Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-23
October Election in Honduras,
Has Elements to kindIe Revolt

Even conservative American
/ businessmen here think thew
could win in a free election.
But as PDRH support of the
Liberals gets noised around, the
chances of a free election grow
| less and the louder become the
cries that the Liberals are Com,
munist- infiuenced.
And SO the explosive forces
build up. Thus it is that who-la
ever feels he has been robbed !
at the polls may be sorely,
tempted to alter the results with, !
gunfire. /,
Many Ways to Rig Vote. ni
There are several ways to rig
an election here. One is the (
North American method of the
heavy count or stuffed ballot
box. In Honduras, any citizens
accused of q crime automatically
forfeits his right to vote until
he has been tried and acquitted.s
Criminal complaints always scars
Just before an election. Then =
there is the device Of fouIing up1
the registration so that thes
would-be opposition voter finds
himself ineligible. ~
In the case of three-wayg
split. such as faces Honduras =
this October, when no candidate
gets q majority. the presidential
election is thrown to the uni-,i
cameral legislative body. But IT,
q simple majority cannot be OBJ
tanned there, it goes to the SUI
preme Court. ~
The present court happens to-
be Nacionalista. Guess whatc
would happen. ~
Leading candidate in point Of
service is the grizzled old covert
80). somewhat benevolent dictala
tor, former President Tiburcioa
Carias Andino, who ran the 4
country with firm grip for IT,
years.
He stepped down in 1913 In
favor Of DR.. Juan Manuel Galvez,
the incumbent. ~
DR.. Galvez. kindly and so--
cially progressive executive, is i'm
directly responsible for the split
in his Nacionalista party which
may cost it the election or even
provoke a revolt. ~,
Fail to Change Constitution.
Under the constitution he can
not succeed himself. A group
known as the Movimiento Mac
ional Reformista decided that
the future of Honduras could best,
be served by changing the con-
stitution.
This move was bitterly OPP
posed by Nacionalistas loyal to
Gen. Carias, and the Reformista
motion to call a Constitutional
Assembly was beaten by the
Carias majority in the Legisla-
ture.
Embittered, the Reformistas
decided to run a candidate
against Gen. Carias, and select
ed Gen. Abraham Williams, an
American-educated engineer who
served as Vice President under
Gen. Carias for 16 years.
The third candidate is DR.. Ra-
mon Villeda Morales. 49-year-old
physician and surgeon, president
OF the Supreme Council of the
Liberal Party.
During the regime of President
Carias. DR.. Morales repeatedly
was kept under strict surveil-
lance by Gen. Carias' followers,
who suspected him of plotting 10
overthrow the government.
Seek to Make Up Lag.
Probably the most primitive
of all the Central American
countries, Honduras has Jagged
in public education and public
works Except in United Fruit
Co. territory until President
GalveZ took over in 1913.
Either Gen. Williams or Gen.
Carias would continue the CAL
vez program, but DR.. Morales.
who is more of a Latin New
Dealer, would push for About
social reform.
In a showdown, Gen. Carias.
probably would control the
army, although some of the Of
f1cers are Liberals. The air
force is a question mark.
And it is unlikely there would
be any uprising among the peas
ants, for unlike their Guate-
malan neighbors of old, they
have ready access to the land.