Evening star., 1951-12-18
Experiment in Uruguay

Uruguay is undertaking an interesting
and somewhat risky-politcal experiment in
aboliShing its presidency and vesting the execu-
tive power of its government in a council of
nine men. The experiment represents one of
the most far-reaching constitutional changes in
the country'S history Whether it will work,
however, is conjectural. Although Switzerland
has long thrived under a similar administrative
setup, such dilution or plurality of authority
at the top has been generally unsuccessful, and
even tragic, in other lands in times past
Under the change, Uruguay will continue to
have Senate, House of Representatives and
Cabinet, but there no longer will be President
The chief executive authority, instead of being
repoSed in one Individuals here in the United
States and other republics-will be reposed in
the nine-man council, which will have it's own
chairman. The first council is to be set up by
party appointments, with six seats going to the
majority and the remainder to the minority for
period of three years. Then, at the end of
that period, the members are to be elected by
direct popular vote for four-year terms
Prior to last Sundays national plebiscite on
the issue, advocates of this basic revision argued
for 1t on the ground that it would strengthen
Uruguay'S already-strong democratic way of life
by providing for minority participation in the
executive branch of the government. They
argued, further, that 1t would discourage any
possible trends toward revolution and Dictator
ship. The opposition, on the other hand,
contended that If the one-man Office of the
presidency were abolished and replaced by
multiheaded organ of authority, the country
would be inviting trouble with an unwieldly
governing device likely to generate indecision,
internal division, personal rivalries ands self
paralysis of a sort that would tempt ambitious
politicians to try sezing power as strong men
on horseback. Despite the warnings however,
the electorate has now decidedly q rather
narrow margin in a surprisingly light vote-in
favor of the change
Uruguay-the smallest and perhaps the most
progressive and democratic state in South
Americas a country whose enlightened people
are traditionally inclined to favor special safe
guards against executive power. In varying
degrees, in their three constitutions since 1890,
they have always provided for division of that
power between the President and national
bipartisan council or commission representing
the legislative branch. But the division has not
worked well all the time. In fact as recently
as 1888, 1t worked so poorly that it led Gabriel
Terra to assume dictatorial role during his
administration and to force the adoption of
constitutional changes strengthening the presi-
Dental authority
Now that that authority is to be done away
with entirely, what remains to be seen Is whether
the substitute nine-man body-the plural execu-
tive-will be able to function as WELL Judgment
must be reserved at the moment As general
proposition, however, the historical fact is that
government by committee, or decision making
by committee, has often proved to be atrocious.
Some of the wisest of political scientists
notably the founding fathers of our Nation
have spoken so eloquently on that score that
there is good reason to doubt the wisdom Of
Uruguay's experiment.