Evening star., 1947-03-06
By jobs Herlinf


A combined military and social state is
Juan D. Peron, president of the country.
The Five Year Plan-Plan Quinquenal
pronounced KinkenaD-is Perons In
strument to achieve his goal of "co-
ordinating" the country which his fol-
lowers insist is mot Fascist, not Nazi,
but Peronist" Strictly speaking Peron's
program is large scale prospectus
which announces its intention to bring
every conceivable activity under state
control or direction.
Linked with practical program is
theory part Of which Gen. Peron
announced on his road to power two
years ago during the state of siege, back
in June, 1914, in an address to the Uni
versity of La Plata in the Province Of
Buenos Aires:
Nations who have not prepared
sufficiently have always paid a heavy
price for their error and sometimes have
become virtual slaves. History only
records their excessive interest in COM
merce and some of their archeologists
who have explored ruins find them beau-
tiful examples of past grandiose civiliza-
vate the warlike virtues"
How is Peron going about the culti-
vat1on of "warlike virtues?"
First, his program calls for vast in
creases in the executive power. Argen-
tina heretofore has had the traditional
separation Of powers, but today the
National Congress Of Argentina is prac-
tically his rubber stamp. Two-thirds
of the Deputies and all but two Senators
are Peronistas and those two have not
been permitted to take their seats be-
cause Of some alleged defect in their
credentials In one afternoon the Senate
passed without change q total Of 1,176
DEGREES which had been issued before
the regime took legal power. The men,
bers of the Supreme Court are being
charged with improper interference in
the functions of government; their de-
fense lawyers, frustrated at every turn,
have been prevented from making oral
argument. 49, $50
Reorganization" Of Educational System.
Second, the executive power has de-
creed rapid reorganization of the school
and university system. Revoking the
traditional ncnsectarian school law, an
integral part of Argentine cultural life
since 1884, he has instituted compulsory
Catholic religious instruction. Exemp-
tion is granted only on special petition.
While certain sections of the church
are gratif1ed at this development and
were anticipating it, large numbers Of
Argentine Catholics believe that In an
overwhelmingly Catholic country the
sChurch hardly required this type Of
government assistance. They fear the
political quid pro quo that Peron may
exact of the Church. !.
At the same time, the six universities
are now to be subjected to the control
Of the Ministry of Education, their ira
ditiopal autonomy destroyed. AL rec
tors Of universities will be government
appointees.@ Peron has a magnificent
building program in mind for the tech
nicaI schools in the development Of
which Argentina has Jagged behind. He
is going to provide scholarships for the
students attending the technical schools
and universities which will require the
passing of both academic and "psy-
Geological" tests aimed at eliminating
politics" from educational institutions
once and for all. The universities have
been the intellectual arsenals of re-
sistance and Peron has been unable to
make teachers and students conform to
his regime, both before and after the
elections.
It has been said that 1900 professors
have been let out in two months.
Getting the Labor Unions.
In the labor unions Peron has been
most adroit.
During the war years, having had to
rely on her own resources for the manu-
faeture of many things which had
usually been imported, Argentina was
able to build up many industries which
urgently required additional manpewer.
Into the city and province Of Buenos
Aires, as into other cities of the country,
there poured vast numbers of men and
women from the rural regions who ac-
quired their first taste Of city and in
dustrial life. They were exploited, un-
organized, neglected, INTENDED to. They
were the "descamisados," the shirtless
ones, who became the special object Of
attention Of the skillful group Of mill
tary demagogues, Of whom Peron
emerged as the strongest and most re-