The sun., 1890-05-30
The Movement in Brazil.

The latest news from Rio de Janeiro Is by
no means reassuring to those who have
been disposed to credit the present de
fGcto Government with disinterested mo-
tives, and to believe that 1t would short
ly be superseded by constitutional regime,
of which the Brazilian people should be
the architects. Recent Incidents have made
it pretty clear that the persons who have
seized power mean to keep it. and that
the proposed Constitutional Convention will
be farce. go far as the delegation of a
share in framing the new organic law to the
qualified electors Is concerned 1t is now
said to be. doubtful whether Convention
will be allowed to meet even for the perfume
tory purpose Of voting yes or no to the Gov
ernment's propositions, and that the only
warrant for the Constitution to be proclaimed
this summer will be an arbitrary decree of
Gen. DEoDoRo DA FoNsEcA and his col
leagues. The course OF events has justified
the apprehensions we expressed six months
ago. in view OF the circumstances under
which the revolution took place. and OF the
character OF its chief promoters.
The pretexts for the revolution, 1t will be
remembered. were that the electoral basis
W,
and that the machinery OF government was
too much centralized. Unquestionably tho
imperial regime was open to these oblec-
tlons, and had its shortcomings been re-
dressed in good faith and with promptitude
by the authors OF the military coup d'etat,
Brazil would have had reason to be grateful.
1t Is true that universal suffrage was pres
emily proclaimed, but OF what avail Is that
privilege, II the nominal possessors Of it are
not allowed to exercise it2 They have not
yet been allowed to exercise 1t either in
national or local elections, although more
than six months have elapsed since the rev.
olution. The pretence assigned for postpon-
ing the election OF q Constitutional Conyen-
tion for a twelvemonth was that long time
would be needed to reach the inhabitants of
the extreme western and northwestern por-
tions of Brazil. We pointed out that those
regions are inhabited almost exclusively by
Indians, and that, occupying status analo-
gous to that Of our Territories. they would
not be permitted to participate in framing
Constitution under any regime, imperial or
republican. This FoNsEcA and his coadjutors
have since acknowledged, either because
they have forgotten their original excuse or
because they credit other people with short
memories. In the published outline OF the
Brazilian organic law preparing by the Pro-
vlsional Government 1t Ia announced that
the outlying provinces will remain under
territorial Governments.
1t was also from the outset obvious that
the plea OF remoteness was not applicable to
local elections in the provinces on the At
lantic seaboard. Each of these at the date
OF the coup d'etat enjoyed large amount of
self-government. The chief executive OIL
Ger was. to DO sure. man appointed by Dom
PEDRo's Ministers this was the encroach-
ment on local autonomy which FoNsEcA
promised to suppress); but every province
had itS own Assembly. clothed with funo.
tions analogous to those discharged by the |
New York Legislature. One of the first acts |
Of the Provisional Government was to dis
solve all the local Legislatures, and the
provinces have not been allowed to replace
them. The Provisional Governor 10 still the
nominee OF the central power at Rio de
JRneiro, but now he unites legislative With