Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-08

four each at
time. To bring
about these irregularities in the political
sions. assassinations, elections, c0uPS d'6tat,
constitutions, and, last but most important,
buttons, have been the means In the eight States
named there has been total of hundred and sixty
revolutions and hundreds of plots and insur-
rections nipped in the bud after they had assumed
definite form. Dozens every year get no further
than the first quarrel among the conspirators.
How Revolution Begins
THE genesis of revolution is peculiar 1t has some
features akin to neutrality-suspicious. movement
in the United States The party leaders that are
out of power first forgather and find
for attacking the party that is CONTROL then the
good citizen element is induced to back the
lutionary movement, and some wealthy set
of men persuaded to advance the necessary cash
Latterly, since foreign capital is being invested by
millions in South and Central America, some foreign
is the financial support of the PLAN for it is
axiom that the best way to get concession or to
protect one that you already have is to put your
President in charge of all concessions. Next, if the
generals who control the army cannot be to
the cause 1t is necessary to army and to
Smugge arms to some point on the coast from which
they be safely got into the mountain valleys
where it is possible to mobilize large force without
news OF 1t reaching the capital. Nearly every
country has two points from which its reVOlu-
tons endeavOr to start. Before Panama became a
republic, Colon Barranqula, and the Antioqua
district could be looked to for disturbances with great
regularity.
The intriguing politician who has been the chief
engineer of the plot almost without exception is
eliminated from the chances for the presidency
the revolution is well under way, and
the General who wins the battles becomes the power
in the land.
A constitution is frequently an early result
of the fresh regime and under it Congress elects"
the provisional President to be the constitutional
President. If the provisional government waited
until the election day under the former constitution
another revolution might have interfered before
that Peru had six constitutions from 1928 to 1860.
If the President is strong man and Just
man, and therefore holds the opposition in check
and satisfies the patriotic-citizen element, he may
out his full term if he is lucky. 1t may be
necessary then to change the constitution to allow
him to another term, and this will nearly
always provoke trouble If he is a strong man
he will override all opposition and stay in power
till he makes some mistake grows weak and
old He is thus practically a dictator though he
may not declare himself such.
Some of the Well-Known Rulers
GUZMAN Blanco was fine type of the dictator
- who was better at making enemies than friends
Boyer, who succeeded Potion in Haiti after Cristo-
phes suicide 1920, and ruled for twenty-five years.
not only in his country, but in conquered
Santo Domingo well; Dom Pedro, who held
power in Brazil for fortysiX years; Rosas of Argen
tine who ruled Uruguay for the years preceding
1852, when he was driven to England; Francia
who was elected perpetual dictator in Paraguay and
was the supreme power till 1870, when he died
ton has been Mexicos president for thirty years;
President Cipriano Castro of Venezuela and Presi-
dent Reyes of Colombia, both entering the middle
periods of what promise to be long rules these men
are excellent examples of what strong man can
do with a volatile people
Personal ambition of some man or some set of
men IS the handspring of each movement of