Evening star., 1932-12-18
BY GASTON NERVAL.

BY GASTON NERVAL.
TO understand the interest with
which this country's domestic
political trends are followed in
Latin America, two things must
be borne in mind:
First-That economic and financial
relations between the United States and
Latin America have been increasing at
tremendous pace in the last two dec
AIDES, particularly since the World War
caused the scepter Of world finances to
cross the Atlantic.
Second-That geographical proximity
and the existence of such vast and va
ried economic links have necessarily re-
suited in a series of international acts
and attitudes of the United States di-
rectly affecting internal affairs in some
Of the Latin American republics. Such
acts have created Latin American pol
icy of the United States peculiar to her
self, which has suffered various trans
formations in the course of the past
three decades.
Two-Fold Significance.
The significance of internal political
developments in the United States IS,
II Is both economic and political. Bear
ing upon their material interests as
well as upon their ideals of government,
it assumes the proportions of national
problem for those of the Latin republics
which are nearest to the United States.
And for the rest of them, even If out
side the zone Of influence of this coun-
try, it persists none the less, because
economic interests recognize no phySl-
cal limits and because the political prin-
ciples involved are interpreted by the
Southern nations as affecting them
jointly. as a group, not as individual
countries.
Under these circumstances, it is not
surprising that the latest presidential
election in the United States should
have aroused such widespread interest
south of the Rio Grande. 1t is even less
so in period like this, when the world
wide economic depression has empha-
sized the value of international eco
nomic relationships.
In a previous article had occasion
to refer to the intense interest with
which the recent presidential cam
paign in the United States had been
followed throughout Latin America, and
its outcome commented upon and ana
lyzed by the Latin American press. AL
though at that time I confined myself
to reporting the Latin American re-
action as to what may be called the
ethical significance of the election-the
orderly, democratic way in which the
citizens of this country expressed their
disapproval of the party in power as
compared with the violent. militaristic
methods preferred by the Latins-I also
mentioned, in passing, the reasons which
made this election particularly i'm
p6ftant to them in the economic and
in the political field.
If. from the point of view Of the
student Of political science, Latin
Americans had a lot to learn from the
lesson in democratic maturity which the
United States election afforded, they
also had lot to expect, considering
its result, from the viewpoint of the
observer of prevailing economic and
political conditions.
Tariff and Intervention.
Such expectations, to be brief, may
be embodied in four words: lower tariffs
and non-intervention. Editorial COM
ments from some of the leading Latin
American newspapers corroborate the
impression that the resentment caused
by Republican high tariffs and by the
iEterventionistic acts of previous Re-
publican administrations-not includ-
ing the present-was the chief reason
for the enthusiasm with which Latin
Americans greeted the recent Demo-
cratic victory at the polls.
La Nacion, of Buenos Aires, the
famous Argentine paper which is an
institution in Latin American journal
ism, halls the election of Gov Roose-
velt as promising "a more intel
igent understanding between North and
South America, and the Inauguration
of less selfish international policy"
1t stresses emphatically that in view of
the promises in the Democratic plat
form, all Latin Americans expect now
a downward revision OF the United
States tariff.
La Razon, another important Bue-
nos Aires newspaper, says: "RooSevelt'S
election justifies the hope of a closer
relationship with the rest of the world,
a more liberal tariff. new life, and
little more of that old American jovial-
ity. We hope that the United States
and Argentina will be able at last to
understand each other, thereby becom-
ing ct the two extremes of the Western
Hemisphere the strong columns on
which may rest new continental pol
icy Of order, harmony and trade-a
policy which will take into considera-
tion the happiness of all, not only the
interests of one"
Still another Argentine paper. Ell
Diario, comments: The Republican
party unbalanced the national economy
of the United States with its suicidal
teri1 policy, then committed the error
DECLARING
strengthening of that policy The peo-
pie rose en- masse and elected Roose-
velt, who IS convinced of the error Of
protectionism and imbued with broader
IDEAS regarding international and finan-
cial policy"
A Noite. leading Brazilian news
paper, declares that the Roosevelt vic
tory spells the end Of the extreme pro-
tectionism which is partly responsible
for the worlds economic crisis and
which forced other countries to retail