The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-16
IURUGUAY'S VOTE. |UPHOLDS STAND
 AGAINST AXIS.
BY LAWRENCE S. HAAS United Press Latin American

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 New York, Dec. 1e --(Up)-- The smashing victory of the liberal can didates in the recent Uruguayan national election has not only vim dicated the Pan-American, conti- nental-unity policies of the Admin istration of President Alfredo Ball. domir but the result bears a deeper significance as well.
 It has shown that free people, in a country where elections are carried out with rigorous respect for the laws, have definitely repudi- ated Nazi- -Fascism possibly fur nishing further indication of South American public opinion re- garding foreign relations and the war,
 There is a similarity in the Uru- guayan elections to those held early in the year in Colombia. Both coun- tries are traditionally democratic, Each elected president to succeed a pro-democratic anti-Axis incum- bent who took office before the start of the present World War. The winner in each election cam paigned on Q pro-democratic Pan- American unity platform.
 In Strategical Location Uruguay, however, occupied a unique position. It is a much small CT country than Colombia and one whose economy Is based largely on agriculture. Agricultural countries generally lean to conservative views and are less likely to be subject tc theological advances of liberal ra. ture.
 Furthermore, Uruguay is, geogra. pE oally, Q sort of buffer state damned between two powerful neighbors Brazil on the north and Argentina on the west ane south. It occupies an important strategical position, commanding the sea approaches to the Rivel Plate basin, the lifeline for the for. eign trade of Argentina and Para quay.
 Brazil is at war with the Axis Argentina has insisted in maintain Ing a policy of prudent neutrality and with Chile, has held ou against the Rio de Janeiro confer ence recommendation last Januar! fo. a severance of those relations despite the fact that the recon mendations were carried out by al the other American republics tha had not previously broken relations or entered the war.
 In many ways Uruguay IS simila to Argentina. It has the same typ of climate and soil: It's history i closely connected with Argentina It's people. both -creoles" and thoS of newer European origin are of th' same stock. The policies of the tw' countries with regard to the wa are diametrically opposed, however and this difference was ratified b! the elections which will seat pr Juan Jose AmeZaga and pr. Alberto 0uani as president and vice e-presi dent respectively, on March l fol four year terms,
 Not only were the liberal head of the tickets elected but the Con gross will be strongly pro-demo cratic. In addition. referendum was carried, reforming the consti tuition SO that small minority par ties may henceforth cit in Congres under proportional representation.
 The constitutional reforms abol ish the system whereby the 30 sen ate seats were divided equally be tween the majority and the lead ing minority parties, and wher:b! the president had been required tt appoint a number of leading mi nority members to his cabinet
 This led to the bloodl:ss coup Q last February in which Baldomi seized governmental powers, dis solved congress. and postponed elections for months. His revol was prompted hecauS: the National ist Party - the chief minorit group-a conservative, isolationis organization, with It's IS senator and its cabinet representation, wa able to block or hamper execution of the government polciy Of hemi spheric defense cooperation. |