Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

A LOGICAL REVOLUTION.
~ ANAMA has Joined the list
- Newspapers announce, sur
prised, that another Latin
4 American nation has over
thrown her government and
observers Of political events. abroad
wonder how the young Central Ameri-
can republic has fallen into this cpl
demic revolutionary fever which is
sweeping all over the Southern Henri
sphere.
do not see why any one should be
surprised. The revolution in Panama
is only natural It Is the logical out
come Of conditions which, It Is de-
clared, have caused similar effects in
other countries. 1t Is merely another
chapter in that long series of violent
upheavals against dictatorial and cor
rupt administrations which has been
taking place on the other side of the
Rio Grande during the last few
months, and which will continue to
go on, irresistibly, until all the gov
ernments Of those countries are again
in the hands of the people.
Is there anything to wonder at in
the fact that the people Of \ nation
which has been made almost the prop
erty Of q few men-who exploit it and
govern it to their own selfish 3D.
vantage and who have suppressed all
traces of democracy and substituted
for it an arbitrary, personalistic rule
is there anything to wonder about,
say, in the fact that the people Of such
a nation should have recourse to arms
when all other peaceful means Of
achieving representation have beer
exhausted?
Is it surprising that the inhabitants
Of country where governmental In
efficiency add to the already critical
economic conditions resulting from q
world wide depression should not hest
tate to have recourse to force in order
to get that which force alone has
taken away from them: individual
liberties and an honest administration
Of their public income?
Is there anything strange in THU
violent reaction against autocracy anc
corruption when revolution is the only
way left to regain lost democratic lib
critics?
| I must say once more something thai
| have had many an occasion to repea
during the last eight months: Although
revolution has often been termed pc.
litical disease, in some cases it is rathel
l a cure than q diSeaSe-an urgent cure
an unavoidable one. It is a surgica
operation to eliminate, radically, thu
excuses of an uncontrolled misuse d
power.
HIGH FINANCES.
Whoever knew the conditions exist
| ent in Panama previous to the rebel
lion, which has just succeeded, woulC
have understood that a revolution wa!
| the only way out of a chaotic situation
OF administrative disorder and dis
/ honesty
A clique of three men who had sue
cessively, 1t is claimed, governed thu
country for the last decade with yer!
little respect for the sovereign right
of the people, and even less respect TO
the product Of their taxes. were ar
bitrarlly ruling Panama's destinieS, will
the concurrence of small and vicious
| Executive, it Is claimed by his foes
was only an instrument of this politica
machine, his predecessor, the man WHIT
| had put him there, being the real force
behind the presidential chair
| The granting of land concessions ant
contracts for unnecessary public work.
had carried governmental graft to q
| limit, 1t is charged. Two instances
alone, will sufice to give q picture o.
this state Of affairs. which had beer
constantly denounced by Panaman'
/ OF uprlGnt spirit. One Is Tue HahnSl
| in which the administration officials
profited at the expense of the nations
interests. One Of them went as fal
as to declare that the system Of bid:
for the construction Of public works
was old-fashioned and antiquated, anc
that the government should grant con-
tracts by itself 70 those 1t seemed mos
advisable. The consequences Of such
tactics can easily be guessed. Con-
tracts, it is charged, were awarded II
those paying the highest personal com
missions, irrespective Of the good Of
harm resulting to the country's finances
4 A typical example was that Of the con.
struction of certain government build
ing for the designing of which plani
offered gratis by young native archi'