The Argentine Revolution
ARGENTINA has for so long appeared to Englishmen every President is, of course, a ruler in much more than to be a prosperous and stable country, and her a ceremonial sense. He is a chief magistrate with great President, the veteran Senor Irigoyen—no longer President powers of personal patronage and of initiating or thwarting since the revolution of last Saturday—was so well known policy. It is significant that the Argentine revolution as a reformer who had carried popular opinion with him, followed only a few weeks after the revolution in Bolivia, that to all except the few who had observed recent signs which caused the fall of President Sites, and the revolution the news of a revolution was a great surprise. In this in Peru which caused the fall of President Leguia. In country there is genuine liking and admiration for each case the President was accused of despotism. Argentina and her people, and the general wish, which Despotic Seitor Irigoyen may have been in the sense is free from all tendency to criticize or condemn what that he nominated too many officials for their obedience has happened, is that the new Government may be to his will rather than for their political efficiency ; but able to inaugurate a fresh epoch of contentment and he was certainly not despotic when judged by the security for the most enlightened of South American ordinary tests of activity. Indeed one of the principal
Republics. complaints against him was that he was allowing every- In March of next year there is to be a British Industries thing to drift. Perhaps we shall not be far wrong in Exhibition in Buenos Aires, which the Prince of Wales seeing in all this the tragedy of old age. His hand had has promised to open. That is one of the happy sequels lost its strength. If he expected gratitude for his former to Lord D'Abernon's mission. Many Englishmen are achievements, if he relied upon the old admiration for looking forward to the opportunity of establishing his simplicity of life, he is now completely disillusioned. closer relations than ever with Argentina. Thus there He won popular favour in his day, and that favour has is a special reason for wishing success to the new Govern- turned out to be fickle.
ment. This is not to say that the time had not come for Barely two years ago President Irigoyen, who is Senor Irigoyen's departure. He himself had seen the now seventy-seven years of age, was elected President signs of the coming storm, and last Saturday he offered for the second time amid a storm of enthusiasm. He to resign, but when it was discovered that he had only had consented to be nominated at the last moment. delegated his authority to the Vice-President, the He conducted no campaign. He trusted entirely to his officers of the Army and Navy decided that the President previous record when he was President from 1916 to and all his Ministers must be expelled. The ships and 1922. What can account for the astonishing change troops which the President had disposed outside the between the picture of two years ago and that which capital for the defence of the Government went bodily we see now of Senor Irigoyen, a hated and derided over to the cause of revolution. Tnere was fighting, refugee ? Such a change of fortune was the ordinary but it is said that the casualties were not more than lot of a ruler in ancient Athens, but it is too startling to twenty-two persons killed and about 200 wounded.
fit easily into our modern times, even in South General Josh Uriburu, the head of the Provisional America. Government, is behaving as constitutionally as any No doubt one reason for the rapid decline of Senor revolutionary could. He says that the administration Irigoyen's popularity was the trade depression. When will be handed over almost at once to civilians. All the a country cannot profitably sell its products it lays Provinces adhere to the new order. There seem to be the blame on its rulers, and throughout South America few dissenting voices.
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