Evening star., 1942-07-17
Arqentine Truuedy

iilS uiitullSly dSdDll VI ItOOtl W M.
Ortiz, former President of Argentina,
is the elimination of a series of
tragic circumstances at once per-
Sonal, national, and hemisphere in
scope. Had it not been for the Ill
health which compelled Senor Ortiz
to rellnquish his executive duties two
years ago and then formally to resign
the presidency last month, it is prob
able that the course of Argentine
politics, foreign and domestic alike
would have been much happier for
all except the Axis and their local
sympathizers or partisans. In all
likelihood Argentina would today be
standing solidly with the United
States and most of its sister republics
in a united front for American
interests and forward-looking ideals,
If Ortiz had continued to occupy the
presidential chair.
Roberto Ortiz was a fine represen-
tatlVe OF the urban middle class of
Argentina. Born in Buenos Aires,
the Argentine metropolis, SIS years
ago, he was reared in comfortable
circumstances, his father being a
Spanish Basque who had settled in
Buenos Aires and established a sue
cessful importing business Young
Ortiz chose the profession of law,
entered politics, and rose gradually
IN the ranks Of the so-called Radical
party, really liberal in tone, and dedi-
Gated to economic and social reforms
in the evolutionary sense The Radi-
cal party dominated Argentine poll
tics until it split during the revolu-
tlonary period of the early 1o30s.
That troubled epoch seemed to have
constructively ended when, in the
elections Of 1887, Ortiz was chosen
President as head of a liberal and
moderate conservative coalition on a
balanced ticket, his vice presidential
running mate being Ramon Castillo.
They were duly inaugurated for a
six-year term, running from 1888 to
1914.
The new President promptly started
his reform program by a series of
liberal proposals, especially one for
a vigorous political housekeeping
centering on election frauds which
had long been crying evil in Ar
gentina's political life This aroused
growing opposition among many old
line politicians, especially among the
conservatives. Even at this early
date, Vice President Castillo, typi-
cal landed proprietor, obviously did
not share the Presidents reformist
enthusiasm. However, both the Rad
lcal factions and even the Socialists,
favored Ortiz policies, and the Con-
greSsional elections Of 1889 gave them
control of the lower house. Their
liking for the President was inten-
sifled by the outbreak of war in
Europe that autumn, because they
and Ortiz Immediately condemned
German aggression and favored pre-
ventive Pan-American measures to
safeguard New World interests. On
the other hand, the conservatives
were for strict neutrality and in
cluded most of those suspicious of
the United States and sympathetic
toward Germany and Italy.
Unfortunately, at this critical
juncture, President Ortiz health rap
idly failed. Ror years he had suffered
from kidney and heart ailments, and
early in 1941 he was stricken with
blindness. By that summer he was
no longer capable of carrying on his
executive duties and therefore dele
gated them to his colleague, Castillo,
who became acting President.
Castillo, since his accession to the
presidency, has accentuated his au-
thoritarian and isolationist attitude.
But the grief-stricken crowds which
lined the streets of Buenos Aires dur
ing Ortiz state funeral procession
and clashed with the police as they
shouted Long, live Democracy"
prove that their dead champions
spirjt livac on