reform the Nicaraguan con-
stitution. Thanks to the energetic op-
position of the State Department to
sanction any such personal maneuver-
| ing, the mission failed, the Niacaraguan
political sky was cleared and large
majority Of the Nicaraguan people was
given an opportunity to express itself
at the polls three months ago and to
elect DR.. Sacasa Chief Executive of the
much-tried Central American state
Another proof of the sincerity Of the
new Nicaraguan policy of the State
Department had been given previously,
when, confronted with renewed rebel
activities in the interior of that coun-
try, Secretary Stimson had refused to
send any United States forces inland
for the protection of American citizens
and their property. who. in his opinion,
should rely on the protection given
them by /the Nicaraguan government
and the 'Nicaraguan National Guard
Otherwise. Secretary Stimson advised
his co-nationals who felt themselves In
danger to leave the interior and to seek
refuge in those cities which were not
menaced. or in the American warships
anchored in Nicaraguan waters.
In both instances the Secretary Of
State reiterated his decision to with
draw all United States Marines from
Nicaragua Immediately after the presi-
Dental election. In the meantime Gen.
Sandino, the only insurgent leader still
in arms, had sworn to continue his fight
, until the last Marine had left Nicara-
! guam shores
That Sandiro, too, was sincere in his
ideals and In his purposes has just been
shown by his disinterestedness in the
recent peace negotiations after the Ma
rines had left. His attitude on this oc-
casion will cause his name to be in
scribed in Central American history
with characters quite different from
those employed by New York tabloids
and press dispatches which have been
| informing the American public Of his
bandit activities" for the past fve
years.
Yet it Is only fair to say that the
happy conclusion of the Nicaraguan in
ternal strife would not have been pos
sible without the new policy of with
drawal and on-interference inaugu-
rated by Secretary Stirnson Just as it
would not have been possible without
the presence in the governmental of Mica
ragua Of a man with the high qualities
and the tradition of honesty of Presi-
dent Sacasa and the unanimous sup
port which he enjoys among the Mica
raguan people.
! (Copyrieht 1o33l