Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-08-21
URUGUAY ACCOMPLISHES
CULTURAL REFORMATION
''Political Laboratory of the Americas .
Marking Its National Day Thursday,
Proves Merit of Varela's Theories.

greater power than the President of the
republic himself. This division of power
constitutes the best possible control over
the excessive "personalism," which has
been manifesting itself recently in many
of the nations south Of the Rio Grande.
1t is the best guaranty of a government
of the people, by the people and for the
people" or at least comes nearest to that
ideal form of democracy. so long sought
by the statesmen of all countries.
Autonomous Entities.
Under the control of the National
Council of Administration, there are va
rious autonomous bodies, entirely indie
pendent of the executive power, but re-
Sponsible to 1t, called Special Councils,
which direct all public activities and
even some national industries. Through
this system-that is, autonomy-there
are removed from the influence of the
government, and thus taken out Of poll
tics, certain general public services. such
as public education. the Bank of the Re-
public, the telegraph and mail service
and railways, which in other countries
are under the exclusive control of the
party in power. This system of special
councils, or autonomous entities" as
they are called is an original Uruguay
an idea and up to the present has given
splendid results.
Along with this political and institu-
t<)nal development, the little republic
of million and half of people has
also achieved notable material advance
ment. With homogeneous population,
almost entirely of white descent. it has
been an easier task to develop its nat
ural resources than for other countries
of the Southern Hemisphere, vhe-a
problems created by an indigenous pop
| ulation and by lack OF resources have
constituted serious handicaps. Uruguay,
until the world depression set in, was
one of the Latin American nations hav-
ing soundest finances, and her economic
strength Is even today steadily increaS-
ing.
Montevideo. the Uruguayan capital.
one of the most beautiful cities of the
Americas, Is favorite Summer resort
for wealthy families of Argentina and
Brazil, as well as Europeans. Monte
video has. of course, all the comforts
and improvements required by modern
life in European capitals, or in metro
| politan cities Of the United States.
The wealth of Uruguay consists al
most entirely in agriculture Her fer
! tile and well Watered soil is enormously
| productive Although production has
not yet reached the possible maximum,
as only part of her territory is under
cultivation, the harvestS each year are
! large in proportion to the population
| of the country, thus affording an extern
sive export trade.
Principal Farm Crops.
| The principal agricultural crops are
wheat, barley, oats. corn and fax, but
the chief source of Uruguays agricul-
tural wealth is not in these products of
cultivation, but rather in her immense
herds of cattle and sheep. Here lies the
prosperity of the country. Just as Bra
zils is coffee Chile's nltrates, Cuba S
sugar and Bolivia's tin, so Uruguay's is
cattle. The rapid development of this
industry may be attributed to four
fundamental causes; favorable geo.
graphical conditions. the small total
population, as compared with the extent
of territory, the success attained by the
industry during recent years, and the
preference of the inhabitants for ranch
ing rather than farming
More than 80 per cent of the national
exports are animal products, Great
! Britain. Germany and France holding
the first three places among countries
importing these Uruguayan products.
The United States is in fourth place,
but, on the other hand, she is first, by
a large margin, among the countries
from which Uruguay imports. Being an
essentially agricultural nation, with her
industries, generally speaking, in a for
NATIVE state, Uruguay has to import
almost all her manufactured products.
Hence, since the United States produces
an abundance of fuel, foodstuffs and
manufactured goods, the principal ne
cessities of Uruguay, the latter makes
the major part of her purchases in the
Union. The last year B. D. before de-
pression) Uruguay imported from the
United States goods to the total value
OF more than S2l ,000,0 900, an amount
more or less 30 pei cent Of her total
| imports
Uruguay has been the cradle Of men
who have lent brilliance to Latin
American letters and craftsmanship.
In nation of the intellectual maturity
of Uruguay, the Athens of America
it Is not strange that she has borne
thinkers, writer's and poets of the
stature of Jose Pedro Varela, Jose En-
rique Rodo, Juan Gorilla de San Mar
tin, Alfonsina Storm and as many
more. Baltasar Brum, another son of
Uruguay, is one of todays most distin-
guished statesmen and writer's of Latin
America. He was President of Uruguay
at 80 and is now, in democratic fashion,
editing periodical through which he
leads a great movement for a union
of the Latin republics. And Juana de
Ibarborou is also an Uruguayan. the
most eminent example of her country's
womanhood. Her extraordinary poetical
! genius has won her the crown Of
American Queen of Poetry" conferred
upon her not long ago, in Montevideo
! by delegates representing all the Latin
| American republics. These names
alone, would suffice to bear witness to
the intellectual prestige enjoyed by this
small great republic" of the south.