HOW IT AROSE

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1932, Page 12

HOW IT AROSE

THE BRAZILIAN REVOLT

UPRISING OF A PROVINCE.

MODERN JOAN OF ARC.

A Brazilian Joan of Arc named Santa Dies, known aS the “Glorious Saint,” who is the head of a religious cult which claims thousands of fanatical devotees, donned male attire and placed herself at the head of the Government forces against the rebels in the State of Goyaz, says the Manchester Guardian. This Amazon took a leading part in the assault on and capture of the tpwn of Igacava, on the northern front, and lead her men against Sao Paulo. Santa Dica is comparatively young, and besides being a visionary and a mental leader, she brews exotic infusions of herbs as remedies against all diseases. I had some conversation to-day with one of the few men who have come from the State of Sao Paulo since the insurrection against the Brazil dictatorship broke out there on July 9, writes the London representative of the paper. Its ports were blocked, and it was fighting on three fronts against the Central Government.

When he left there San Paulo had about 200,000 volunteers fairly well supplied with machine-guns, rifles, and steel helmets. There were few heavy guns, but the Federal troops had not much artillery either, and as the fighting was mostly in a wild, mountainous region, with few roads, and only one railway, which had been blown up, there was not much opportunity for artillery. Aeroplanes were used by both sides, but although the Federal aeroplanes were constantly, visiting San Paulo they had never dropped bombs there, except on one occasion when they bombarded a power station. GOLD COLLECTED. My informant spoke of. the scenes at the: beginning of the insurrection when all parties in the. State joined together to fight the dictatorship, and three tons of gold were collected in the city, many women giving their rings and ornaments, The position, according to him, was that the Federal troops would never get to the city of San Paulo, which was about 150 miles from the nearest fighting, and the Sao PauloanS would never get to Rio, the seat of the Federal Government. The Sao Pauloans, he said, had enough ammunition and equipment to last for at least six months, and the Dictatorship could not stand six months’ war and no taxes from far the wealthiest city of Brazil. It is two years since the last revolution in Brazil. That was an insurrection to depose Washington Luiz, the head of the Constitutional Government, and Julio Prestes, his nominee for the Presidency. Both of these leaders are now in exile in France and Portugal. Prestes was elected, but charged with corruption in the election. The Government was overturned, and Getulio Vargas seized power as Dictator and formed a military Government, and appointed many ambitious young men to Governorships throughout Brazil. Opposition to the Government developed in Sao Paulo, which pays 75 per cent, of the taxes of the whole country, and considered itself repressed and its interests neglected. The State of San Paulo rose in revolt, all parties there' sinking their political differences. Aid was promised by other States. The Federal forces within Sao Paulo joined the rebels, and their arms and arsenals supplied the nucleus of. the State resistance. The city of Sao Paulo alone has a population of a million and a half. TERMS OF PEACE. The head of the' San Paulo Government was Dr. Pedro de Toledo, a native of Sao Paulo and a former Ambassador to Argentina. He was a Federalist who went over to the insurrectionists, and was elected Governor of the State. The terms of peace proposed by Sao Paulo were that the Constitution should be speedily restored. They proposed that a “Junta Gobernativo” should be formed by one nominee from each of the five States—Rio Grande, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas, and the combined northern States —each State nominating its 'own delegate. Those delegates should then form a Government and immediately proceed to an election on the old constitutional system, so that Brazil should return to constitutional Government as soon as possible and end the military dictatorship. An event arose that has caused much concern to foreigners in Sao Paulo and the important Italian, British, and American interests there. General Monteiro published a notice in the Brazilian Press to the effect that once war was ended He would take steps to confiscate the property of all foreigners who had assisted in the rebellion. The Italian Minister in Rio replied to this with a statement that Italy had heard with many misgivings the Federal General’s statement, and that the Italian Government would reserve to themselves the right to judge any case of confiscation of the property of their nationals. It was not known if the British Government issued any statement on the matter. There are about 300,000 Italians in the city of Sao Paulo, and about 2000 British, but there is much British and American capital there. However, the foreigners in the State were safe, and indeed business there was going on as usual. The employers were paying wages to their employees who are at the front, and apart from the presence of troops drilling in the city, my informant said that you would not know that there was a war going on at al.