Evening star., 1942-04-26
Colombia GUARDING
Against Violence in
National Elections
Choice of President
Next Sunday Finds
RivoI Foctions Tense
By HAROLD X. MILKs,
Wtds World Tewn

BY HAROLD X MILks.
wlos World Fsvs
BOGOTA April 25-A week from
tomorrow Colombian citizens viii
elect their 68th President. ard ar
anxious government Is taking IN
precedented precautions against VIC
lence resulting from the battle over
the reelection bid OF ex- President
Alfonso Lopez
President Eduardo Santos. nearing
the end Of term filed with troubles
due TO both the international pout-
ical fight and the international sit
uaton. has appealed publicly for
order 10 avoid making MAY 3
bloody Sunday in Colombia's his
tory.
In letter TO departmental state
governors and other officials Presi-
dent Santos ordered all possible
safeguards against violence. espe-
cially In those areas Of Colombia
where gun-toting still is an accepted
practice.
He has banned all political gather
ings. parades and reunions until
after the election.
Special Police Marshaled.
In Cundinamarca. in which the
national capital is located. more
than thousand special depart
mental police were ordered 10 duty
for election day. The national po-
lice was alertcd for possible orders
In the department Of FL Vale. Of
which prosperous Cali is the capital.
prediction disorders in which
numerous persons we're injured
caused the governor to suspend all
firearms permits until after the elec-
ton
Behind the threat Of violence is
the fierceness Of the battle between
forces Of DR.. Alfonso Lopez. CO.
lombis's new DEAL President Of
1884 1888, and those of Carlos Arrange
Velez, who bolted the Liberal partv's
convention and joined forces with
the opposition Conservative party in
an anti-re election movement
The Conservative party. whose As
year control of Colombian govern
ment was broken In 1890. largely bv
a split which allowed the Liberal
candidate to win, refrained from
naming its own presidential choice
this year. Instead its leaders are at
tempting to throw all the party's
100000 votes to Arrange.
Cooperation an Abstract Issue.
The question of pro- -Americanism
and cooperation with the United
States enters the presidential cleo
ton only in an abstract way, despite |
Colombias strategic position as the |
Panama Canals southern neighbor. /
Lopez, Official candidate of the
Liberal administration party. has /.
announced that he will follow the
policies of President Santos. which
included a program of wholehearted
cooperation with the United States
and other American nations.
Arrange, too, has promised to con-
tinue cooperation with the United /
States and the hemisphere if elected. !
But leaders of the Conservative
party supporting him have been
almost without exception sympa-
thetic to the Axis.
Some observers fear those Con-
servative leaders might attempt to
influence Arrange against complete
cooperation with the democracieS
in event Of his election. But others
point out that Arrange is more likely
10 insist on complete cooperation
and continuation of the policies of
President Santos to demonstrate his
personal loyalty to the Liberal party.
0utSp0ken Against Axis.
Personally, the coalition candi-
date has been outSpoken in opposi-
tion to the Axis and his support of
democratic ideals.
The whole activity of the Colom- !
bian campaign is centered about one
thing-the election or defeat of
Alfonso Lopez.
While nearly 2,00a, 900 Colombians
will be eligible to vote next Sunday
all male citizens who have reached
the age Of 2l years-no more than
100000 TO 1000 900 votes are expect
ed, despite the intensity of the cam
paign.
The pre-e election battle has been
waged almost exclusively on ma
tional matters, with both sides edg-
ing carefully away from interna-
tional affairs. A son of DR.. Lopez
charged that Conservative leaders /
were plotting TO aSSaSsinate his
father, and had boasted publicly
that Lopez would be dead before he
would be President again.
Conservative leaders centered their
snti-Lopez attacks on allegations
that members of the Lopez family
were to profit substantially from
results of petroleum legislation
passed during his first term OF Office
President Santos leaves Office
August Z. and the new President
Lopez or Arrange Velez will be
sworn in the same day. The retir-
ing President, one Of Colombia s
foremost newspapermen. is expected
to take & long rest after his term IS
ever.