Evening star., 1952-07-27

date for president.
cretly in October, 1945, when
Snubbed by many of Argentina's S
iariStocratS when she went to the
Casa Rosada Pink House,. the
presidents palace. in 1916, Eva
iPeron in turn scorned society"
and set out on a glittering path of
power.
/ Outwardly, she was the faith
full helpmate. Peron. she said,
was the great condor of the An
deS: I am only one of a huge
flock of sparrows.
/ Controlled Newspapers.
| Actually, she controlled many
newspapers, all of which faith
fully extolled the President.
/ She maintained Offices in the
Ministry of Labor where she kept
a careful eye on policies.
She headed the multi-rnillion
dollar Social Aid Foundation
which dispensed the voluntary and
involuntary contributions of MIL
lions of Argentine workers and
businessmen for hospitals, nurs-
ing homes, low-cost housing, dis
aster relief and clothing, and
IChristmas gifts to the needy.
She called herself the Lady
Bountiful, the Lady of Hope.
| CHer charity once extended to
the Children'S Aid Society here.
The Washington society had
sent a letter to the Argentine
embassy soliciting a small do
nation. The Ambassador for
warded it to Mrs. Peron'S office
and she sent 600 sets Of chill
dren's clothing.
The gift stirred embarrassed
surprise but finally was accept
ed with thanks.)
No Report on Spending
To her enemies Mrs. Peron was
a hard opportunist. using the
welfare society as political wea-
pom. She distributed vast sums of
money and issued no statements
on her income and spending.
She helped engineer Peron
social reforms, wage increases,
workers benefits.
She campaigned successfully to
give Argentine women the vote,
then organized the Peronista
Woman's Party whose chief Of
| fees she took for herself.
Riding roughshod over Argen-
tine tradition, in which women
i only shortly before had been al
lowed to so much as vote, she
almost became Vice President.
The Peron master labor organ
ization staged an elaborate mass
meeting in the capital in the sum-
mer of 1851. The General Con-
federation of Labor ordered all
work to stop so it's million men,
bers could attend. Mrs. Peron's
Social Aid Foundation saw to it
that the visitors were cared for.
The government-oWned railways
gave them free transportation.
Army Puts Foot Down.
The huge demonstration called
on Gen. Peron and his wife to
head the nation as President and
Vice Observation-Disclosures gov
|ernment was to be a husband and
wife regime.
But several days later, in a
fearful broadcast. Mrs. Peron an
nounced an ''irrevocable decision
to renounce the high honor"
It always was assumed that
Argentina's military-alarmed at
the idea of a 'petticoat" COM
mander- in chief in event of Gen.
Perons death-had put its foot
down.
A slim. intense figure with
burning eyes and dramatic golden
hair, Eva Peron reached the high
point of her career with that
episode.
In her famous radio speeches,
she could shift from shrill in
vective to the throaty tones Of
the actress. She once declared:
There is not an Evita without
Peron. But there is a Peron
without an Evita and without
everybody. Because Peron is only
one. Peron is God for us and we
cannot think about heaven with
out Peron. He is our sun. water
and air. Peron is life to our coun-
try and people,"