Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20


~ lust delivered a terrible blow at
"A the fearsome DOGGY Of Yankee
4 \ Imperialism in South American
politics arrives in New York
TODAY for a visit of several weeks in
this country. He is DR.. Enrique Olaya
Herrera, newly elected President OF Co
lombia
DR.. Olaya Herrera is a warm friend
of ours. and warm friends of the United
States among the really powerful men
of Latin America are not as common as
many suppose There are several ex-
plantations. Perhaps we are too rich to
be loved. as Owen D. Young has phrased
it. Perhaps it is the propaganda of
some of our European competitors for
the enormous trade.
But whatever the reason, the terms
COLOSSUS of the North" and Yankee
Imperialism" are potent standbys for
the politicians of our sister republics.
However, DR.. Olaya Herrera has had
plenty of opportunity to learn to know
us. He has been a student of the
United States all his life and for the
last seven years Colombian Minister to
Washington. He has frankly told his
countrymen that his admiration for the
American way of doing things has
grown and that he likes Americans.
Election Came as Surprise.
This wasn't regarded as good prac-
tical politics either by students of
Latin-American affairs or by his friends
here when he suddenly determined last
January to return to Colombia to enter
the race for the presidency.
In fact, many of his proposed issues
seemed to the experts to be calculated
to bring about his defeat and subsequent
retirement to private life. His election
no one so much as these experts.
That DR.. Olaya Herrera is popular
here is reflected by the elaborate ar
| engagements made for his reception and
entertainment, apart from the ofhcial
welcome due a President-elect.
In winning the election DR.. Olaya
Herrera made hash of many tradi-
tons. He literally few into the presi-
dency, using land and seaplanes in his
campaign to reach the widely scattered
| cities and towns of his native land
which is about the size of the section OF
the United States north of the Mason
Dixon line and east of the Mississippi
Two Weeks in Which to Win.
Acting on an invitation to run as a
coalition candidate after he had re-
fused to run strictly as candidate oil
the Liberal party, he entered the cam
paign at the last possible moment. Ap
attack of pneumonia shortly after his
return to Colombia further cut the
time at his disposal. He had only two
weeks in which to win against a
| party that had been in power continu-
ously for so years.
His dash'ng campaign on the wing
and the enthusiastic response of the
voters to his energetic methods effec-
! lively demonstrated the fallacy of the
| traction that all the countries to the
south of us is the land of manana."
! Another tradition which received
some hard knocks was our old friend.
''Woman's place is in the home" The
tradit on is still exceedingly strong in
| all Latin countries and the doctrine of
| equal rights for women is still political
: dynamite Colombia was considered to
| be notably conservative in this respect.
| The issue was not expected to win
votes. But it did.
The manner in which women made
their interest effective. despite THEFT
! lack of votes, was grievous surprise
| to the diehards. The women formed
! clubs, made speeches and In general
| helped a lot. Dr. Olaya Herrera
energies from the campaign as prob
ably the leading champion of feminism
in Lat n America.
Lacked Church Endorsement.
/ A third notable feature of DR.. Olaya
! Herrera's victory was that 1t came
| without the indorse ment of the church.
| Since the days of the Conquistadores
prelates of the Roman Catholic Church
| have welded deci.ive power in Co
! lombia. The President-elect, however
! has made it clear that he is not in any
/ sense an anti-clerical and that he VIII
work in harmony with the ecclesiastical
! authorities
DR.. Olaya Herrera will wind up his
| affairs as Minister before returning to
| Colombia for his inauguration on