The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-11
M.E.TracySays:

MANY unique characters have claimed the
1V1 political spotlight since the twentieth CEN
fury began-Madero, Doctor Sun, Mustapha
Renal, Lenin, Mussolini, and host of others
1t has been period of chaos on the one hand
and reform on the other.
Not a great nation but has been touched
by the surge of new ideas and new theories
Mostly these have been promoted by strong
original men. Demagogs, call them, for
want of better word, but they have left their
marks.
Hipolito Irigoyen, who died at Buenos Aires
on July was typical of the era of war, revolu-
ton, and reform through which humanity has
been passing for the last twenty years, of the
odd, independent type of man that has played
such a tremendous part in changing the drift
of political thought.
He had the virtue of being different not only
in his viewpoint. but in his method. 1t is said
that he never made a speech or granted an
interview to reporters, but he rose from OBJ
security to be the guiding force of Argentine for
two decades,
TRIGOYENS origin is so obscure that the place
l. and time of his birth are matters of dispute.
AS young man he studied law, but gave it up
for ranchng A little later he became captain
of police and later still taught history in
normal school.
Not until the age of so did he take any prom
inent part in politics. At that time he ident1-
tilted himself with the so-caed radical elements
which sought electoral reforms. He became in
volved in three revolutions, all of which failed,
but of which left him entrenched more Sondly
as a recognized leader Of the popular party.
In 1916, at the age of 66, he was elected
president of the Argentine Republic. He not only
named his successor in 1922, but was elected
for second term in 1928, only to be depoSed by
the Urburu revolution two years afterward.
In the war Irigoyen took a firm stand for
neutrality not because he was prof. German but
because he was an uncompronliSing nationalist.
In his viewpoint Argentina had nothing to gain
by joining the allies and nothing to lose if she
did not Because of his attitude, he generally
was regarded as anti-American, and a certain
degree Of antagonism developed on account of
such a belief
T IKE most reformers I-igoyen found himself
IL unable to control the more radical ele
ments of his own party the one hand or
stem the natural tide of reaction on the other.
After serving one full term as president and
two years Of a second, he was overthrown by
revolution in 1880 and made virtual prisoner
Of state. Nothing attests the power he had &C
quired more vividly than the fact that those in
control of the Argentine government did not
dare to set him free until he had become so
feeble that the imminence of death was respect.
Now that Irigoyen no longer is menace and
the part he played in the affairs of his country
can be judged without prejudices Of active par
tisanship, he Will be accorded the place he de-
serves as a leader of political thought.
In this connection he stood against the pre-
vailing drift of internationalism. He was much
more Of democrat than some Of those who set
out to save the world for democracy on a bat
tlefield.