Evening star., 1932-10-23
BY GAsTON NERvAL.

lies, contributions. campaign
resolutions and pledges. Public speakers
i'll the air with eulogles Of their re-
.pective presidential choices. Political
clubs and ccnters meet day after day
to observe the progress Of the contest.
This is election time. The business
man, the scholar. the industrlalist. the
working man. the man in the street
they ali are temporarily at least, politi-
cally minded. Politics monopolizes the
front page
In q few more weeks, the man who
is to conduct the destinies Of the
Nation for the next four years will be
selected at the polls. And the presence
at this time of paramount economic
and social problems brought about by
the world depression places exceptional
importance upon the selection Of the
next Chief Executive Record registra-
ton of voters is testifying to this fact.
Need Prevails Elsewhere.
Is this picture Of the public mood
prevailing i'll the United States until
Novomber 9? Yes. but it is alEo that
prevailing IN Honduras. Chile. Ecuador
and Nicaragua. whore presidential
elections are due in the ncXt Is days.
These four Latin American republics
are scheduled to renew their govern
ments in the next two weeks. One Of
them. Chile. has renewed hers several
times during the last few months, as
the result Of a series of armed internal
upsets, but on this occasion the pilot
of the ship of state will be chosen at
the polls.
Hondurans. Chileans. Ecuadoreans
and Nicaraguans are, therefore. living
today the same moments. feverish with
political activity. which the inha abitants
CT the United States are going through.
With the increased intensity. of course,
becoming to their Latin temperament
and to their traditions of political
enthusiasm and passion.
Election Next Sunday.
In Honduras, the presidential cleo
ton to be held next Sunday is clear
cut contest alcng the classical lines Of
the Liberal-Conservative alignment
which has broken down in most of the
other Latin republics to be replaced BY
more shifting and personal aggregations
On one side is DR. Jose Angel Zuniga
Huete, the candidate Of the Liberal
party. a prominent lawyer. who has
held important positions in two pre-
vous administrations. The Liberal
party came, in power in 1923, in an
orderly and democratic fashion. much
in contrast with he unrest and the
violent changes which have been re-
Gently frequent on the other side of the
Rio Grande. The victory of the
Liberals at the polls. in 1923. was made
possible By the impartiality of the Con-
servative regime of DR.. Paz Barahona
who. accepting defeat in a manner not
typical Of Latin American executives
handed them, peacefully, the reins OF
government
This circumstance. and the repeated
promises Of the present authorities that
they will reciprocate in such sportsman
like treatment. support the popular be-
lief that in the coming elections the
Liberal overnment-contrary to that
which is generally the practice not only
in Latin America but elsewhere in the
world-will do nothing TO force its
candidate upon the will Of the Hon.
duran electorate
Carias Is Opponent.
Opposing Ssror Zuniea Huete is Gen
Tiourcio Carias. the Conservative o,
Nationalist candidate, several times
nominated to the presidency, but time
and again thwartcd In his political as
pirations by internal crises or external
comp icatiops. In 1928 according to
his followers. Gen. Carias received a
majority of the votes in the presidential
elections. but certain political ma
neuvers in Congress prevented his COM
ing into office. A bloody civil war fol-
lowed, which resulted in the overthrow "
of the existing regime. But at the con-
clusion of it. Gen. Carias was again de-
prived of the spoils of victory by the
friendly indication" of the United
States that he would not be recognized
even If triumphant in the new elections.
due to the 1928 treaties. which barred
the election to the presidency of revo-
lutiorary leaders
Although at that ime-immediately
after his victory at the battlefelds-
Gen. Carias had undoubted popular
support. he declined t. be the cause of
new domestic quarrels Respecting the
international treaties invoked. he step
ped aside. end toured the country ssk-
ing his followers to change their vote
to another prominent Nationalist. Dr.
Paz Barahcna
This attitude increased tremendously
his prestige. and in the last convention
Of the National party he was unani-
mously nominated the presidential can
didate Of the opposition group.
Chilean Situation Complicated.
The same day en- which the Hon.
durans will be making their selection
between the Liberal and the Nationalist
or Conservative candidates the inhab-
itants of the southern-most Latin
American republic will cast their votes
for new chief executive The elec-
toral stage is entirely different in Chile
from that Of Honduras And the
changes have been so frequent, so con-
tradicting. So unexpected in the do
mestfc situation of Chile lately. that
it becomes extremely difficult to even
describe the present lineup. les-t OF
all to make predictions SIS to the out
come of the elections next Sunday.
Chile is going through severe in
ternal crisis. Three major factors may
be said t. account for it. One is the
economic depression. which has wrecked
the finances Of the government and
awakened public discomfort. which in
Latin America is usually the prelude to
political agitation. Another is the
social unrest set in motion by the re-
cent SOcialistic revolt uhich ron :