Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-19

Peru and Colombia, in parti.
cular, have no assurance o.
achieving the same happy an.
Swer.
The educated public in these
countries is acutely sensitive
to the power of Brazilian ex'
ample. Brazil exudes an aurs
of dynamism found nowhere
else in South America. Sht
is emerging as the natura
leader of the continent.
Brazil SprawlS like al
awakening giant over one-hal.
the South American land mass
1t is large enough to contain
the continental United State:
with room to throw in an.
other Texas. 1t houses one
half the people on the con
tinent. Every republic ir
South America except Chile
and Ecuador is clustered aloha
the perimeter of this Brazilian
heartland.
Size is matched by economic
performance. The viSitin g
North American is apt to COM
pare Brazil with that muSh-
rooming boom in the United
States during the half-century
after the Civil War.
Titanic achievement feeds
young national pride and forms
the basis for that take off" to
the heights of modern indus
trialization. Evidence is every
where: Thousand-mile roads
through the wilderness to the
brand new capital of Brasilia,
rows of new automotive fac
tories. modern docks. towering
glass office buildings and
apartment houses popping up
everywhere in Sac Paulo and
Rio de Janeiro.
On the other hand, Brazil
is part Of South America and
faces the same deadly prob
lens as all South America.
Progress has its seamier side.
Rampaging initiation, absentee
landlordiSm. SIS per cent illit-
eracy are symptoms Of condi-
tons that eat away economic
prosperity.
Those conditions formed the
backdrop for the presidential
crisis of Der. Could
Brazil contain profound con-
flict within the democratic
framework, or would it sue
cumb to violence and Dictator
ship?
The continent held its breath
and awaited the answer. Brazil
ian military chiefs under Mar
shall Odylio Denys, powerful
Minister of War. refused to
have "leftist" Vice President
Goulart as their new PreSi-
dent after Janio Quadros sud-
denly resigned.
In the end. "Jango" Goulart
did become President-in a
new parliamentary democracy
where he reigns but does not
rule. Since the result was
civilian" rather than mill
tary." Brazilian partiSans claim
the crisis has given a tremend-
GUS boost to democracy in
Latin America.
Other Latin Americans are
not so sure. They saw the crisis
as an important test. The
Brazilian military knew what
1t did not want. but had no
clear idea what 1t wanted. AS
a result it lost control OF the
situation, dragged the country
toward civil war, and suffered
a blow to its prestige.
Affected 2 Nations
That outcome had a strong
impact in Peru and Colombia.
In both countries the military
establishments are caught up
in political turmoil which grows
worse with each passing month.
The causes Of instability are
quite different in each country.
Their traditions and level of
development are different. But
the net effect of political strife
is the same.
Peru and Colombia will have
crucial national elections in
mid-1962. Neither still has any
presidential candidate able to
unite the country. Neither has
a single united party able to
gain working control of the
legislatures.
Weak and divided democratic
forces in the center are under
bitter attack from both right
and left. The closer the cleo
tons come, the more intense
the political warfare.
The military hierarchy al
ready is under heavy pressure
in each country Ito stabilize"
precarious situations. The pos
sibility of their intervening is
freely discussed.
Will to Intervene is Issue
Few people doubt the capaci-
ty of the military to intervene.
Guns and manpower of the