Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-10
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

tween the Spanish and Portuguese
With the year 1884 began the sep
arate career OF the Portuguese, and
since the discovery of America the
Portuguese in this Western Henri
sphere notably in BraziD have shown
far greater vitality and ambition
than have the Spaniards.
The Spanish touch in American
colonies mas never improved the
condition Of the native races. The
commissioners. by their cruel cum
ming and unfamiliar weapons of FIRE
and thunder, conquered the Empire
of MonteZuma, but left to the con-
quered race only degradation and
suffering, while the victors battened
on the plumber. Not so the Portu-
guese in Brazil. There the people
are more progressive and advanced
than the mother country OF Portugal.
Prior to the sixteenth century the
Portuguese little sensed the distinc-
ton of race. Then Vasco da Cana
discovered the eastern ocean route
to the Indies and Magellan found the
western-the one via Cape of Good
Hope, the other around Cape Horn.
Both were Portuguese. Da CANA
founded, upon the Island of OrmuZ,
the first colony in the Far East;
then followed the Dutch, the French
and, finally. the English.
In 1880 Spain conquered and an
naxed Portugal. but after what
native historian denotes Sixty
Years of Captivity" the Portuguese
regained their independence in 1870
and have kept 1t since. While there
have been no great scientists south
of the Pyrenees Mountains, Portugal
has produced literature and has sup
piled to foreign writers many his
toric characters and incidents which
have inspired heroic literature of
other nations. The allies and asso-
ciates Of the World War must recoR-
nize that the Portuguese became
allied in their struggle and of an
army OF 1000 some 10000 persisted
In the cause of world liberty far
greater percentage of casualties than
suffered by some other nations, in
proportion to population.
Since the liberation OF Portugal
from Spain in 1910, the government
was a monarchy until the revolution
of 1910 which drove King Manuel into
English exile and set up a republic.
About every three or four months
under the republic there has been a
revolt. Cabinets have rarely held
power longer than three months
often not three days. The people are
allied generally with either the Royal
list Clerical party or the Democratic
Liberals. In recent years the Com
munists have been growing In infiu-
ence with the ignorant, illiterate
peasants, and have lost no oppor-
tunity to stir up revolution, not for
any party principle, but simply to
cause unrest
All last Summer there was almost
continuous fighting. On May ~ :he
police raided Communist chamber,
and found 1t filled with bombs and
explosives. On August II The Com
munists started another uprising, and
a month later they attacked the Lis
bon Citedal. November 4 the Clerical
party protested against the anti-re-
iigious policy of the government, for
the attitude Of the Democrats and
Communists against the church in
Portugal ~ the same as that of the
Mexican government All Portugal
church property has been seized by
the government
y
The governments have struggled
with great energy to balance the
budget, but never since the republic
has that been achieved. Money has
been borrowed from the Jewish bank
! ers and also from Great Britain; inter
est pledged in gold has been repudiated
or paid in deprecated paper money.
Credit lis at a low stage, taxes are
high. cost Of living Is high and strikes
are numerous. for wages are made
duate to meet the burdens of taxes
and living, -s--.... s,.--,..--.
asEihA nnaae are df4zfAra Ia n, the rrn.