Evening star., 1932-10-02
NEW CHILEAN PRESIDENT
PLEDGED TO SOCIALISM
Blanche Announcement Disappointing
to Those Who Fl cured Davila's Down.
fall Was End Of Regime.

| d'etat, reyolts. "cuartelazos," directed
against the personal rule of a dictator
or a strong political clique which had
lost popular support.
These movements, 1t is true, had
made use Of violence to regain indi-
| vidual liberties lost to the absolutism Of
autocratic rulers and they had resulted
in the establishment of new govern
ments, more in accordance with the will
Of the people and more respectmul Of
the nations institutions. But they had
not affected the nature OF these insti-
tutions. They had not altered the
| social or economic structure of the
country. They had not changed the
! fundamental principles of government,
nor the political system in existence.
They had been, in word, movements
against persons. not against institutions
But the Chilean socialistic uprising
was an entirely different thing. This,
as said at the time. was a revolution
against certain system of government.
A revolution which aimed at the sub
stitution Of new political and economic
concepts. A revolution, which intended
to set up distinct economic order in
the country, in the advancement Of the
forgotten mans cause" revolution
which sought the elimination OF class
distinctions and the surrender Of in
dividual privileges 10 the higher inter-
estS OF the society and the state
This was a revolution in which age
old institutions were at stake Democ-
racy. capitalism, private enterprise, in
dividual profit. economic independence.
were loudly challenged by the Chilean
revolutionists. Not that all these things
would go automatically "out Of the
window" in Chile, but ii was safe to
predict. thought. that they would be
finally affected by the change taking
place over there.
As for the continued disturbances
and uncertainties OF the internal situ-
alton in Chile, 1 considered them the
best evidence Of the theory that the
Chliean socialistic change was real
one. A real revolution could not be
completed overnight. Long and bitter
struggle was an essential factor in the
success OF any truly revolutionary
movement
New Force in Motion.
II this had been lust another of the
periodical disturbances of the type to
which Latin Americans are so accus-
toned" it would have ended with the
mere overthrow of the men against
whom it was directed But the Social
lstlc upset in Chile as I saw it. had
oone more than simply oust from power
the conservative regime of President
Montero. 1t had set in motion a new
force, the force of the masses who had
been lmblbing from the spring of So
| clallstic and Communistic principles
since the days of Alessandri. the great
commoner' Of Chilean politics
And now that the force was in mo-
ton, the very leaders of the uprising
we're at odds to control it. This was
the danger nf rnlitiHo1
which social forces had been aroused.
These forces sometimes became over
Whelming and carried down the stream
the very leaders who had called them
to action. sort Of political re-en-
| actment of the Frankenstein drama.
Such was the explanation Of the re-
peated and sudden changes which had
followed. and were still to follow, the
hrst sociallstic upset in Chile
Recent events in Chile have con-
f1rmed these predictions. I still think
! tnat this IS a real revolution At least,
tnat 1t started out to be a real reyo-
luton. And l still say. as / said be-
fore, that unless the ambitions of mill
tary chieftains and petty politicians
pervert 1t in the end the Sociahstic
revolution in Chile is bound to make
history in that part Of the world.
In the meantime while government
heads have been succeeding one an
other. let us see what the Socialistic
regime has already done in Chile in a
Few months, irrespective of such
changes in the personnel OF the ad-
mlnlstratlon. A brief summary Of the
achleVementS OF the Davila regime,
which the new government promises to
uphold, is the following:
Establishment of the commissariat NJ
subsistence and prices, to control pro
duction and sales Of food, clothing and
other necessities
Huge Emergency Plan.
Plan Of emergency. entailing an ex-
expenditure of 100000 pesos to aid
agriculture industry and mining and
containing program for the elimina-
ton OF unemployment through which
this has almost disappeared in Chile.
Creation OF the Institute Of Foreign
Trade to boom exports.
Authorization for bank of amorti-
cation to take steps for the ultimate
payment of the Nations foreign debts.
CONTAMINATION of public credit in the
hands OF the State.
Reformation Of the income tar and
inheritance tax.
House-cleaning" in the national uni
verslty and school system to eliminate
communism and extremist teachings.
Efforts of the foreign Office to pro-
mote continental peace and the sign
ing OF commercial agreements with Ar
gentina, France and other countries.
And so on
No wonder Senor Davila. shortly be-
lore his retirement. stated that Social
Ism IN Chile is not even an expert
ment now, 1t is an acknowledged. sta
Die fact" Let us hope that personal
ambitions or the rivalries Of military
chieftains will not undo the progress
so far made