Evening star., 1935-12-15

THIRTEEN HUNDRED GOV.
ERNMENT SOLDIERS WHO
MUTINIED AND 20 REBEL
OFFICERS. SHOWN AS THEY
SURRENDERED AT BARRACKS
NEAR RIO DE JANEIRO.
"A. p. HhOto.
fact that it has been the headquar-
ters Of the Alliancistas, it is doubt
ful If genuine Communism could make
much headway. The city has had
little unemployment in recent years.
One OF the largest labor groups in
Rio is the dock workers. They are
strongly organized and independent
and have paid little heed to the cam
paign Of the Alliancistas. They get
very high wages, work under good
conditions. on the cleanest docks in
the world-therefore they are not
easily aroused against their employ
ers. The chauffeurS, another large
and strongly organized group, pay no
attention to radical preachments, for
the simple reason that they are capi-
talists Every chauffeur in Rio owns
his own car.
In other words, except for the Gus
tomary number of radical leaders
found in any world metropolis, pop
largely political and economic-that
is, most of its members find it good
business to belong. Most people be-
lieve that when political or propa-
ganda money stops flowing the ac-
tivity of the majority of Alliancistas
will cease.
Only in the north, where the recent
uprisings occurred. is there genuine
cause for belief in the possibilities Of
radical and communistic extremes.
The population of the States of
Bahia, PernaInbuco, Rio Grande do
Norte and one or two others is over
whelmingly Negro. the majority Of
whom make up the lower social
stratum. The great majority of these
people are illiterate and door. Many
of them live under unhealthy condi-
tions. They are easily aroused to
impassioned extremes when made to
feel that they have been wronged.
Mob Anger Short Lived.
Not long ago in Sac Salvador,
Bahia, radical labor organizers in
famed workers on the tramway, which
happens to be operated by q foreign
concern, against what they had been
made to feel were the injustices Of
the company. Mobs destroyed cars
in the streets, burned car barns and
repair shops. seized the manager and
held him prisoner for q few hours.
But in couple Of days their anger
had subsidized and practically every
body went back to work.
In Pernambuco there have been
similar outbursts. A short time be-
fore the recent uprising, one indus
trial leader in Recife, the largest
single employer in the state, told me
that he doubted whether any radical,
much less communistic, influence
could make much headway If business
men would use only a moderate
amount of social foresight.
Here is a state" he told me, with
no Winter, no extreme climate, not
even extreme heat, as North Amer
leans popularity suppose. Nature is
abundant. Almost everything in the
way of food can be produced with
little effort. 1t is my observation that
plenty of food is the greatest single
handicap the Communist preacher has
to overcome in his efforts to get con-
verts.'
At the same time-proving that he
intended to guard against all possibil-
itieS-he had started out to meet any
developments along these lines. And
his efforts, being on a big scale, were
arousing great interest throughout the
country.
up until year and a half ago
there had been continual trouble
among our 5000 employees" he ad-
mitted. Even a few minor riots now
and then. But the trouble, it occurred
to me, might be due to physical rather
than to social causes. For instance,
men did not work regularly. A street
car motorman thought nothing Of
staying away from his Job two days
out of the week. He usually reported
sick, or used the excuse that he had
been attending the funeral Of his
brother or mother-in-law.
Establishes Relief Bases.
IT decided to spend some money to
experiment, and observe the results. I
figured that most of these men were
indolent and shiftless because they
were not getting enough good whole
some food. They had large families
to support, consequently they them
selves quite often went without lunch,
because the family needed the food.
I established what call soup kitch-
ems, but which in reality are res
taurants, in various strategic places.
But not as charity. Oh, no. Brazil
ians, and especially Brazilian work
men. are very proud and will not take
kindly to obvious charity.
The kitchens are purely business