Evening star., 1925-01-18
.LAT|N-AMER|CAN
REVOLTS END SEEN
Panama Minister Tells Study
Club Peace Is Sup
planting Strife.

The era of revolutions in Latin
America is practically over, DR.. Don
Ricardo ]. Alfaro. minister from
Panama to the United States, SAID IN
an address yesterday afternoon ne-
fore the Political Study Club at the
franklin Square Hotel.
r'"There may be armed conflicts oc-
oasionally in one or two nations
where politicians have not yet aoan-
doned the practice of seeking IN tae
field of battle the solution or prop
lens that can only be solved at the
polls" the speaker continued, but
these unfortunate exceptions Will not
destroy the assertion that Latin
America Is fully awake today to the
realization that there are no evils
that peace cannot cure and that the
solutions of force are neither wise
nor permanent.
Problem of Education.
"The South American problem is
mainly one of education" the Minis
ter continued. Schools and roads is
today the slogan Of Panama. Roads
to reach the schools; schools to wipe
out illiteracy and enlighten the peo-
pie. Democratic perfection is attain
ed only through education. Educa-
ton is the foundation of all civic vir-
are bad when the rulers are good men
and no laws are good when the rulers
are bad"
In concluding brief history of
the South American revolutions Min
lister Alfaro declared: 1T isn't that
we are more barbaric or less intelli-
gent. 1t is only that we had not been
trained for independent political life
when we attained emancipation, and
lad hNT q q u
of human evolution TO go through the
same suffering and through the same
hard experience other peoples have
had to undergo before attaining po-
1itical perfection and complete sta
bility."
Holds Treaty Unique.
The treaty between the United
States and Panama concerning the
Panama Canal, the speaker said, ere
ates between the Republic of Panama
and the United States unique and
peculiar ties. such as exist between
no other two nations of the world"
Under the treaty this country is given
Jurisdictional rights in the canal to
be exercised, as the treaty says, las
If they were sovereign" the Minister
explained. adding: The existence of
the two jurisdictions in contiguous
territories has sometimes produced
friction and conflicts OF opinion be-
tween the two governments, but the
people of Panama have never felt un-
friendly toward the United States.
and during the World War Panama
entered the cause of the allies the
moment the United States declared
war upon Germany.
There has always existed a mu-
tual desire to settle our affairs in a
spirit of conciliation and 1T may be
said of the differences between the
United States and Panama that they
are caused by our exceptionally close
ties and that quarrels are more COM
mon between brothers than between
strangers. precisely on account of
their relationship
Decries Romance View.
DR.. Alfaro said "in the mind of a
good many people the Latin Aneri-
can republics are just a group of
lovely countries usually referred to
as down there where Spanish is
spoken, women are timid and ro-
mantle, men spend their time play
ing the guitar or fighting in revolu-
tions and, in a word, things are very
much the way they appear in moving
pictures with the so-called Spanish
atmosphere
only well informed and intelligent
persons who are somewhat familiar
with the geography and history of
our countries know that Brazil has
a greater area than the United States;
that the trade and wealth of Cuba
is larger per capita than any other
in the world: that the University of
San Marcos in Lima is older than
Harvard, and that the City Of Panama
was founded exactly 100 years be-
fore the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth
Rock"
The speaker said at is true" that
Latin Americans know more about
North America than the Anglo
Saxons know about South America,
The names of Washington, Jefferson,
Lincoln, Longfellow, Emerson, Poe,
Grant. Lee or jackson are familiar
TO every Latin high school boy, while
the name of such a portentous genius
as Bolivar is only beginning to be
known in the United States"