Evening star., 1933-05-14
"RED" TERROR is REVIVED
in PERU BY ASSASSINATION
Slaying of Sanchez Cerro, Who Personi.
fled Strong.Arm Methods, Puts
Fear Once More in Saddle.

, ship and even had recourse to the same
old methods that the deposed ruler
Leguia. had employed for many years
to stif1e public opposition. Political
''detenidcs" again began to leave Peru
Wan ports, and others went to fill anew
the prison of San Lorenzo.
Naturally, it was not long before his
popularity began to wane. The first
signs of discomfort came in the form
of strikes of workingmen and students,
which in some cases resulted in vio-
lence and bloc dshed. And when rumors
of his political ambitions we're con-
firmed by his announcement that he
intended to stand for election as Con-
stitutional President for the regular
5-year term, public opposition reached
| its climax. The outcome of an elec-
ton held under the direction of the
same person who was to be the chief
candidate was. of course. not diff
cult to ascertain in advance.
The Peruvians realized that a new
personalistic rule was looming up. and
! that the whole revolutionary drama
was in danger of ending, after all, in
another dictatorlal comedy.
When certain high army and navy
officers came to this realization, popu-
! lar unrest crystallized Two armed up
risings-cne in the southern metropo-
! lis of Arequipa and another in the
ncrthcrn reglon-fnally forced Pro-
vlsioncl President Sanchez Cerro 10
hand in his resignation and fee the
country
At this point it seemed as if the
meteoric political career of Col. San
! cnez Cerro was at an end. But 1t
! was net. His exit from Peru was fol-
/ lowed by a series of internal upsets.
I uhifh dnp,Ot q 1i1ol Iaa e
! fered fertile ground for the propaga-
ton of radical tendencies.
! To such an extent did the sectors of
the Left become organized and spread
their propaganda that the conservative
clements headed by the old Civilista
party found themselves, when the
presidential elections of October, 1881.
were only few months away before
an enemy much more powerful than
they had expected. Alarmed by the
/ possibilities of a radical victory they
recalled Sanchez Cerro from his exile,
and impreSsing upon the Peruvian
people, and particularly upon the mid
! die class. that he was the only guaran-
! tee against the atrocities and excesscs"
OF red government" they succeeded
in having him nominated a presidential
candidate.
Opposed by De- Ia Tore.
Against him stood Haya de Ia Tore,
founder CT the Apra party. who ad-
vocsted a united front of working
people and intellectua's ior q more
equitable distribution o. wealth and the
exploitation of natural resources by
national elements. Haya de IA Tore
embarrassed by the accusations of
Communism cast upon his party. had
/ tried to explain that the Apra was
! scrt of a British Labor party. with
moderate socialistic 2nns, but ApriSm
! had already suffered from the ontllusi-
/ asm of its interpreter. Fer the bulk
/ OF the populace and fer the conserva-
! tives especially, Aprism was "disgu!sed
communism"
/ 1t was. precisely. frightened by the
/ tone Of the Aprista electoral campaign,
I perhaps little inoiscreet, tha: not only
! the conservatives. but the middle class.
I tste professional groups. the army. the
church. ell the organized factions which
/ still control Peruvian rcliticG. aligned
themselves behind Sanchez Cerro and
gave him their votes. They went to
him because he vas the only one abe
to maintain order ard to head consti-
tutioral government which would pro-
tect and rrceo-re the o1;istlng order
! Cl lIl4llSS- fElO D~Idu-C lAlEN hA4N La
! would have the support of the armed
forces to do so.
/ That in October 1881, man who,
! less than year before, had been ouSted
/ from power and expelled from the
/ country should have been elected Con-
stitutional President of Peru, can only
| be explained b. the fear and reaction
! of the Peruvian people against the red
menace" The more so, when they
knew the strong leanings of Col. San
chez Cerro for autocratic and PERSONAL
istic methods of government.
| But the fear obscured the memory OF
the electors, and Col. Sanchez Cerro,
in December. 1881, was again at the
| helm of the Peruvian ship of state. The
rest We all know. New prosecutions,
rev martial laws, new political prison.
ers. new armed uprisings. And then,
one Sunday afternoon two weeks ago.
several shots from an Aprista fanatic
rung the final curtain down.
(Cor1--ripht 1921