Excerpt from American Policy in Nicaragua The necessity for putting an end to the constant disorders in Central America and thereby removing the liability of European interference in those republics has been generally recognized, and numerous plans have been proposed to bring about such a happy result. For many years the United States was content with making mere representations to the belligerents or expressing "grave concern" for the safety of its citizens; then naval vessels were sent to the troubled regions to look out for the protection of any Americans or foreigners that might be within reach of their guns, or to protest occasionally against barbarities committed by the combatants, but more often to carry away the vanquished chiefs in order to save them from execution by their victorious enemies. A further step in the interest of peace was taken when the belligerents were invited aboard these vessels to discuss and compose their differences with the friendly counsel of naval and diplomatic officers of the United States; and inasmuch as it was believed to be desirable to have the cooperation of a Latin-American country, Mexico was later invited to participate on such occasions. In these circumstances a conference was held in July, 1906, on board the U. S. S. Marblehead, attended by representatives of the Central American Republics, for the purpose of discussing terms of peace, with the aid of the good offices of American and Mexican diplomatic agents. Among the stipulations of the treaty signed on the Marblehead was one requiring that all future differences should be submitted to the arbitration of the Presidents of the United States and of Mexico. The terms of the treaty were not observed, and the two Presidents were accordingly called upon by Guatemala to arbitrate a controversy between Honduras and Nicaragua, but before they could take action Zelaya, the President of Nicaragua, ousted the Government of Honduras, established a friendly candidate in office, and thus closed the matter for the time being. The first systematic and well-considered effort to seek a remedy for the disorders in Central America was made by President Roosevelt in the Washington peace conventions of 1907, which were negotiated by delegates representing all five Republics, who met under the joint auspices of the United States and Mexico, though neither of the latter Governments was a signatory of the treaties. The most important of the stipulations are those providing for the neutralization of Honduras; for the prevention of the use of the territory of one State to incite or aid insurrection in another; and for the establishment of a Central American court of justice at Cartago, Costa Rica, to settle all controversies. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.