Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-11


informed sources in Buenos Aires
were predicting such a husband
and-wife ticket for the forthcom-
ing campaign. The same sources
say that this was the real motive
behind the actions Of the gov
ernment-controlled News Vendors
Union, which resulted in the clos
ing of the great independent
newspaper, La Prensa. five weeks
ago, and now the threatened pros
ecution, not to say persecution. Of
its courageous editor and pub
Usher, DR.. Alberto Gainza Paz.
La Prensa has defied Peron's die
tatorial and totalitarian methods
and tendencies from the very mo-
ment he took over the nation by
force in October, 1913.
Peron Dynasty Seen
At any rate, the government
organized Municipal Workers
Syndicate had already been dis
tributing handbills and PAM
phlets throughout the country,
urging that the Argentine strong
man must continue his great
work as President" High officials
of the Partido Peronista, the gov
eminent political party. in several
Of the provincial cities, have stated
that they "are pledged to support
the reelection of Gen. Peron. -
Last Monday other party stalwarts
launched the candidacy Of the
sonora.
That the Perons have intended
all along to perpetuate themselves
in power has long been clear.
Even if the President himself
had wanted to. or may now wish
to retire at the end Of his term,
Sonora Peron, who already is
pleased to call herself La Presi-
denta, would hardly agree. She
has become equally as potent a
POLITICAL power in the nation as
her husband.
In fact, the rulership of the vast
South American country is in
every sense a joint affair. The
two principal forces backing the
lPeron regime are the Army and
the government dominated labor
unions It was the army that put
the general in power in the first
place. But both he and the Sc
nora have been well aware of the
fact that Latin American armies
are usually capable of breaking as
well as making dictators. Very
early in the game the clever
sonora sat about organizing a
counterinf1uence and force.
Win Over Workers
First Of all she took over the
direction Of the labor and welfare
agencies Of the administration
Taking her cue from organizers OF
the old Fascist and Nazi regimes
she and her advisers, several OF
whom had lived in Italy and Ger
many in the early days Of Hitler
and Mussolini, planned and car
ried out a reorganization of all the
key labor unions In the country.
The majority Of the workers
were easily won over within a
short time by exorbitant increases
in wages which the government
required business, industry, along
with farmers and stock raisers, to
pay. Fabulous social benefits,
health insurance and the most
advanced provisions for unem-
ployment and old-age insurance
were also provided by government
decree.
Members of any union who
hesitated to embrace the policies
of the government were summarily
dealt with. Again following the
methods of the totalitarians. any
union leader who refused to con-
form to the wishes of the sonora
found himself expelled from the
organization or exiled. Some of
the most prominent have been
sent to jail on various trumped-up
charges. At any rate, labor was
effectively brought under the
domination of the government and
made completely subservient to
the wishes of the Presidents wife.
Labor under the leadership Of
Sonora Peron is a potent political
power. In fact, the military and
the labor unions are the darlings
of the administration. AS most
Argentines express it. HE controls
the Army while she leads the
mob" Even if certain military
leaders were opposed to the re-
election of the general or the
formal elevation of his wife to
second place in the government,
and as heiress apparent to the
throne, the military as a whole
would hesitate to go against the
wishes Of the well organized
masses.
Constitution Fits Plans
Meantime, all the laws and the
regulations of the land have been
so ordered and constituted as to
make possible the continuation of
Peronista power. Like most mod
ern relationships. one of the first
acts of the Peron regime was the
writing and PRONUNCIATION of a
new constitution, document
every single article Of which was
dictated by the government. Al
though, Interestingly enough, one
of the original provisions stated
that no President could succeed
|himself.s the Peronista-controlle
Congress has since added an
amendment making it possible for
Peron to run again.
l. -