Evening star., 1939-01-29

will enjoy tremendous boom through
the reinsurance felt by business and the
halt called to the governmental meas
ures against property.
Standing in this middle of the road
position he at present has many adher-
ents. The army automatically supports
him. AZ out of 81 Senators are now
listed as backing him, the military block
of the Chamber of Deputies and many
State governors are solidly in his ranks.
One large organized farm group has
also declared for his candidacy.
Mugica Is Left Winger.
The second most important candidate
is Gen. Francisco Mugica, who stands
as firmly to the left as Gen. Avila Ca
macho stands in the center. Gen. Mu-
gica is also close friend to Cardenas,
although it is reported that he and Avila
Camacho are enemies. He has con-
sistently been linked with Vicente Lom-
bardo Toledano, head of the Confedera-
ton of Mexican Labor, and Luis I. Rodri-
quez. head of the administration party
of the Mexican Revolution, as leader
of the left wing group.
His personality is nervous, aggressive,
electric and his program is expected to
be highly pro-labor. Political analysts
here state that he will be supported by
the minority group of the Senate. by
10000 school teachers, and the entire per-
sonnel of the Department of Communi-
cations and Public Works by the Con-
federation of Mexican Labor, the ma
jority of the party of the Mexican Revo-
luton, and the Communist party.
Gen. Rafael Sanchez Tapia stands to
the extreme right of the political arena.
He is the oldest of the three men,
former minister of national economy,
and seasoned politician. A former
Cardenas favorite, it is reported that he
is now alienated from the Presidents
inner circle.
He is being supported by the conserva-
tive group, which Is most often desig-
mated as the "Old Revolutionaries.
They comprise the veterans of the 1910
to 1920 revolutionary years, who have
been frankly opposed to the program
of the present administration. They have
been unusually coherent in recent months
and their combined strength. represent
ing capital and property interests, may
be formidable factor.
Two organizations whose pronounce
ments will have much weight have been
shrewdly silent to date. They are the
Confederation of Mexican Labor and the
party of the Mexican Revolution. Each
is scheduled to have national conven-
tions in the early spring and their in
dorsements at that time will be eagerly
anticipated and may have a decisive in
fuence. 1t is generally assumed that
they will act in harmony and support
leftist leader.
Hard to Gauge Strength.
1t is at present hard to gauge the
strength of the Party of the Mexican
Revolution. During the Cardenas regime
it has been reorganized from the old
Gales dominated National Revolutionary
Party and, due to the unpopularity of
its chief, Luis I. Rodriguez, has been the
butt of many attacks from all but radical
quarters ir recent months.
However, it remains the skeleton or
ganization through which the adminis-
tration may act and it is charged with
the highly important duty of drawing up
the second six-year plan. The role it
will play depends entirely upon Presi-
dent Cardenas, who may suddenly throw
the weight of his prestige behind it and
hold aloof from it as he has done in re-
cent months, thereby decreasing its i'm
portance.
President Cardenas, as head of the
nation and the party is, of course, the
most formidable factor of all in the
forthcoming struggle. His repeated pro-
nouncement has been that The people
will select the future president. Neither
the senators nor the deputies will con-
troll the elections"
A free election in Mexico would indeed
be rarity and would mark a decided
advance on the democratic path from
the previously controlled plebiscites. It
would be daring thing to attempt, but
President Cardenas has been daring be-
fore and there is thought to be an even
chance that he will keep hands off and
let the candidates fight it out among
themselves.
That Cardenas himself does not in
tend to withdraw from the scene is indi-
Gated by persistent runor concerning
his future plans. 1t is that he aspires to
become head of the recently organized
Civil Service Union, and as such, with q
control of all government employees, to
WELD power which would indirectly be
the most powerful in the Republic.