President & Constitution

Of those dragon's teeth of Revolution that the year 1930 sowed across South America, the Government of Brazil's broad-browed little Dr. Getulio Dornellas Vargas has proved the lustiest offspring. After four years as an unconstitutional Provisional President, Dr. Vargas last week further stabilized his rule with a new and liberal constitution. It took care of its maker by permitting Dr. Vargas to run for President, but thereafter, as in most South American countries, no President of Brazil may succeed himself.

Last week Dr. Vargas smoothly and speedily arranged the detail of being elected President of Brazil constitutionally. All but 73 of the 248 Deputies of the Constituent Assembly gave their well-drilled votes to Dr. Vargas who comes from the livestock State of Rio Grande do Sul. As he expected, he got no votes from the Deputies of the rebellious coffee State of Sao Paulo, who voted for their own coffee candidate, Borges de Medeiros, and withdrew. Three days later Dr. Vargas rushed through his inauguration in five minutes. Only members of the diplomatic corps, Brazilian officials and their families were invited, but thousands swarmed outside Tiradentes Palace in the rain while President Vargas stood before the rostrum and gave his oath to uphold his new constitution for the next four years. Most novel provision of this 44-page opus compels each Minister of the Brazilian Government to provide himself with a "brain trust" of technical experts. On this point the new constitution reads: "It is forbidden to any Minister to take a step contradictory to the unanimous opinion of his respective council on any matter that may have been submitted thereto."

Because Revolutionist Vargas is a sturdy Roman Catholic, his new constitution forbids divorce and makes church marriages civilly valid. Because Brazil's toughest political problem is States' rights, it creates a Senate to deal with them. For the rest the new constitution requires a majority of Brazilian nationals on the directorates of Brazilian public utilities, sharply limits immigration, favors land squatters and gives women the vote.

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