Evening star., 1932-08-14
ADVERSELY AIDS PRESTIGE
OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Nation, Under Trujillo Regime, Had
Treasury Surplus Last Year
Despite Depression.

puUllC DOllNld IlST IIldIl. n man
respected and beloved by all political
parties. with great courage and pune
| tillously honest, was elected 'unani-
mouslv to head the destinies of the
republic and is still doing it. working
successfully for the reorganization,
political and economic, of Bolivia. Peru
did not find her man. The military
chieftain who overthrew the Leguia
dictatorship lacked the craftsmanship
required at such crucial period. He
| turned out to be another autocrat and
soon had alienated all his popularity.
A series of uprisings broke out through
out Peru. and finally, he, in turn. had
to relinquish power by the force of
arms. Three other governments were
set up and overthrown, inside of few
weeks. before one with a relative de-
| gree of stability could be inaugurated.
| And today, when the first man-the
one whom Peru acclaimed as the con-
queror of Leguia and then repudiated
as a deSpot--is back in the saddle,
| domestic tranquility is still dream in
! the country. Periodically. revolution
ary attempts break up in different parts
of Peru or are squelched by the author
| tiles in embryo. Peru is still looking
for her man.
If internal peace and financial sue
cess are the test-and I can think Of
no better indexes-then it may be
said that the Dominican Republic, like
Bolivia. found the right man After
the military revolt of 1880 had forced
the resignation of old President Vas
quez, elections we're held, which re-
suited in the selection of Gen. Rafael
Trujillo as the new constitutional
President. A man of staunch char
acter, young and active. military
leader of the intellectual type, ener-
getic, frank and honest, President Tru-
jillo undertook, Immediately after his
Inauguration, a regime of strict gov
ernmental economies and administra-
tive reforms.
Inaugurates Reforms.
Placing his administration on busi
ness basis, he authorized the operation
of what is in essence a city-manager
plan applied to national conditions,
under which powers were delegated by
the President in accord with his con-
stitutional prerogatives. The New York
Times referred recently to this plan
with the following words:
This plan, believed unique in Latin
American financial history, is being
carried out through special budget
committee working in conjunction with
agent The committee is composed of
Dominican financial officials and Amer
ican technical experts. All budgetary al
locations are fixed monthly by the COM
mittee, all governmental expenditures
pass through its hands and it also ham
dies the purchasing of governmental
supplies. President Trujillo has set an
example in placing all executive and
army budgetary matters under the COM
mittee'S supervision, and has required
all other departments to live up to its
regulations. In actual operation, the
committee has shown itself to be i'm
partial and free from political pres
sure. 1t also has been able to expedite
constructive projects that are usually
delayed under ordinary governmental
procedure"
1t is due to the salutary effects of
this plan upon the finances of the
country, and to the efforts of President
Trujillo to develop the commerce and
the general business situation of the
island state, that the Dominican Re
pubic offers such contrasting picture
of economic bonanza and internal
peace on her 69th national anniversary.
Former U. S. Marine.
But the efficiency of his administra-
ton and his successful conduct of the
political and economic problems of the
Dominican Republic are not the only
things which make President Trujillo
outstanding among the statesmen of
the day. Probably the youngest elected
Chief Executive Of an independent ma
ton, yet the story of his life is full of
human interest, and should be partic
ularly appealing to American readers,
for President Trujillo started his mill
10 IN of ha T1Taifnd
States Marine Corps.
Since he joined the Marines-while
they were on duty in the Dominican
Republic-Gen. Trujillo was promoted
in the short period of 10 years from the
| lowest to the highest rank in the Do
minican Army. 1t is probably his con-
facts with Americans that have made
him such an admirer and good friend
of the United States as he has proven
himself to be. The first act of his ad-
ministration was the announcement
that he would contract American tech
nical experts to aid in the solution of
the nations financial problems and in
the development of its natural re-
| sources.
! This he has done, working earnestly
for the diversiication of industries in
| the country, heretofore almost entirely
! dependent upon four distinct crops:
Sugar, coffee, cacao and tobacco. And
| also with the aid of American experts
| he has succeeded in organizing the
nation to face economic adversely, and
to overcome it.
That he has really succeeded may
be inferred from the words OF Rep
resentative John Charles Iinthicum,
| chairman of the United States House
of Representatives Committee on For
eign Relations, who has just returned
| from visit in Santo Domingo, the
Dominican capital. Said Repres enta-
| tive Linthicum: The people Of the
| Dominican Republic should congratu-
late themselves upon the conditions in
which their country finds itself in spite
of the universal depression. They
/ should congratulate themselves for the
competent administration Of their able
and excellent President"
And that he Is not alone In TINS
opinion may be inferred from decla- :
ration of high State Department ofn-
cial. who expressed the other day. at
diplomatic reception, that the Trulllo
administration was held by the depart
ment as a model for present-day Latin
American governments.
Copyright, 1922