Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1928, Page 7

PRAISES MARNES NICARAGUAN WORK U. S. Troops Declared Effi- cient in Bringing About Successful Election. BY WILL IRWIN. i Bpecial Correspondence of The Evening Star and North American Newspaper Alliance. AT SEA BETWEEN GUAYAQUXL‘ AND LIMA, December 4.—While the result of the election in Nicaragua last November will be known before this let- ter reaches the United States, I am | convinced that the exact manner in | which the Marines supervised that elec- | tion will be of general interest to all Americans, so I have written out the details and dropped the letter in the | post office on the battleship Maryland. I do not know enough about Central American politics to_express a_compe- tent opinion regarding whether the | United States should have supervised that Nicaraguan clection or not. But ever since we took on the Maryland's contingent of Marines at Corinto_the members of Mr. Hoover's party, both official and journalistic, have been listening, fascinatedly, to leatherneck yarns concerning, not their hunt for Sandino—of that they remember only miseries with mud, ticks, mosquitos and sandfieas—but rather their more peace- able order to fill in their adventures in | ‘enforeing good government. Election Plan Was Perfected. When Gen. McCoy moved on Nica- ragua from the deadlock of Tacna- Arica, he had a plan for a supervision of the general election in Nicaragua all ripe and perfected. It was, indeed, only an expansion of the Arica scheme. Our _election commissioners had for the job 4,000 Marines and bluejackets. ‘The higher officers sat as a kind of supreme ‘commission at Managua, the capital. This com{nlshwn acted as a court of last appeal. Politically, Nicaragua is divided into cantons, roughly equivalent in function to our States and in size to our coun- | ties. Each of these had a general board with executive functions. Finally—and here is where the privates and non- coms come in—the cantons are divided into mesas or election districts. each mesa presided a board consisting of one Marine or bluejacket and one member of each of the rival parties. The American representative acted as president. Further, the Nicaraguans furnished at registration and election vigilantes ‘or watchers of both parties. Add two or three Americans as guards in each mesa, and you have the full machinery. Reasons for Challenge. Established, they proceeded to the business of registration. In this, they acted strickly according to Nicaraguan law. Not even the first faint rays of woman suffrage have risen over Nica- ragua. But cvery married and literate male citizen over 18 years old has -the franchise. There are a few special ex- ceptions; for example, any man who has been convicted of crime or has a criminal charge pending against him is disfranchised. The marriage clause made little trouble, though in some cases citizens who feared a challenge brought along their families to prove their matrimonial state. The literacy clause somewhat puzzled our authorities. It wasn't possible to examine half of the men of Nical x ‘With the consent of both parties, they fell back again on Nicaraguan prece- dent. Any one who could sign his name to the registration books ‘was con- over | om THE -EVENING STAR.. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY., DECEMBER 17. 1928 Christmas gifts. In the photo, left Cecilia Academy with dolls which will right, Mu¢ Tracey and Sue Oren of St. be given to poor children. —Star Staff Photo. alcalde, or mayor. He was neglecting his job. He seldom held court and spent more hours at the cantina than at his home or his office. Thereupon, quite without the knowledge or consent of their superiors, the Marines arrested him and tried him for malfeasance in ice. ‘This the Marines did in regular form. presidente prosecuted, one of defended. The alcalde was found guilty ani put on probation subject to good behavior. Part_of the governing class looked upon the Marines at first with consid- erable suspicion, resentment and hos- tilitv. The Liberals especially believed that since the Conservatives were most instrumental in getting our men down there we would stack the cards for a Conservative victory. The impartiality of the registration, together with the sidered literate. Sometimes the registrant made a confused scrawl which bore no ressmblgnce to the name which he had the judges. Such cases were usually appealed by vigilantes of the rival parties. Then the presidente, sit- ting in full court, would require the ap- licant to write some other words. If ge failed, out he went. “The next most frequent cause for chal- lenge was the charge on part of the vigilantes that the registrant had been convicted of crime in another canton snd had changed his name. Most of these challenges were passed up to Ma- nagua for thorough investigation. In some cases the charge proved true; n some, a mere election ruse. But the wnehot of it all was that Nicaragua probably came nearer to registering 100 per cent of its legitimate vote than any other country in the history of republics. By now the Marines were taking the job with a seriousness which one may Tegard, according to his temperament, with sympathetic amusement or with a sense of national pride. Many of the presidentes themselves were scarcely old enough to vote at home, but they had been brought up under democratic forms, had heard politics talked from the time they could understand words, had been taught in school that electoral corruption is the supreme sin against the state. Take Task Seriously. If anything, the Marines sometimes took their ask t-o seriously. One squad of five Marines 1 und themselves dump- ed into a remot> town which was in a shocking sanitary condition. After a few days they traced the trouble to the Le Roy Goff Insurance—all ‘The presidente sat as judge, the vice | the guards | | dawning certainty that -the Liberals | were going to-win, did much to abate | that suspicion. As for the people in general, our Ma- rines testify only to cordiality and friendly treatment. As soon as the messes were established the neighbers appeared with presents of eggs, chickens and fruit. In the cities dances and fiestas in honor of the Marines bscame the fashion. ‘When the job was over and the elec- | tion forces were concenrating in Ma |nagua and Corinto, half of ike ex presidents, on their gays of l>ave, used to borrow horses and ride back to the towns for a dinner and a visit with Nicaraguan friends. Sandinistos In Minority. Sandino and his followers were of course an exception. The Marines are perhaps to be pardoned if they regard him as a combination of wild radical politican and unmitigated bandit. But the Sandinistos were a very small mi- nority of the Nicaraguan populace. The guards and the mobile forces were on the alert to prevent Intimida- |tion and disorder. At the request of | both parties, the guards attended all | political meetings. | On the eve of election day, the Ma- | rines doubled their precautions. With- | out warning, they swooped down on the | hotels, resaurants and cafes and seized isll supplies of the hard native li- | quors. Of course these were restored | after the election. Wine and beer stood ! exempt from the order. | “Also the Marines searched their dis- Itricts for arms, “borrowed” all rifles, | knives, revolvers and war machetes. |In the Chinandega District. they made | some exception to this last rule. There, |a few nights before th | bandits had raided an is ' | stolen all the livestock and mur the 18-year-old daughter ot the house. Why they felt it necessary to kill ihis | girl, no one exactly knows. “But then, those bandits are just crazy,” said one of the Marines. Promptly a mobile column of Ma- | rines and the Nicaraguan National | Guard scoured the country. They drove the bandits into a deserted ranch house, surrounded them, captured them alive and turned them over to the civil authorities. Arms Appropriated. It did not seem fair to leave the people of the ranches in such a danger- | ous district without arms, even, even |for a night: so in this instance the | Marines quietly overlooked the order and appropriated the arms, if any, the polls next morning. | 'The Marines sprang a surprise a | the polls. In a district where you |do not know the people, it is hard to prevent repeating. This morning, | the voter approaching the mesa saw {on the President’s table a bowl of a bright-blue liquid. Into this he was obliged to dip his thumb and fore- finger. Then he was given a ballot headed with the bright-red and green | flags of the Liberal and Conservativ parties, instructed where to put the | of his preference, and sent alone wous are pouring in to the Christ Child Soc-»ty, which is hard at work pre- |into an Australian voting booth. If he paring gifts for the thousands of little folks wh- look to the organization for | | canton and tried to vote again, he had a disagreeable surprise. That liquid off, but will not wash off. The blue | had already voted. ‘The genius who invented this scheme | was a little nervous lest the Nicara- | guans would resent such branding as | an impertinence. But the Marines say that the voters took it as a neat trick of Furniture —may be selected here with the assurance of best values. |George Plitt Co., Inc. Painting—Upholstery—Draperies Phone M. 718 13th St. 4224 Washington’s Finest Men’s Wear Store Here’s your “station” for - HE well appointed office or home demands harmony in furnishings. This new Emeralite, with its rich marble base and classic pedestal surmounted by adecorative Emerald glass shade, enhances any interior and re- tains the many practical features that have made Emeralite so popular, including the special screen which changes ordinary electric light into soft eye-saving daylite that eliminates glare and improves visibility. Emeralitedofficeslook better— have more output—daylight on every desk—best eye insurance. Genuine Emeralites are branded for your protection. Look for the name on the Green Glass Shade and the Daylite Screen. Itisa sledge of light ing service that satisfies. Sold by office supply and electrical dealers M. G. McFadden & Co., 32 Warren St., N. Y. Established 1874 EMERALITE LAMPS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS THE LAST WORD IN PAJAMA STYLE Even pajamas have that “Christmas atmosphere” here. Russian models and London Collar styles are the newest. Fine Values, Too $3.50 $8.50 In contrasting collars and cuffs, in close-set flower patterns, in stripes, in solid pastel shades. Broadcloth, madras, sateen, satin and pongee silk are a few of the soft, fine materials. aleigh Haberdasher 1310 F Street lipped over to a neighboring mesa or | was mentholine blue, which will wear | finger and thumb was a proof that he and laughed genially as they flourished their sky blue fingers. Finally, here and there the Marines, in their zeal for a complete vote, some- times exceeded their orders. In one mesa the presidente, checking up an hour before the polls closed, found 8 or 10 registrants still unvoted. “Maybe they've been intimidated,” he said to the guards, “go- out and round 'em up and bring ‘em here. I don't care who they vote for, but they gotta vote.” Yes, the Marines regard the Nicara- guan election with a solemn sense of civic consecration and duty well done. “We pulled off a hundred per cent honest election,” said one of them, “and we got out a good deal more thun 90 per cent ot the registered vote. There's a lot of towns back home in the States where I'd like to try it on.” (Copyright, 1928. by North American News- | paper Alliance.) 'GOLDEN RULE COUNCIL | SELECTS NEW OFFICERS| | Mrs. Stella Lewis Is Elected Coun- cilor by Daughfers: of America Chapter. The Daughters of America, Golden Rule Council, No. 10, Friday, elected‘ the following officers for the ensuing year, at their regular business meeting |in the Northeast Masonic Temple: M Stella Lewis, councilor; C. E. Wilson, associate councilor; Margaret Shepherd, | vice councilor; Mrs. Ida Teeple, as. sociate vice councilor; Pettet, assis | Mrs. Carrie Englehart, warden; Miss | Eva_Cunningham, inside sentinel; Louis J. Barnes, outside sentinel, and Mrs. | Ollie Montgomery, trustee. Officers-elect will be installed at ex- {ercises to be held at the first meetiny of the new yeal ‘The council also plans to hold an initiation on the nigh. | of December 2 ESS than half their value! Soour stores should be literally “mobbed” tomorrow! Exquisitely fashioned satin mules in dainty boudoir. colors. - Elabo- rately embroidered vamps, bound with French braid. ILow French heels. IHere’s a gift opportunity extraor- dinary! Also Special 1,500 prs. women’s en- tirely new styles in bed- room moccasins. Soft suedes in modernistic vari-colored designs. Deco- rated with kid trim and flufly pompons. Checkered satine slippers, red and white, blue and white, black and white, silk braid trim and attractive rosette. EXTRA! 500 prs. Superb Satin Embroidered Miiles specially offered at all our stores— CHILDREN LEAVE AUTO, } ; MISSING SEVERAL HOURS Russell McCarteney and 2-Year-Old Sister Disappear From Car in Georgetown. Absence from home several hours yesterday of Russell McCarteney, and Norma McCarteney, his 2-year-old sister, alarmed their mother, Mrs. Sum- merfield McCarteney, 1609 Thirty-first street. The mother drove the children to the home of their grandmother at 3123 Dumbarton avenue and told them to remain in the car while she went in the house. ‘When she emerged a few minutes later, the mother found the car de- serted. More .than four hours later Norma was found at Wisconsin avenue and Q streets by a policeman. and she sald she was waiting for her brother. Later the brother was found at Twenty- ninth and Q streets. W Cudalia Studio —MAKERS OF— LAMPS—LAMP SHADES—WIRE FRAMES Day and evening classes in china, fabric and lamp shade painting. Artists’ Materials China Firing 516 12th St. N.W. Phone Franvlin 047 Extra and Unusual novelties in green morocco, beige kid, two-tone tan calf, red or blue kid and pat- ent leather $3,95 Slippers. Come to. 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