Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1931-02-12
Parkes Writes OF
Central America

AS read in your columns that al
Mr.. w. Rogers knows is what he reads
in the papers, and as there may BIZ
Others in his class, although of course
he is unique, it occurs to me that you
must feel a great responsibility as tc
what you bring to the attention OF
people whose sole education is obtain
ed in that manner.
So as respond to your recent invi-
tation to contribute something to your
columns I suggest that you use your
discretion in the matter of publica-
ton. But perhops it is safe enough
to print this. Everything is cafeteria
in the papers. Your readers see 1t all
and take what they like I think some
folks ought to read more anyway.
All / know about Central America is
what have seen in four weeks, in
the papers and otherwise, and us I
shall probably never know so much
again. must hurry and get this off
to you while 1t is fresh, before I
realize how fresh 1t really is.
On January 2lst-It is beautiful
August day here. Indeed we have had
nothing but August days since we ar
rived Just before Christmas. Just such
August days as Vashon Island knows.
Cool nights and mornings. Hot from
10 to 4. Few Clouds no rain and very
dusty. They say it will rain in April
and from then on for quite while
and quite profusely. 1t is the altitude
that accounts for the climate. We are
about 5000 feet up and only about so
miles from the Pacific ocean, where
it is hot and humid
The country was immersed in
politics when we arrived and though
the election is over it has not emerged
yet. have not been able to find out,
even from the papers, who was elected.
There were six candidates for the
presidency of the country, one to be
elected by popular vote. The voting
was to begin on Sunday the 18th. On
Saturday the paper we get, Ell Dia,
published in the capitol, San Salvador,
announced that on account of the
election it would suspend publication
until the following Wednesday. Can
you believe it? When the U. S. papers
would be issuing extras every two
hours, here they just don't, publish at
all.
The results of the election were to
be reviewed and tabulated at the
capitol last Sunday, the 18th but even
yet we do not know who is elected.
One of the six am sure is not On
the Wednesday following the election
he led deputation to the office of
the president and requested him to
nullify the election, call constitu-
tional convention and start all over
again. But thus far Ell Salvador is
unique. There has been no revolution.
There was one in Guatemala the day
before we landed there, there was one
in Panama last week, not to speak of
the South American countries. But
here it seems probable that one of the
six candidates will be declared elected
president, sooner or later.
I have learned new meanings for
the word party as applied to politics.
First party is intensely personal and
seems to be formed for one election
only. For instance Dr. Cordova's fol-
lowers formed the Cordovista Party;
Senior Zarate the zaratistas, and so on
through the six. Extreme precautions
we're taken to preserve party lines
during the election. In the capitol
sections of the city were named in
which each party would gather its
followers To avoid any excuse for
trouble each candidate agreed not to
make any disparaging remarks about
any of the others during the period
beginning two days before the voting
and in order to be sure that there
would be no clashes the police took
up, for the period of the election, all
the. machetes they could find A
machete is murderous looking knife
of-all work about two feet long This
rule was carried to an extreme when
an American u. 81 was disarmed of
his pocket knife in San Salvador and
could not get it back till the election
was over A further precaution to
protect the purity of he ballot here is
to make u voter dip his index finger
in indelible ink so as to detect him If
he tries to vote more than once.
Another meaning for political
party is a literal party that the party
holds the night before election and
when say night mean all night. and
then some. On the Saturday night
before the voting was to begin the
zaratistas in this town gathered all
their adherents together in an en-
closure, called patio; 1t is an inner
courtyard of building, open to the
sky; opposite our house and entertain
cd them there in an all night party.
Music and dancing, entertainment and
feeds from p. m. Saturday to 8 q. m.
Sunday Music was furnished by the
Marimba band. A marlmba is an in
= az.