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The Chargé in Nicaragua (munro) to the Secretary of State

33. I am informed that the Chamber of Deputies confirmed yesterday’s action and sent their substitute electoral project to the Senate this morning. The President saw nearly all of the Conservative Deputies before the session but was apparently unable to control the Chamorro group. I am told that they promised him to suspend action on sending the new project to the Senate but when three of the leaders called on me a little later on the way to the session they asserted that such delay was impossible under the regulations. They were unyielding in their opposition to General McCoy’s project although I pointed out to them most emphatically the seriousness of the position in which they were placing their party. When they spoke of their constitutional objections to the Department’s project I told them that all of the provisions of the project were essential and would be insisted upon but that if they reconsidered their action of yesterday I would on my part consider the advisability of suggesting to the Department that the main feature of the electoral procedure be specified in somewhat more detail in the law in order to meet their contention that such matters as the general method of registration and voting could not constitutionally be dealt with by mere regulations. I pointed out that this was the only constitutional objection which could be raised in good faith to the Department’s project and said that while I considered this objection unfounded I did not wish questions of form to stand in the way if they were willing to approve the substance of what the Nicaraguan Government had pledged itself to accede to. I made it clear that there must be no diminution of the absolute powers which General McCoy must exercise. Manzanares, one of the leaders of Chamorro bloc, said that he and his friends had made up their minds to permit the United States to take control of the situation by force if it wished to do so and that they only hoped that we would let all of the Conservatives cast their votes when the time came. It was clear throughout that he did not intend to listen to any argument and that he did not wish his companions to continue the conversation. Six Conservative Senators called on me this morning to ask my opinion of the substitute project. I told them that it was absolutely unacceptable and obtained their promise that it would not be approved. When they asked about the reports in circulation to the effect that the action of the Chamber had been taken with the tacit consent of the Legation or the Department, I read to them the note which I presented to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in accordance with the Department’s [Page 437] January 17th. They explained that they were being subjected to much pressure from within their own party to adopt the same attitude as the Chamber of Deputies.

[Paraphrase.] Afterwards the President sent the Acting Foreign Minister to tell me of his efforts to persuade the Deputies and to state that the President might be able to influence his own friends in the Chamber and thus secure the passage of the McCoy project with the support of the Liberal votes, but that this would mean a definite break with Chamorro. This would simply result in the disintegration of the Conservative Party, unless this Legation should openly support President Diaz and close its eyes. My reply was that we, of course, would support the President in every way proper and aid him to maintain order, but that we could not permit ourselves to close our eyes to anything that was inconsistent with the conduct of a free election; that I thought it was the President’s duty to break with Chamorro if that was the only means by which he could keep his promises and that such a break would, in my opinion, do no more harm to the Conservative Party than the course now pursued by Chamorro. [End paraphrase.]

Yesterday’s action of the Chamber came as a surprise as I had been given to understand that final action could not properly be taken until later. The usual formalities were dispensed with, obviously in order to prevent us from continuing the efforts which I had started to make to convince those Deputies who were not unconditional adherents of Chamorro.

Munro