File No. 817.00/2199.
The American Minister to the Secretary of State.
Managua, November 5, 1912.
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department of the result of the elections held in Nicaragua on November 2, 1912.
As soon as the Government felt sure that the insurrection had been finally put down it began to pay oft’ and muster out the troops with the view of bringing about normal conditions as quickly as possible. The business and farming interests then began to use pressure to have the question of elections disposed of at once in order thereby to remove one of the principal causes of agitation and unrest. As President Díaz was of the same opinion he decided to issue the necessary decree, but the leaders of his administration began to urge on him the advisability of having the presidential elections by indirect vote through the National Assembly. As the Dawson agreements provide for elections by popular, direct and public vote, in accordance with the Nicaraguan Constitution, it seemed to me appropriate to call attention to the fact by an informal note to President Díaz. He replied in the same friendly spirit and issued the necessary decree containing the electoral law and fixing the date for November 2.
A meeting of the Conservatives was called to discuss candidates. The most extreme element of the party, known as the “cachos”, desired to nominate General Emiliano Chamorro, but the majority seemed to prefer Díaz or some other civilian. Díaz himself had little inclination to continue in office, and for a while matters almost reached a deadlock. Señor Manuel Lacayo of Granada was then proposed by the “cachos”, and Dr. Salvador Calderón of Segovia by the Moderates, each of them receiving two votes of the four signers of the agreements, but finally Don Adolfo Díaz, of Bluefields and Managua, was chosen by the leaders and promised unanimous support at the polls by the party.
Even greater difficulty was experienced in nominating a candidate for the Vice Presidency, the “cachos” again insisting on General [Page 1064] Chamorro for the second place. Although probably the most popular leader with the militant faction of his party, he is for that very reason bitterly hated and feared by the Liberals, some of whom announced that if he were named on the ticket they would put up an opposition candidate for second place and endorse Díaz for first. Under these circumstances Chamorro himself and a great many of his friends requested the Legation to use its influence in his behalf, but I refused and furthermore I explained that while appreciating the important services he has rendered his country I believed he could show even greater patriotism by declining to be a candidate for the vice presidency and thereby removing even the appearance of militarism in the new administration. In the end Don Fernando Solórzano, a merchant of Managua and close friend of Chamorro, was agreed upon. The General seemed satisfied and issued a manifesto urging all his followers to vote at the polls for Díaz and Solórzano.
The Liberals discussed the names of Dr. Francisco Baca, Manuel Carazo, José Dolores Mayorga and Dr. Rodolfo Espinosa, but when they saw that the Conservatives were united, they decided not to participate officially, either because unable to agree on candidates or else preferring to be in a position afterwards to continue the cry of fraud in the elections. Some of them however voted for Díaz in order to make sure the defeat of Chamorro who was suspected by them of working secretly for the presidency.
The elections passed off very quietly throughout the Republic and a large vote was cast notwithstanding heavy rains in all parts of the country. Díaz carried every district except Granada which went for Chamorro, and Solórzano received the undivided vote of his party.
The new President and Vice President will be inaugurated for the term of four years on January 1, 1913.
I have [etc.]