Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-05
DOMINICANS HAD A
REAL ELECTION ON
THEIR HANDS TOO

Oh pep ana excitement, was very tame
affair when compared to a recent cleo
ton in the Dominican republic, accord
ing to Captain W. H. Pritchett, of the
U. S. Marine corps, now stationed at
Santiago, D. R., and who has written
a very interesting letter to friend in
Atlanta.
Capt. Pritchett is a native Georgian,
a graduate of the Georgia School of
Technology, in Atlanta, and formerly
resided in this city.
They take three days in the Domini-
can republic to hold an election, in
stead of taking only one, as we do in
the United States, and from an OBJ
servers standpoint, writes Captain
Pritchett, "the main reason is in order
to give plenty of time for fights and
shooting affairs"
The last election in the republic was
for delegates to the constitutional con-
vention.
political parties in Santo Domingo
take their names from the names of
the leaders of the party" writes Capt.
Pritchett "At present the two parties
are the Aristas and the IIoracistas
The constitutional convention is en-
powered to make certain proposed
changes in the present constitution Of
the republic The Aristas are opposed
to the changes and the Horacistas are
in favor of the changes.
During the entire three nights and
days of the recent election there was
firing going on in some part of the city
of Santiago. Several brawls occurred
in the crowded plaza in the heart Of
the city One of these was led by the
recently appointed governor of the
Santiago province. This particular
brawl was promptly quelled by lieu
tenant Of the native guard, who with
several members of the guard charged
into the mob, seized the governor and
| ilisarmed him. The governor escaped
in the melee and has been in hiding
ever since The lieutenant of the
guard, having failed to locate the gov
ernor, promptly proclaimed himself
governor and up to the present writing
is getting away with it.
Five men and two women were kill
cd in Santiago during the election. The
Aristas were overwhelming defeated
Usually in any election the party wins
which is able to muster the greatest
number of guns at the polls. In sew
eral precincts at the recent election, no
votes were cast by the Arista party
although there were number of that
party in those precincts. The reason
they gave for not voting was that they
were out of ammunition and did not
dare so to the polls without being fully
armed.
THE personalities of the two party
leaders are interesting. Desiderio
Arias, leader of the Aristas and candi-
Gate for president, is a tall, heavy-set,
coal black, burly negro. He is abso-
lutely ignorant, being hardly able to
write his name. He has never been
president, but was a cabinet officer,
and, until recently, the most popular
man on the island. He has practically
NcAulhdtSu the ISldIlu IOT several years.
"Horacia Vazquez is the leader of
the Horacistas, the party taking its
name from his Christian name. He is
an expresident and one of the few who
have escaped from that office alive. He
is of Spanish extraction, is well edu-
Gated and broad-minded, and has the
reputation of being the only honest
president the republic has ever had.
being the only one who did not loot the
national treasury.
The presidential election will be
held in November. Present indica-
tons are that vazquez will be elected.
He will undoubtedly make an excellent
/ chief executive, if the country can be
rid of few trouble-makers and pro-
fesisonal reyolutionists.
THE present president, Frederrco