Match-lit Revolution

Swedish matches lit the fires of revolt which ran Isidro Ayora out of the Presidential Palace at Quito fortnight ago (TIME, Aug. 31). First as Provisional President, since 1929 as Constitutional President, he had been Ecuador's chief executive for the past five years. Ironically, the same matches which burned him last week helped secure his position two years ago. At that time he got a loan from Swedish Match Co. (Kreuger & Toll) in return for granting the firm a national monopoly. Not only did President Ayora grant a monopoly, but he agreed to pay out of the Ecuadorean treasury $10 on each 1,000 boxes of matches if the annual sales fell below $4,000,000.

First spark of trouble came from swart Communist Senator Maldonado. He rose in the Senate, condemned the monopoly, demanded that the Government withdraw it. Up jumped Senator Cueva Garcia to remind the Senators that if the monopoly were cancelled, Ecuador would have to repay Kreuger & Toll's $2,000,000 loan. That might be awkward. A melee followed. Somebody got a message to Garcia that a mob was waiting for him outside. Colleagues spirited him away to safety. The monopoly was withdrawn.

The first thing to throw a rock at, when you have made your point in a Latin American political upheaval, is the opposition's newspaper. Accordingly, fiery Senator Maldonado led a mob of 3,000 yowling sympathizers to the offices of El Commercio. After stoning the building, he led his followers to the home of Luis Felipe Borja, resident representative of the match company. Here a body of cavalry interfered. In the clash five citizens were killed, 50 wounded. After that things simmered down.

The military junta, backing Provisional President Luis Larrea Alba, announced that constitutional elections would be held Oct. 20-23.

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