Evening star., 1941-01-15
Paraguay Seen in
Political Ferment
Youthful Group Of Military
Officers Are Believed
Planning Revolt
BIZ John Gunther.

Latin American countries, heard a
new -"confusionismo"-to describe
complex political situation that seems
rapidly coming to boil
The visitor to Asuncion encounters
more than merely the bright red earth
OF the bumpy roads, the squat Guarani
women smoking cigars, the flaming
orange and frangipani trees, and men,
ories of Madame Lynch, the French
Irish courtesan who was Paraguay's
semi-dictator 80-odd years ago.
Paraguay today is gripped, if not bv
actual terror, by apprehension and in
timidation. The walls whisper, the corri-
doris echo and the old-line politicians are
scurrying into exile, following a Christ
mas Day cleanup by forces either repre-
senting or dominating Gen. Higinio
Morinigo, the President and dictator.
The Paraguayan government says
resolutely that it is not influenced by
foreign totalitarian ideas, but it is con-
feSsedly setting out to build the nearest
thing to a cooperative state yet seen in
the Americas. Behind the government
is clique of young officers, and they
are pushing hard to do their revolu-
tionary job.
Elements Of the mysterious exist in
Paraguay. I talked to dozens of we'll
informed people in Asuncion, Para
guavans and foreigners both, but no one
could-or would-tell me precisely who
these young officers are. The best guess
is that there are nine of them-three
army captains, three naval lieutenants,
and three students They are youthful,
| patriotic and ambitious, and they have
displaced their seniors, except for a few
fgureheadS. Paraguay is military
dictatorship not of generals but of
officers under the rank of major. The
young officers boss their Seniors-odd
as this may seem
Two things happened in Paraguay on
Christmas Day. First President Morinigo
announced the program of the govern
ment in a radio address to the nation;
second, a number of oppositionists were
arrested and a few were interned.
I'VE shall labor for the unity of the
Paraguayan nation" said the President.
THE system of government by parties
should be replaced by government for
the nation We believe that the
true and direct object of the state is
development of all the faculties of the
nation > . Hence we reject liberalism,
the product of the 18th century -. We
stand. above all, for the Intervention of
the state in the economic field and
especially in the relations of capital and
| labor
|
Gen. Morlnigo went on to say that the
motto Of his government would be
order, hierarchy and discipline that
the state should be free of the influence
OF foreign capital, and that he stood
for permanent control by the state of
all concessions and public services.
On the other hand, the Presidents ad-
dress paid lip service to democracy, pro-
Vlded that the democracy was "au-
thentlc." He said free elections were a
farce among people not educated to ap-
preciate them.
In the presidential program are the
! following points, among many: Suppress
sion OF class conflicts. No exploitation
OF the proletarian class by capital. A
comprehensive educational and social
welfare program. Redistribution of the
real property of the country. so that
every Paraguayan family shall have its
own land Agrarian co-operatives. Free
education with strong nationalist
teaching. Finally, protection by Almighty
God.
In other words, the winds of national
socialist doctrine-plus religious dog
matlSm peculiar to Paraguay have
reached the bright red roads of Asuncion
and are rustling through the orange
| trees.
President Morinigo received me for
brief audience. He wore a pure white
uniform with golden epaulettes, and his
Jet-black eyes were animated and
friendly. He added little to his Christ
mas declaration except to insist that
democracy must be "selective," and that
the state should intervene to ensure the
happiness and tranquility of the people.
He denied reports of political dis
turbance, and minimized the number of
arrests.
Neutral observers agree that only
about dozen men were arrested on
Christmas Day. Of these, several nave
already been released. Those detained
were sent to the Island of Pena Hermosa,
a penal colony in the Chaco wilderness.
Nevertheless, President Morinigo and
the youthful cooperative clique behind
him-or ahead of him-have made a
clean sweep of political opposition in
the past few months Practically every
face in power is new. Rotation of men
in office has been dizzying The "outs"
are out, and the "ins" are scrambling
for position.
Gen. Morinigo was named President on
September Z, 1910, in succession to Gen.
Jose Felix Estigarriba, whose promising
career was tragically cut short in an
airplane accident. A period of political
dlsinJegration followed. Morinigo was
supposed to serve an interim term of
two months only. Almost at once his
advisers arranged that he retain office
until new elections in 1943. Four of his
cabinet ministers then resigned. Two of
them, JuSto Pastor Benitez, Minister of
Finance, and Marin Iglesias, Minister of
Interior, were arrested, and it is believed
are still in Jail. third, Pablo Max
Insfran, Minister of Public Works, went
into voluntary" exile.
On November 80 President Morinigo
declared dictatorsh } and assumed full
powers. -Four ranking army officers
were dismissed, including the COM
mander in chief Gen. Nicolas Delgado.