Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14
BY CASTOR NERVAL,
Authority on Latin American Affairs.

is, OF men VINO have already been In
power and are now governing their re-
Spective countries. They are not three
men just beginning their reign, but are
three presidents who have for some time
been at the head of their countrymen.
Gen. Gomez, Gen. Machado and DR..
Ayora will shortly be inaugurated as
presidents of Venezuela, Cuba and
Ecuador, respectively, but the three are
already and have been for some time
the chief executives of those nations.
Gen. Gomez has ruled Venezuela for
20 years, Gen. Machado has been Presi-
dent OF Cuba for four years, and since
1925 DR.. Ayora has ruled Ecuador.
On April 10 the present presidential
terms Of Gen. Juan Vicente Gomez ends
In Venezuela. That is, 1t ends so as to
begin again. Every seven years Gen.
Gomez goes through the form of giving
up his Office and turning the presidency
over to some one designated by Con-
greSS. Popular elections are then called,
In which the only candidate is the same
Gen. Gomez, and a few days later he
is again indicted into Office as Presi-
dent. This month Gomez will have
completed 20 years as President. When
he relinquisheS his place to Congress
in Caracas, his candidacy for the next
elections" will already be settled upon
and soon after Venezuela will see an
other presidential Inauguration of the
general.
First Reelection for Machado.
In Cuba this procedure has not yet
reached the stage of a tradition, for
this is the first time that Gen. Machado
has had himself reelected. During all
last year the Cuban Congress debated
the ACCESSIBILITY of the two courses be-
tween which they had to choose-to
prolong for two years the present term
OF Gen. Machado, or to permit his re-
election for another four-year term.
They chose the latter, and at almost
the same time that Mr.. Hoover was
elected President of this country Gen.
Machado, Cuba's sole candidate, re-
ceived the confirmation of the popular
vote throughout the republic. The sec
ond Inauguration" of Gen. Machado
will take place shortly in Havana.
Soon, also, Dr. Isidro Ayora will be
installed as constitutional President of
Ecuador, though this does not by any
means indicate that he has not been
at the head of the Ecuadorean govern
ment for nearly four years. AS a mat
ter of fact, DR.. Ayora was made chief
executive of that nation by a military
coup in 1925. From that time until
the end of last year Ecuador was
under his rule as dictator, unSanctioned
by the constitution, but accepted by
the majority Of the people. In October
OF last year DR.. Ayora. having decided
70 obtain constitutional sanction of his
position, convoked national assembly,
elected by the people. This body was
TO be charged with the duty of desig-
mating a provisional President and call
ing presidential elections for the next
term. However, the assembly merely
designated DR.. Ayora as provisional
President, and he himself had to call
the general elections, as promised At
these there was no candidate worth
serious consideration other than DIR.
Ayora. Hence today he may already
be considered constitutional President"
and as such will soon be installed.
This procedure has already been sue
ceSsful in Chile, where, in 1927, Gen.
Ibanez, then provisional President,
called elections and was chosen con-
stitutional President.
Seated for Third Term.
The aforementioned system-that of
also practiced in Peru.
This year President Leguia's term ends,
and in few months he will be seated, |
for the third term, in the presidential
chair.
All these are typical examples of the
success attending in Latin America, the
tendency toward relationships held by
one person and strong governments. |
In part reflection of trends in Eu-
rope, which is also giving itself over
70 the rescuing hands of dictators, and |
n part result of the Latin American |
1t Is developing, in the |
republic south of the Rio Grande, a |
political phenomenon that merits study |
The Latin republics are departing from |
the system of parliaments and popular |
under the aegis of which |
they won their freedom from Spain. |
Every day they are losing more Of their |
democratic character, and So-called |
strong governments are rising-dictator- |
ships clothed in legal form-a kind of |
constitutional relationships"
They are young nations, still in the |
stage, where every cir |
cumstance demands leaders, strong per- |
'onalities to organize and to direct, and, |
at the same time, to restrain and domi- |
nate the incessant explosions of that |
ardent Latin temperament which runs |
in the veins of their people. The |
Latin American peoples are especially |
predisposed to relationships. But in |
some countries democratic procedure |
has been definitely established. Others |
are peoples who only acknowledge the |
rule OF force. Like all other states Of |
the earth, they need to be orderly to |
progress. But In order to maintain |
order in some, force is necessary. As |
soon as weak men come into power, |
political passions begin to burn, and the |
formal progress of the country again |
lnds itself menaced by the danger Of |
Internal conflict.
Make Great Progress.
Time is proving this. Under strong |
Chile, Peru, Cuba, Vene- |
zuela, Ecuador are making the great |
est progress ever known in their re- |
publican life. Some of them have been |
'aved in serious crises through dictators. |
and have entered at once into a period |
of really noteworthy prosperity and re- |
Today these governments |
figure among the first of Latin America. |
and the work which they are carving |
On serves as models for the improve |
ment of administration in their neigh |
boring countries. Chile has emerged.
thanks to her strong government of to- |
lay, from an extremely grave economic |
and governmental crisis, which had |
AS0NAASA aNAOCSt SNa6C WL1CI NOl. I
[banez took up the reins of power.
The production of nitrates, the prin- |
ciDal source of Chile's wealth, which |
was in moribund state, Is today In =
the best condition 1t ever was; the !
public services are reorganized and GO |
ing on along like a clock" and the |
ast national budget. according to lat !
EST information, shows a surplus of 40,-
100000 Chilean pesos, something like |
IS, 000,0 900.
Peru, since Mr.. Leguia inaugurated |
MS dictatorship, has achieved such a !
Transformation that persons revisiting |
The country after 20 years absence say |
that they find a new Peru" so pro-
yreSsive and energetic, that they would |
hardly recognize 1t. Roads and railroads |
are being built all through the country, |
public instruction has been notably in |
creased, incomes have increased and |
r1nf ne II L. s<ss