Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

w w AAAAS'
ALT of the inhabited globe,
IL hundreds of millions of civil
lied human beings and alto.
Il Il gether nearly a dozen coun.
tries are now ruled by die
tators or governed under relationships
With the exception of Soviet Russia
the United States maintains official
relations with them all. In nearly
every case these autocracies or semi
autocracies are here to stay, though
tomorrow, or next month. or next
year, new despots. more or less benev.
olent may he at their head.
The list of countries in which these
conditions prevail in varying degrees
are as follows: Italy. Russia. Spain,
China, Hungary. Poland, Venezuela
Belgium. Japan, Greece and Mexico.
Belgium and Japan are not con
trolled by relationships of the Musso.
lini pattern. but their respective mon
archs enjoy very far-reachinG SOW
ereign power. That which is now
vested in Albert, King of the Beigians,
came to him within recent times. 1t
was not seized, AS many dictators have
obtained their power. but granted by
legal process through act of the Bel
gtan Parliament. King Albert was
clothed with wide authority over the
finances of his realm, purely as a
measure of economic wisdom. Its par
ticular purpose was to stabilize inter
nal conditions. The Belgian dictator
ship" is accomplishing that purpose.
Albert uses his sovereignty wisely.
Japan has a parliament and a con-
stttution, but the Emperor combines
In himself the rights of sovereignty
and exercises the whole of the execu-
tive powers under the advice of cabi
net ministers responsible to him alone.
The Emperor can declare war, make
peace and conclude treaties. He can
sanction laws. convene Parliament,
open, close and dissolve 1t at will. The
Prince Regent. who has been Japan's
ruler in fact since the Emperor was
stricken with illness in 1921, yields
the same autocratic powers as the
Mikado possesses. The omnipotence
of the Japanese imperial dictator
ship Is the greater because of Japan's
sacred reverence for the imperial per-
eonage.
Mussolini Rule Supreme.
Italy and Russia present the era's
most conspicuous examples of dicta-
torship. Benito Mussolini rules SUI
preme in his country, although his
sway has the nominal sanction of par
liamentary law and royal assent.
THE Duce" reigns as prime minister,
Win the CABINET pOrtIOIlOS or foreign
affairs and interior affairs. Theoreti.
cally, the Italian Parliament makes
Ttaly's laws. In fact, it makes only
those laws that Mussolini approves
and dictates. Italy is thriving under
the Mussolini autocracy. All authorf
ties agree that only assassination of
its dominating figure can bring 1t
down.
Russia's dictatorship comes through
no parliamentary sanction, as
1taly's does. Leon Stain, secretary
general of the Communist party,
ranks throughout the world as the
present Gar of Russia. His power
is derived from his leadership of the
internal political organiza ton that
bosses Russia. Alexis Rykoff holds
the presidency of the peoples COM
missars-the rank and title with
which Lenin was clothed. But Stain
is the outstanding figure. No mans
sway in the Bolsehvist realm ap-
proaches Stains power today. He
represents the new Communist trend
tsat has made a successful drive at the
Russian peasantry as the future bull
wark Of Sovietism as opposed to the
theory of the Trotsky group, which
has sought to make communiZed in
dustrialism the red sheet anchor.
Spain presents the newest idea in
European relationships in the formid-
able person Of Gen. Primo de Rivera,
who incorporates in himself the post
of prime minister and head of the