Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-30
|BANEz IN FLIGHT
IS True TO FORM
Makes Same Hasty Exit as
Other "Iron Men" of
South America.
BY JOHN w. WHITE.

~ Gable to The Star.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, July 30
Flying by night to safety beyond the
frontiers Of his country, OF which
he has pretended to be savior, Gen.
Carlos Ibanez Del Campio ran true to
the form of the present crop OF South
Americas deposed dictators.
Within IA months Bolivia, Peru, Ar
Eentina, Brazil and Chile overthrow
their Presidents, who had assumed die
tatorial powers and were ruling with an
iron hand in opposition to public opin-
ion.
These rulers all strutted about with
wide silk Sashes across their chests,
which expanded like pouter pigeons
until the buttons had to be set out.
They spent large part of their time
and ingenuity devising means to deceive
American bondholders regarding their
bankruptcy. They gagged foreign cor
respondents, imprisoned their own
newspaper men and closed newspapers
which dared to hint at the truth. They
spoke only in grandiose phrases, like
Gen. Ibenez'S statement several days
ago that he would defend his Office with
his life, yet when the final moment of
reckoning arrived they fed. with no
more dignity or sense of responsibility
than a Southern Negro caught stealing
watermelons.
That is, all except the dignified Wash
ington Luis of Brazil. who faced revolu-
tionary leaders in Brazil and defied
them to deposs him.
The only other instance of personal
heroiSm produced by these five revolu-
lions was the refusal of Juan Leguia to
desert his father, August B. Leguia of
Peru, in the hour of defeat or to accept
the escape that was offered to him
later.
It requires little bravery to run with
the mob when an entire populace is on
the revolutionary side against die
tator. Heroic qualities, If any, would be
expected to come from dictatois and
their crowd going down in defeat. With
the two exceptions mentioned, they have
all proven yellow.
Gen. Ibanez left his palace between
and am which is the darkest hour
of the long Winter night. His automo-
bile beat the railroad time schedule in
getting to Los Andes, where a Tran
sandean train was waiting to take him
across the mountains to- Safety-and
the electric trains from Santiago to Los
Andes are the fastest in South America.
1t would be interesting to know what
were his thoughts as the sun rose up
from the Argentine pampas, peeked
over the delicate pinks. mauves and
blues of the majestic ice-clad Andes
ana saw LE1dL duJOnlODue TuSnlng dl~ng
the narrow, dusty, bumpy country road
that winds in and out among the bare
leaf1eSs vineyards of lovely San Felipe
Valley. trying to beat time and get its
precious passenger to safety along the
same route over which he had exiled
so many of his opponents.
South American d1ctatorS speak
loudly and frequently or having the
backing of the army. intimating that
this is all that is required to keep them
in Office until such time as the armed
forces withdraw their support, yet ex-
perience shows that the South Ameri-
cans, who have made relish of lib
erty since their independence from
Spain to much greater extent than
have we in the United States, eventu-
ely rise up with clenched fists. sweep
the armies aside and overthrow the die
tators.
Cen Ibanez was getting cold feet
es far back as February, when the
Prince of Wales and his brother, Prince
George. visited Chile Gen. Ibanez at
tended their very exclusive reception at
the British embassy but refused to
enter the main salon, where foreign
diplomats and the cream of Chilean
society had gathered He remained in
a small adjoining room. to which the
princes had to be taken to be pre-
Sented. While they were dancing he
sneaked out through side door and
slipped away.
Copyright. 1917