817.00/2762
The Minister in Nicaragua (Jefferson) to the Acting Secretary of
State
Managua, December 22,
1920.
[Received January 24,
1921.]
No. 917
Sir: Supplementing my telegram No. 67 of
December 18, 4 P.M.11 I have the honor to transmit herewith copy and
translation of the note of December 18, 1920, from the Foreign
Office, in which the Government of Nicaragua requests that the
Government of the United States send to Nicaragua an expert on
electoral law for the purpose of aiding the Government of Nicaragua
in drafting a new election law. Also I have the honor to enclose
herewith copy of my F. O. note No. 445 of December 21, 192012
in reply to the above mentioned note from the Foreign Office.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]13
The Nicaraguan Acting Minister of Foreign
Affairs (Pasos
Díaz) to the American
Minister (Jefferson)
Managua, December 18, 1920.
Your Excellency: His Excellency the
President of the Republic desires that the people of Nicaragua
shall not only enjoy the rights which are reserved to them in
the Constitution, but also feel that they have guaranteed to
them in full the exercise of those rights.
Therefore, although he believes that the present electoral law
establishes the necessary means for correcting any offense
whatever against the liberty of suffrage, he desires that that
law be so modified in form that no one may be able to doubt the
efficacy of its purposes. And nothing appears better to this
Government for attaining that object than to ask the Government
of the United States of America, so worthily represented by Your
Excellency, that it may be pleased to secure for Nicaragua the
services of General Crowder or some other expert in the matter,
in order that he may lend his services to this country in the
preparation of a project for an electoral law. The project will
be submitted to the Legislative Power as soon as ready, as much
because the President desires that the promise which he made in
his recent message be
[Page 312]
fulfilled, as because, although the next elections of President
and Vice President of the Republic will take place in 1924, he
desires that the law be enacted in the present session of
Congress in order that it may begin to be applied to the
elections which will take place for replacing the senators and
deputies whose term of office may expire, and to the elections
of local authorities which may occur.
The expert which the Government of Your Excellency may be pleased
to recommend will receive from this Government all the necessary
aid for the best fulfillment of his charge.
In advance I express to Your Excellency and to your Government
the most sincere thanks, and avail myself [etc.]
