Evening star., 1932-09-15
Real Socialism in Chile.

Because he did not proceed more
rapidly and more thoroughly to bring
about the specialization" OF Chile,
Senor Carlos Davila, after brief and
inglorious reign of scarcely three
months, has been ousted from the
presidency and a military regime en-
throned at Santiago. 1t is headed by
Gen. Bartolome Blanche, the COM
mander in chief of the Chilean army,
who, on Tuesday. submitted an ulti-
matum to President Davila requiring
him to resign under threat Of having
the Chilean air force rain bombs on
the presidential palace. The debonair
former Ambassador at Washington Of
fered a semblance of opposition, fol-
lowed by a compromise suggestion to
make Gen. Blanche minister Of war.
But the military zealots were bent upon
seizing complete power and achieved
their purpose.
When President Montero was over
thrown on June 4 the outside world,
especially the United States, where
Senior Davila is so favorably known,
hoped his accession to the presidency
meant that the socialization program,
on which he took Office. would be con-
Quoted with moderation. President
Davila did not delay in giving certain
assurances on that score. But mod
Grafton is not what the Chilean hot
spurs and radicals, especially the army
clique. want. In manifesto calling
upon President Davila to quit, his gov
ernment was branded as "unpopular"
and as demonstrably incapable" of
carrying into effect the socialistic
ideals" which it was pledged to put
into force.
The army officers who engineered the
forced resignation of Senor Davila
bluntly asserted that it was useless to
maintain government which has
merely returned to the practices OF
previous administrations" The Chilean
politicos called for "a group Of men
who will give us assurance of free and
well organized elections in October. "
Enough has happened in Chile during
the past ninety days to indicate pretty
clearly what kind Of "free and well
organized elections" will appease the
militarists. The results will have to be
to their satisfaction or face the GER
tainty of annulment under the guns,
Gen. Blanche for the moment holds
the presidential fort at Santiago, though
there are reports that he has already
quarreled with Col Moreno, with whose
aid President Davila was dethroned
and is in imminent peril Of hearing
from the upper regions. Col. Moreno
commands the air forces. The new
President has militant revolutionary
history. AS former commandant OF
the Santiago garrison. he was impli-
Gated in the plot to restore Co Ibane7
to power after the Ibanez government
was overthrown in July, 1890.
The tortuous course of Chile's poll
within two years-passes foreign COM
prehensicn because OF the sheer speed
of the Kaleidoscope changes in the
government at Santiago. Two things
seem fairly clear-that the elongated
republic which stretches along the west
coast Of South America still prefers
bullets to ballots as political weapons
and that Specialization" of the country
along lines menacing important foreign
interests and investments, is inevitable
with the forces of conservatism appar-
emily in impotent disarray. With Brazil
in the thrces of civil war and Paraguay
and Bolivia at war the southern conti-
nent is aflame with turmoil on ar
almost unprecedented scale.