Evening star., 1935-12-15

pTdCJlCalIy Ill Oh tne power COtIl-
panies are owned by Canadian and
United States interests.
In view of all these things. it be-
comes difficult to separate some of the
ideas Of the Communistic movement
from those of the Fascist organization.
1t is my own opinion, after several
weeks of observation, that while Inte-
grslismo has spread rapidly and be-
come popular, it is not altogether GER
tain that fear of Communism or the
recent reSurgence of radicalism is the
real reason for its existence.
Brazil experienced genuine revolu-
ton in 1880, the first successful one in
the history of the republic. Its con-
servative government, under the lead
ership of the Republican party, was
overthrown after 40 years of con-
tinuous rule. Four years passed before
elections were held and a new con-
stitution promulgated. Those four
years were years of uncertainty. years
marked by antogonisms and wrangles
among leaders themselves. bitter an
tagonisms among the States. and final
ly the long. severe. although unSuc-
cesSful, counter-revolution of 1882.
All of this has been distasteful to a
great portion Of the business men.
large and small. and particularly the
small ones. Big business could hire
smart lawyers to interpret all the new
and conflicting laws, regulations and
edicts which flowed from Rio to every
corner of the country. But small busi-
ness men, under the necessity Of max
ing their own interpretations, found
themselves in a constant state of con-
fusion and conflict with officialdom.
States Own Bosses.
In Brazil. until the 1880 revolution,
as in no other republic in the hemi-
sphere, not even our own, the states
had always been their own bosses
Until then they could levy their own
import and export taxes. make their
own immigration laws, etc. But after
the revolution everything emanated
from Rio, even the smallest and most
trivial regulations. Ordinary business
men and individualists were always at
sea. They resented all this new inter-
ference from the national capital. Con-
sequently, when some movement came
along which seemed to open up an
opportunity for protest, which prom
iSed firm and direct measures, it be-
came popular.
Indeed, it is doubtful whether any
genuine Communism exists in the
country. In the powerful State of Rio
Grande do Sui, the Texas of Brazil,
there is no radical movement whatso-
ever, not known Communist in the
state. 1t has an efficient government,
under the firm hand of Gen. Flores
da Cunha, in the opinion of many the
strong man Of the country today, and
neither the Alliance Liberdadora nor
Integralismo finds a foothold. Incl
dentally, the state has a militia of
$4,000 men of its own, as well equipped
and trained as the national army.
In Sac Paulo, the richest and busiest
state of the union, the highest in
dustrial wages Of the country are paid
There is even a shortage of labor in
many lines at the present time De-
preston has never weighed heavily on
the people of this state. When fac
tories in other countries closed, those
in Sac Paulo, except for a few
branches of foreign firms, kept going.
If q man In town found himself
without work, he had but to 60 to
the interior and get job on one Of
the great fazendas where the greater
portion of the worlds coffee is grown,
and where now cotton, q new, addi-
tional and profitable crop, is being
planted in increasing quantities.
Laborers Control Land.
Then, too, the system of labor is
such that q man who works on a
coffee or cotton plantation is provided
with q piece Of land of his own In
addition to his remuneration for
fazenda labor, so that he may grow
some coffee and cotton for himself.
Under these conditions, in the
midst Of what to Sac Paulo is pros
perity. I do not think Communism
has been or soon will be likely 10
make any noticeable inroads.
Even in Rio ITSELF In spite Of the