Dangers of Don Tinto

Homely, pock-marked little Pedro Aguirre Cerda won his nickname Don Tinto from the tinto (red wine) squeezed from his prosperous vineyards. Friends of the rotos (ragged ones), his Popular Front took control of Chile away from the other haciendados and big businessmen two years ago, made rich Don Tinto President. Last week Chile's rotos showed their approval, voted his man, Aurelio Cruzat, to victory in a Senatorial by-election.

So enthusiastic were they about it that the election-day toll in the provinces of Valparaiso and Aconcagua added up to one dead, 60 injured. Unfortunately for Don Tinto, this gave his Rightist Opposition the chance it had been looking for to discredit him. With a fine show of martyrdom the Rightists decided their candidates were no longer safe from street riots, announced their complete withdrawal from the Senate & Chamber elections of next March. Though this left the field wide open for President Aguirre's Popular Frontists, it also set up the familiar design for a South American revolt.

The Opposition had another ace as well: the Communists in the Popular Front. By persisting in an anti-U. S. propaganda campaign the Communists had given the Rightists the long end of a stinging popular issue. At the same time the Communists had been weakening the Popular Front from within by criticizing the policies of their less radical fellow Frontists.

But Don Tinto had some high cards left. Two of them were the Army and the carabineros (civil guards), without whose support no Chilean revolt could get out of the shouting stage. During the 1938 campaign, which won Aguirre the Presidency, a fascist revolt was viciously suppressed by the carabineros, protecting the outgoing Rightist Government. Last year the mere threat of their guns kept another plot from turning into a revolt against the Popular Front. As long as Don Tinto could keep them in his camp he had little to fear; if he loses them, America's first may become the world's last Popular Front.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.