Tiffs & Sledges

Just before the U.S. election, the story went, the Foreign Minister of an unnamed Latin American country was wondering about the outlook. For an informed view, he turned to the U.S. Ambassador.

"It looks now as though labor will vote for Truman," the Ambassador explained, "the farmers will vote for Dewey, Negroes may vote for Wallace, and parts of the South will vote for Thurmond."

"Ah, yes, I understand all that," said the Foreign Minister, "but what I want to know is, how will the cavalry vote?"

Last week, with the military revolutions in Peru and Venezuela fresh in mind, more than one Latin American capital was jittery about how the cavalry would vote. Latest to buzz with alarms and rumors was Quito, capital of Ecuador, where President Galo Plaza Lasso was tiffing with his own party (Movimiento Civico Democratico National). Hottest rumors: 1) army officers were angry over slow promotions; 2) aviation officers were angry over delayed pay raises; 3) Socialist leaders were trying to organize an anti-government movement among noncoms. TIME'S Quito correspondent cabled: "The government is not shaky in the sense that it could fall--unless the army intervened."

One country where the army would not intervene was Costa Rica, which last week replaced its army with a national police force. With dapper Junta President Jose Figueres swinging the first sledge, destruction of the battlements of Bellavista Barracks was begun. A National Museum will be built on the site, and the parade grounds will become a lush tropical garden.

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