Evening star., 1934-08-12
SETS EXAMPLE
OF STABILITY FOR LATINS
Changes Twice Made
Peacefully in Last 4 Years as
Revolt Stirs Neighbors.

tration to the socialistic Davila gov
ernment, twice victorious and twice
defeated. until the present Alessandri
government came into power through
the ballot box
Nor is the Peruvian record better
one. Since the fall of the Leguia die
tatorship, which had ruled the coun-
try with an iron hand for IL years,
Peru has been in almost constant
domestic unrest. Col. Sanchez Cerro,
Leguia's conqueror, did not last long
at the helm. The fourth of a series
of military revolts finally ended his
provisional rule, although, after an
equal number of further changes of
government, Sanchez Cerro was re-
called and elected constitutional chief
executive This time revolutionary
attempts were less successful, but not
less numerous, until the career OF the
fiery little colonel was cut short by
an assassin's bullet, and Gen. Bena-
vides designated to complete his term
of office.
In Bolivia, where the revolutionary
wave of the '30s began. the military
government which ousted President
Siles restored the country TO normalcy
in record breaking time and since
the beginning of 1881 President
Salamanca has governed without the
threat of domestic disturbances, but
it Is difficult to say whether this would
have been the case had not the inter
national conflict with Paraguay dis
tracted public attention from internal
matters.
The same Is true of Paraguay. where
the head of the government resigned
at one time pressed by partison oppo-
sition, but the seriousness of the Chaco
war permitted his resumption of the
reins of power and the continuance
Of normal political conditions.
Reawakening In Ecuador.
Ecuador was just as prodigal as
Peru and Chile in its crop of Chief
Executives during the depression years.
AS in the two countries mentioned,
the overthrow of the Ayora dictator
ship naturally caused a reawakening
OF political passions which had been
repressed for many years.
Finally, in Venezuela, there has
been no revolution in the past four
| years. but neither has there been a
constitutional change of government,
! all the attributes of power having
continued in the strong hands of Gen.
| Gomez, the uncontested ruler of the
| country for quarter of a century
The record of Colombia, then. in
| these years of depression and political
upheaval, stands unmatched in South
ANnoripo IN loan xx-ta In
/ Bolivia and Peru had already sue
ceeded, President Olaya Herrera was
orderly inaugurated In Colombia after
an unprecedented election in which
/ he had defeated the government
( candidate. This fact made the event
/ even more significant. For A consecu-
| tive years the conservative party had
been in power when the liberal candi-
| date. Olaya Herrera, hurriedly return
| ing from his diplomatic post in Wash
| ington. and using airplanes and
radio in his campaign, upset the cart
and gave victory to the opposition.
But the sober democratic manner in
which the conservative forces and
| the existing government accepted
defeat and volunteered to help in the
consolidation of the newly elected
administration gave testimony of
Colombia's political maturity.
Now, four years later, after revolu-
tions and attempts at revolution have
disturbed the peace of every one of
the South American republics, Colom-
bia inaugurates another legally elected
constitutional Chief Executive and
marches oH.
! tcorynsht 1sS4.l