Evening star., 1937-08-22
TOTALITARIAN REGIMES
LONG A LATIN FASHION
Political Parties Are Pre-
pairing to Return Paraguay to Nor
NAL After Franco Rule.

were placed under the minister Of the
interior.
Any one acquainted with Latin
American politics knew that those
were, precisely, the things that every
dictatorial regime had done before in
that part Of the world, although not
proclaiming them In advance. That
seemed to be the only difference. The
"totalitarian" Paraguayan government
was announcing beforehand that 1t
would take the steps and follow the
policies which other iron rule" re-
gimes, while not admitting In theory.
had invariably carried out in practice.
The program said nothing about
altering the almost feudal conditions
in which the economy Of the country
Is based, 4 few wealthy landowners
living on the work Of 4 numerous ex-
plotted peon class; nothing about the
relations Of capital and labor; nothing
about the ma jor internal adjustments
made imperative by the Chaco war
Commenting upon that program, and
deriding the report that the "totali-
tartan regime" had made its FIRST
appearance In the New World. We
wrote in these columns . year and q
half ago:
1T may be that Col. Franco and hia
followers are In the possession Of care
fully guarded plans which will, later
on, reveal their determination to bring
about some fundamental changes in
the social and economic structure OF
their country. but the evidence %
far known hardly points In that direc-
ton. Although only time can pass
Judgment. the only signs In sight seem
to be those Of the old fashioned
personalistic rule relying on military
force"
Prepare for Return - Normal.
Time has, now. passed judgment
and the result Is the overthrow of thl
alleged "totAlitArian" Franco govern
ment after IL months Of = personals.
tic regime which made not the slight.
est impression upon the social eco-
nomics Of Paraguay. As at the end
of any other previous dictatorial one
man rule. the traditional political par.
ties now begin to prepare to return the
country to normal, constitutional con-
ditions.
The other American republics viii
welcome this step toward the end d
military rule in Paraguay and its early
return to normalcy, but before they
hasten to extend recognition to the
provisional government which ha,
ousted Col Franco, they should make
sure that 1t is going to carry out all the
international engagements to which
Paraguay Is = party This, which II
usually little more than . formAlity
in this case may be Of great impor-
tance because Paraguay has signed,
since the conclusion Of its war with
Bolivia, June. 1885, . series OF agree
ments regulating conditions in the
Chaco until . peaceful and flnal settle-
ment OF the territorial question be-
tween the two countries Is found. And
these agreements have been signed
under the good ohices OF six neutral
American republics. the United States
Argentina, Brazil, Chile. Uruguay and
Peru. who are bound to see that they
are observed. II the new Paraguayan
government attempted now to repudi-
ate any OF these accords. it would
be breaking faith not only with Bo-
livia, the other country directly in
terested In the Chaco, but with the
six American nations sponsors and
Joint euarantors Of the Chaco peace
Moreover, 1t would be jeopardizing the
whole peace machinery painfully beins
built in the Western Hemisphere.
| tCopyrisht. 1897