Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
In LATIN AMERICA
By CASTON NERYAL.

I domestic restlesSness can be interpreted
as an indication of Democratic maturity
in that region, since 1t was born to
fight autocracy In government and to
bring back the reign Of individual
| liberties to those countries IN which
they had been lost.
1t Is true that revolution Is not the
most democratic means to attain po-
htical ideals, but, then again, perhaps
this is the only way left to supporters
OF democratic government in countries
where dictatorial hand has abolished
all forms Of popular expression.
Revolution has often been termed
as political disease. Sometimes, how
ever, 1t is rather cure than q disease.
It is a surgical operation to eliminate
the excuses Of an uncontrolled misuse
Of power.
Hard TimeS-Hard Politics.
Important as they are, political fac
tors alone have not produced this situa-
ton. The latest crisis in Guatemala
gives only new assurance to the impress
sion, already advanced here, that there
are strong economic issues behind it.
AS we have pointed out before In this
same column, until economic depression
appeared on the horizon, revolutionary
ideas did not 60 beyond the realm Of
mere intellectual aspirations IN the
southern countries. But when the
financial resources of the Dominican
Republic reached q dangerously low
mark; when the tin crisis seriously hit
Bolivia, entirely dependent ON her tin
exports; when the disastrous conditions
of the governments finances could no
longer be hidden by the dictator Leguia
in Peru; when an agricultural and
banking depression developed in ArgenS
tina; when the coffee crisis began to
affect the whole financial system of
Brazil, economic difficulties and political
dissatisfaction, closely associated. made
actual revolution unavoidable.
In Cuba the governments position Is
now being greatly embarrassed by the
sugar crisis, and all menaces of rebel
! lie. are connected with this serious
: economic factor. In Ecuador and
Panama hard times are rejecting them
selves in political uneaSinesS. And the
last case, that of Guatemala, is not
devoid, either, of economic complica-
lions. The coffee crisis and a general
business depression throughout the
country have contributed to weaken
the old regimes position and TO make
more welcome the advent of a new one.
ON the other hand, in Venezuela,
where financial conditions seem to be in
good shape, and the oil revenues have
permitted the government to cancel
recently the entire foreign debt, the
Gomez regime stands solidly, and there
Is no indication that the strong man
who has been at Venezuela's helm for
the last 20 years will be disturbed or
expelled from his voluntary retreat in
Maracay.
Economic principles and economic
| elements seem to be In this century the
real makers Of political conditions. And
Latin America Is no exception to the
rule.
Epidemic Revolutions.
Finally, in studying these successive
Latin American revoltS, we have also
mentioned q psychological factor. We
have explained how extremely suscep-
tlble are the masses in Latin America
to intellectual contagious influence. In
fact, they are so everywhere, but eSpe-
cially in Spanish America, where their
Latin temperament keeps them still
subject to emotional sentiments rather
than logic. Besides, the masses in
those countries have q very limited
knowledge Of political theories or prin-
ciples and this makes them the more
easily amenable to the suggestions Of
few outstanding leaders.
We have compared this epidemic
revolutionary unrest in South America
with the psychological phenomenon
which we often observe wherever a
suicide takes place. A suicide is never
an isolated case in a community, it is
always followed by two or three more,
II not expressly caused, at least greatly
Influenced. by the first. The same
psychological effect of this moral