Evening star., 1932-12-25
LATIN AMERICA FACES
YULETIDE WITHOUT PEACE
Little of Usual Christmas Spirit Manifest
in Disturbances of Southern
Republics.

dated its position throughout the ma.
ton. Thus. grave disturbance OF
public order was avoided in the largest
Spanish American republic. which
would have been far more serious and
disastrous than the almost bloodless
"coups d'etat" which have lately taken
place in the Southern continent.
A cable dispatch from Santiago. the
capital Of Chile, announces that the
Chilean authorities are watching most
carefully the developments in nelgh.
boring Argentina. Chile itself has Juss
come out of series Of internal upsetS
which, because OF its suddenness ana
continuance, seemed for moment TO
have almost destroyed governmental
stability in that country.
Alessandri Faces Probiea,A
These successive revolts. which start
ed with the Davila Socialistic co->p.
several months ago, and then de- mr.
ated in a series of military revol-s With
purposes other than personal ambition,
difficult to ascertain, came to an end
only a few weeks ago, when popular
elections resulted in the selection OF
former President Arturo Alessandri to
head new government.
This government, the first constitu-
tional one which Chile will have since
the overthrow of Montero by Senor
Davila, was to have been inaugurated
in Santiago yesterday. Although in
Latin America, under normal circum-
stances, the stability of a government
is usually greatest at the time OF its
disturbances have left SO much disor-
ganization and hatred, the government
will be Immediately faced with SO many
and such pressing financial problems
and the class consciousness of the lower
elements of the Chilean populace has
been lately developed to such an ex-
tent that any prediction Of uninter-
rupted peace and order in Chile seems
for the moment rather venturesome,
! The same may be said of Ecuador,
where a new and constitutional regime
was inaugurated three weeks ago. The
election of the present authorities was
also preceded in Ecuador by a series OF
internal upsets, during which the reigns
of government changed hands several
/ times. President Martinez Mera, al
though apparently supported by a ma
| jority of the Ecuadorean people, Will
undoubtedly have a difficult time cor
recting the evils inherited from the re-
cent disorders and controlling the am
! billions of certain military cfieftains
who in Ecuador, like in Chile have Of
/ ldlt dSSullleu dangerous TUE III lIIS
politics of the country. .tr
! In Brazil, the federal government
and the population have not yet fully
| recovered from the calamities of the
recent civil war in which thousands OF
men and millions of dollars were lost.
/ The victory of the federal troops has,
! OF course, strengthened the position of
/ the Vargas government, but it has not
solved the acute political differences
prevailing in that vast South American
republic. New party alignments are
being drawn, and political activity will
necessarily increase in the near future,
tions, some time next May, draws
nearer.
Other Discords.
( Another civil war. on a much smaller
scale. is still in progress in Honduras,
Central America. where a group of dis
contents, headed by a few army Off
GERS. refuse to accept the results Of the
recent presidential elections in which
/ the government party was defeated,
even though the party itself has off.
cially acknowledged its defeat and dis
! avoWed the rebellion. So far. the loyal
forces have had little difficulty in rorc-
ing the revolutionists from various
towns they had seized, and as these
lines are being written, the final out
! come seems already decided The
rebels. however. are still holding some
/ important positions and hindering. at
any rate, the normal activities of the
/ government and the public peace.
! In Nicaragua, where the adherents
/ of Sandno have never quit entirely
/ their rebellious activities, new gov
| ernment is coming into power next
| Sunday. This government. the result
OF the freest elections that Nicaragua
has witnessed, will be presided over by
the Liberal leader, DR.. Juan B. Sacasa.
former Minister to Washington. who
won at the polls by a substantial ma
/ lorlty, The popularity of Dr.. Sacasa,
and his unique position in Nicaraguan
politics. make the chances Of a peace
full agreement with Sandino appear
nearer than ever. Yet. some observers
are alarmed over the complications
which might arise if such an agree
nent is not concluded soon and the
marines are withdrawn too suddenly.
Add to all this the reported activities
OF so-caLed communistic groups in GER
tain States OF Mexico, in Cuba and in
Costa Rica. and you will understand
why I contend that whatever Santa
Claus brought to Latin America, 1t
certainly was not domestic tranquility
and peace on earth, good will TO
| men"
tCopyr!ght, 1q32)