Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-09

/ rated with hOllda&, In winch Omcla
acts, public ceremonies, te-deums. ban.
| quets. military parades are staged Ii
succession In one-third of all thu
countries in the Western Hemisphere
/ Uncle Sam starts the series with hi.
classical Fourth of July. which, by ira.
/ dition and by the influence 1t had or
the later liberation Of the other repub.
| lies Of the New World, has become Il
be almost continental date. In mos
! of the Latin American nations tbs
Fourth Of July is celebrated conspicu.
ously, and In some of them, like Peru
1t has even been declared, by govern
ment decree, national holiday.
| Argentina, the leading Spanish Amer.
| lean republic, Is next, commemorative
the 9th Of July as the anniversary Of
| the proclamation of her independence
by the famous Congreso de Tucumar
in 1916. Colombia follows In the list
| celebrating her liberation from tbs
Spanish crown on July 90 Between
theses two dates, another holiday Il
particularly observed throughout Latir
America, the 14th of July, the "Bastills
day" Of the first French republic. which
played such an important role In start.
ing the Latin American wars for indie
pendence.
| hOnoays near VOEetner.
| Then Peru and Bolivia celebrate theil
| national days almost within q week OF
each other, the former on the 28th Of
July and the latter the 9Th of August
In two recent articles described these
| two historical dates, discussing the in.
teresting political and economic condi.
tons under which their anniversaries
found Peruvians and Bolivians this year
| Today 1t Is Ecuador's turn. August 1C
Is Ecuador's day. 1t marking the ami.
versary Of the date on which the Ecua-
| doreans initiated their struggle for lib
erty. And still another American re-
| public, that of Uruguay, has her ma
tional day on August Is.
| But today Is Ecuador's turn. Or
! August 10, 12l years ago. the natives Of
Ecuador rebelled for the first time
against a three century domination By
the Spanish crown. They had to flghi
long years Of an uneven war before
their freedom was achieved. but finally
after the battles of Pinchincha and
Junin. and together with the Vene-
suelans and Colombians, they consti-
tuted the independent republic of tht
Great Colombia, under the Leadership
| Of the liberator, Bolivar, the George
Washington of South America.
Soon after Bolivar was dead. however
| IN 1880, his dream of united fedora
| ton OF Southern republics collapsed
| and out of 1t three distinct and separate
| republics emerged-Venezuela, Colombis
and Ecuador. Since then Ecuador has
had rather uneventful history, viewed
from an international point Of view, but
| internally she has been undergoing q
series of changes and reforms, not al
ways peacefully wrought, natural to q
/ atafa IN nf .fnak p,
later years this domestic political agita-
| ton has given way to more settled and
orderly times, in which the natural re-
sources and energies Of the country
have found greater opportunities Of de-
velopment.
Little Known Of Ecuador.
About all the average American citi-
zen knows about Ecuador is that It Is
located somewhere around the Equator
and that only because It happens that
the English word for that geographical
line has almost the same spelling. And
yet Ecuador, in spite Of her small terri
torial extension, Is, politically speaking
one of the most advanced countries In
the New World. In Latin America the
countries which are smaller geographic
cally seem destined to make the greatest
social and political progress.
Undoubtedly there are few people in
this country who know that that small
and far-away Latin republic is under
taking today certain politico-social
changes OF such importance as to be
only comparable to the reforms that
statesmen are trying out in some Of the
most progressive nations of the Old
World.
When Fascist Italy announced to the
world that she was going TO change
her legislative system, abolishing the
traditional bodies of so-called repre-
sentatives of the people" ard substitute
ing for them non-political bodies COM
posed of representatives of professional
classes, such as the universities, scien-
tific and cultural organizations, work
erS unions, commercial agricultural
and industrial associations, ETC., the
press of the whole world discussed the
importance and probable results of this
innovation which did away with the
principles, practices and prejudices that
had grown up during some centuries
around what We have come to call
democracy.
But when Ecuador, = state hardly
known to readers of American news
papers, adopted similar system, the
fact passed almost unnoted, and little
attention was given to the general cleo
tons, not long ago held down there,
in which for the first time not the
sovereign people" but organized en-
titles and professional groups chose the
national senator's Yet this is one of
the most outstanding political develop
ments in Latin America. and one which
may well have great influence upon
further cooperative movements in that
part Of the world.
Composition Of Senate.
The Ecuadorean Senate, composed
until recently, as in other democracies,
of senators elected by the people of
each one of the provinces. departments
or states comprising the nation, now
consists, according to the new consti-
tuition, of Is senators chosen by the
provincial councils, and of is senators
representing various callings, as fol-
lows: One representative of the uni
versities; one of teachers in high and
special schools, one of teachers of pri-
mate and normal schools; one Of the
press and scientific academies and So
cieties; two of farmers: two Of COM
merce; one of industries; two of work.
ings men: two of the rural population;
and one of the national armed forces.
Also there Is to be a special Senator
for the defense and care of the In
dian" In this way the Senate. hereto
fore q political institution, has been
converted into technical entity, in
which for the first time the various
professional classes and the. organiza-
lions which constitute the social fabric
actually participate in directing ma
tional affairs.
This change is not so radical as that
carried out in Italy, where the Cham
Der is made up exclusively Of occupa-
tional representatives. but, In any event,
this Is the first time that such an ex-
pertinent has been made in. the New
World, changing the control of one
half of the Legislature from the hands
of politicians TO those Of technical and
professional men.
Tna Ernla ir.raaaa consolidation