817.00/5288: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation to the Sixth International Conference of American States (Hughes)18 to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:24 p.m.]
7. From White. Last night Dr. Cuadra Pasos informed me that, in view of the rejection of the electoral law, he has urged President Diaz and Conservative members of Congress to consult fully with the Legation in order to reach an agreement with regard to possible modification of the law to make it acceptable. I again urged upon Dr. Cuadra Pasos the necessity for the Conservative Party to fulfill its agreement and pass the law
Maximo Zepeda19 told me this morning that he had urged his friends in Nicaragua to pass the law, and that he would again do [Page 439] so. He believes that an agreement can be reached by a very minor change in the phraseology, which will leave the law as effective as originally drafted. For example, he said that there would be no difficulty in passing the law if the provisions giving General McCoy authority to put into force measures that would have the force of law could be changed to read: “to have full force,” or “to have full vigor,” or “to have the force of regulatory decrees.” I have not been informed of the exact date Congress rejected the law; but it is possible that Congress did so before the Secretary’s representation to Dr. Cuadra Pasos on January 16 could have been made known to the members of Congress, and that some such change of that kind may offer a way out which will be satisfactory to all, since I did not know the complete situation or what action, if any, had already been taken by the Department. I have made no definite statement to Maximo Zepeda regarding this proposal. Copy sent to the Legation in Nicaragua.