Evening star., 1927-08-28
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President Rogue Saenz Pena (also once
Argentine Minister to Washington,
the last President to be put IN once
by the Nationalist or Conservative
group. President Saenz Pena sup
ported and approved, as matter OF
Justice and sound national polity, the
law providing for compulsory ana
secret voting-the so-called Law or
the Dark Closet" referring to the
closed voting booth-and by this act
sealed the doom of his own party. The
secret ballot eliminated all direct ana
indirect control of the elections, and
the employees in the cities and the
workers on the farms thenceforth
voted as they willed and not as the
master" wanted them to vote. The
great political result Of the new law
was the triumph of the Radical party
in the election of 1916. DR.. 1ipollto
Irigoyen, who had succeeded his
uncle, DR.. Alem, as.leader Of the party,
was in that year raised to the presl'
dency of Argentina.
y y X X
The Irigoyen era in Argentina was
in many ways an amazing interlude
in the smooth tenor OF Argentine polit.
ical history, and it's six years included,
too, the period of the Great War. and
Argentina's refusal to enter it on the
side of the United States. Although
both houses of the Argentine Con-
gress voted to declare war against
Germany, President Irigoyen declined
to accede. the declaration Of war.
under the Argentine constitution,
being discretionary and not mandatory
on the President, even when Congress
has expressed it's choice in the matter.
For the full period of the participa-
ton of the Western Hemisphere in the
war Argentina held aloof and en-
joyed a most profitable neutrality. In
those years President Irigoyen was
never seen in public, never went the
round of official functions which has
always been recognized as part OF
the Office. and lived the life of a
recluse, as he had done before and as
he has continued to do since he left
office
During the past five years, indeed,
the entire public of Buenos Aires, ex-
cluding his close associates, have
referred to the modest fiat where DIR.
Irigoyen lives as "the cave" and the
nickname of the eX-president has al
ways been 'the armadillo," by way of
commenting on his secretive habits.
Lively and what in this country would
be thoroughly libelous reviews have
been running in Buenos Aires from
time to time depicting DR., Irigoyen in
various unfavorible situations. and
especially as plotting the overthrow of
President Alvear. The fact remains.
however. that the Irigoyen group has
controlled enough votes in Congress to
prevent legislation, either by direct
vote or by absenting it's bloc so that
it was impossible to obtain quorum.
Almost continuously they have held
majority of the Radical votes in
Congress, the government support
having been coalition of the anti
Irigoyen Radicals, the Conservatives,
the Democrats "a small partyl and the
Socialists. The whole machinery of
government has Jagged, and but for
the constitutional provision that If a
new budget is not passed the old
budget shall be followed for another
year, the functioning of government
would many times. in the past five
years, have been virtually suspended
y 4 *
This opposition Of the Irigoyenistas.
directed by their leader from the quiet
cave" had its origin in the circum.
stances surrounding the election OF
President AIvear. or the aristocracy,
a typical and worthy president of the
great country which he rules. DR..
Alvear had served during the war
and afterward as Argentine Minister
in Paris. the appointee Of President
Irigoyen. AS noted earlier, an Argen-
tine president may not succeed him
self. but may return to power after
another has served out a full electoral
term. DIR. Alvear was presented as
the Irigoyen candidate for president,
elected. without returning to Argen-
tina from Paris, and inaugurated
shortly after he landed from his Euro
pean post. Every one assumed that
he had accepted the task of holding
the presidential seat warm until Presi-
dent Irigoyen would again be eligible.
President Alvear astonished the
country, and doubtless DR.. Irigoyen as
we'll. by proceeding to be a thoroughly
independent executive. he eliminated