Evening Star Newspaper, March 30, 1930, Page 103

THE SUNDAY STAR, \VASHINGTON,‘ D. C, MARCH 30, 1930. - The Political Laboratory of the Americas Uruguay, Called the Most Progressive Country in Latin America, Has Adopted All the Principal Theories in Legislation and Popular Culture W hich the Most Advanced European States Have Put to Practice, and Is Considered a Model of Institutional Organization BY GASTON NERV AL. HE rest of the world has become ac- customed to regard Latin America as ' a region of political confusion, a group of young and undisciplined republics where revolutionary unrest continued has banished all ideas of order and stability. ‘This conception of Latin America is due to its history of a century of political turmoil and domestic disorder. And it is true that political systems are still complicated, imperfectly ad- justed machines in the majority of the Latin American nations, and the stability of their institutions constitutes a real problem. How- ever, to generalize in that respect is to risk being unjust. In contrast to such abnormal conditions—due to lack of experience in demo- cratic methods and to their psychological in- heritance from Spain—there do exist today in Latin America nations like Uruguay, Argen- tina, Costa Rica, which have not only attained a notable degree of political development and of domestic stability, but which may be taken as examples of institutiional organization. Uruguay, in this respect the most progressive country in Latin America, could well be taken by any nation of the world as a model for its institutions and advanced political systems. Although the smallest state in South America in territorial extent, Uruguay has placed her- self in the vanguard of them all as far as the development of her institutions is con- cerned. For the past half century, Uruguayan statesmen have been adopting all the reforms which, through important political movements, were being tested out in other countries, as well as all the progressive theories in legisla- tion and popular culture which the most ad- vanced European states were putting into suc- cessful practice. Thus we find that Uruguay was the first Latin American republic to adopt social welfare laws, the eight-hour day for labor, compulsory public education, absolute divorce and other notable reforms of our age, many of which are still only known by name in the majority ot South American countries. She has been called, on that account, the “political laboratory of the Americas.” Today Uruguay has a system of civil laws and social legisla- tion which leaves nothing to be envied in the most progressive systems of the world. THE same may be said regarding public in- struction and the education of her people. Although working under the same difficulties as do all other Latin American republics in attempting to educate the masses, Uruguay now possesses the most perfect system of educa- tional methods in Latin America, and has the lowest illiteracy index of any of her sister nations. Uruguay, like other Latin American republics, bhad to devote her efforts in early years to ocombating poiitical passions, economic chaos, The plaza and cathedral in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay. and domestic disturbance, but presently there came to her the good fortune to have born on her soil a great reformer, Jose Pedro Varela. Crusading under his famous device “Patria por la Escuela” (For our fatherland through schools), Varela preached that only instruction and education could put an end to political tur- moil and the despotism of the “bosses,” who succeeded each other in swarms. So true was this that, although before Varela's day Uruguay went through some 20 civil wars in 40 years, the generation that followed Varela only suf- fered one and ever since then domestic peace has remained undisturbed. It is true that in order to win this victory Varela had to wage a hard battle against popular opinion and most of his own fellow-citizens, attacking them through the press, from his university chair, from his political party, even while an exile, and lastly as director of education, the posi- tion given him when his high ideals had be- gun to be recognized and accepted. In all these various stages of his life-work he never ceased repeating to his people, daily, his favorite slogans: “Education Destroys the Evils of Ig- norance,” “Education Increases One’s Fortune,” “Education Lengthens Life,” “Education Less- ens Crime and Vice,” “Education Augments Happiness., Success and the Strength of Na- tions.” and “Instruction Is the Great Leveller of Our Age.” To make his campaign stronger and more definite Varela took as an example the United States of America, extolling in all his writings and addresses the greatness which the education of her sons had won for the prosperous republic of the North, where this tireless reformer had once spent some time. Very bitter was the battle which Varela waged against his contemporaries, but in the end he conquered. When once the country was at peace, and the masses educated, all the economic questions, the social problems and even those of political unrest, gradually solved themselves, and do- mestic stability soon permitted the nation to try out the great reforms of more advanced states. Today it may be affirmed that the dream which Varela thus described has been realized: “It is a dream, perhaps, which makes us see our country. in the future, though small in population and even in territory, marching at the forefront of the nations which speak our mother tongue, a position won through her instruction, her wisdom, her modesty.” This, in fact, is the place now held in South America by that little republic whose area is scarcely equal to that of Oklahoma, and whose in- habitants number no more than those of Mary- land, in this country. Just as Uruguay holds a unique position in Latin America in respect to educational and social matters, she has as a political and in- stitutional organization some original char- acteristics not found in any other country of this continent. Nor in Europe. The executive power, for example, is not in the hands of one person alone, as in most republics of our day, but is shared between the President and a Natinoal Council of Administration, composed of nine members elected by popular vote, which exercises the true executive power of the state. This council, through its functions in naming ministers and other high officials of the gov- ernment, in managing national finances, and in directing the foreign policies as well as the general external and intenal life of the nation, has greater power than the President of the republic itself. This divislon of power con- stitutes the best possible control over the ex- cessive “personalism” which has been mani- festing itself recently in almost all the nations south of the Rio Grande. It is the best guaranty of a ‘“‘government of the pepole, by the people and for the people,” or at least comes nearest to that ideal form of democracy, so long sought by the statesmen of all coun- tries. . NDER the control of the National Council of Administration there are various au- tonomous bodies, entirely independent of the executive power, but responsible to it, called Special Councils, which direct all public activi- ties and even some national industries. Through this system—i. e. autonomy-—there are removed from the influence of the State, and taken out of politics, certain general pub- lic services, such as public health and sanita- tion, public instruction, the Bank of the Re- public, the telegraph and mail service, and railways, which in other countries are under the exclusive control of the state. This system of Special Councils, or “autonomous entities,” as they are called, is an original Uruguayan idea and up to the present has given splendid results. Along with this political and institutional de- velopment, the little republic of a million and a half people has alsc achieved notable ma- terial advancement. With an homogeneous population, almost entirely of white descent, it has been an easier task to develop its natural resources than for other countries of the Southern Hemisphere, where problems created by an indigenous population and by lack of resources have constituted serious handicaps. Uruguay is today one of the Latin American nations having soundest finances, and her economic strength is steadily increasing. Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, one of the most beautiful cities of the Americas, is a favorite Summer resort for wealthy families of Argentina and Brazil, as well as Europeans. Montevideo has, of course, all the comforts and improvements required by modern life in European capitals, or in cities of the United States. The wealth of Uruguay consists almost en- tirely in agriculture. Her fertile and well- watered soil is enormously productive. Although production has not yet reached the possible maximum, as only a part of her ter- ritory is under cultivation, the harvests each year are large in proportion to the population of the country, thus affording an extensive export trade. The principal agricultural erops are wheat, barley, oats, corn and flax, but the chief source of Uruguay's agricultural wealth is not in these products of cultivation, but rather in her immense herds of cattle and sheep. Here lies the prosperity of the country; just as Brazil's is coffee, Chile’s nitrates, Cuba’s sguar, and Bolivia’s tin, so Uruguay's & cat- tle. The rapid development of this industry may be attributed to four fundamental causes; favorable geographical conditions, the smarel total population as compared with the extent of territory, the success attained by the in- dustry during recent years, and the preference of the inhabitants for ranching rather than farming. More than 90 per cent of the national exports are animal products, Great Britain, Germany and France holding the first three places among countries importing these Uruguayan products. The United States is in fourth place, but on the other hand, she is first, by a large margin among the countries from which - Uruguay imports. Being an es- sentially agricultural nation, with heér induse tries, generally speaking, in a formative state, Uruguay has to import almost all her manue factured products. Hence, since the Unite@ States produces an abundance of fuel, foode stuffs and manufactured goods, the prinecipal necessities of Uruguay, the latter makes the major part of her purchases in the Union. Last year Uruguay imported from the United States goods to the total value of more than $21,000,000, an. amount more or less 30 per cent of her total imports. Uruguay has been the cradle of men who have lent brilliance to Latin “American letters and statesmanship. In a nation of the intel- lectual maturity’ of Uruguay, the “Athens of America,” it is not strange that she has borne thinkers, writers and poets of the stature of Jose Pedro Varela, Jose Enrique Rodo, Juan Zorilla de San Martin, Alfonsina Storni, and as many more. Baltasar Brum, another son of Uruguay, is one of today's most distinguishegs statesmen and writers in Latin America. He was president of Uruguay at 30 and is now, in democratic fashion, editing a periodical through which he leads a great movement for a union of the Latin republics. And Juana de Ibarborou is also an Uruguayan, the most eminent example of her country’s womanhood, whose extraordinary poetical genius has won her the crown of “American Queen of Poetry,” confrered upon her not so long ago in Monte- video by delegations representing all the Latin American republics. These two names alone would suffice to bear witness to the intellectual’ prestige enjoyed by this “small great repub- lic” of the South. -