LIVELY REVOLT IN ECUADOR

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19155, 11 April 1932, Page 7

LIVELY REVOLT IN ECUADOR

REBELS SEIZE STATE’S GUNBOATS FEDERAL FORCES ON THE MOVE United Press Association—By Electr,‘ r Telegraph—Copyright GUAYAQUIL (Equador), April 8. Federal troops sent up on Thursday to Fort Punta Piedra, which is still in the hands of the rebels, were withdrawn on Friday, and it appeared that the army was getting ready to blast the mutineers out with aeroplanes and bombs. General Leonadas Plaza Guiterrez, former President, whose reappearance in Ecuador is believed to have caused the rebellion, was on his way to Quito by rail on Friday. Meantime the authorities ordered the port to be closed to all marine traffic in an effort to starve out the mutinous navy, which seized Ecuador’s two gunboats on Thursday, and a steamer up river in front of the Forts. This was to prevent a repetition of the raid. One of the warships darted out and captured the British tanker, Buaro. The tanker reached the port of Salinas on Friday. The captain explained that the rebels stated that all they wanted was to have him tow the gunboat Cotopaxi, a short distance, because the gunboats engines w ; ere not functioning. GOVERNMENT TROOPS BUSY. FLIGHT OF REBEL LEADER. United Press Electrlo Telegraph—Copyright (Received April 10, 5.5 p.m.) GUAYAQUIL, April 9. Government troops recaptured a fort at Punta Piedra, on Saturday, driving out the rebels. Ildefonzo Mendoza, leader of the rebellion is reported to have fled. Ecuador is described as a centralised republic administered by a president and a congress of two houses. There wel*e, however, eleven constitutions promulgated between 1830 and 1909, and at least half-a-dozen since then. Revolutions and insurrections have been innumerable, it being the regular practice, after the presidential election, for the defeated candidate to raise the flag of revolt, both during and after the term of office of his opponent. General Guiterrez (or Plaza) is a strange exception to the rule. Both his previous terms of office as President, 1901-1905 and 1912-1916, resulted from constitutional election, and neither of them was interefered with by other claimants, doubtless proving his foresight and sagacity in such matters. Strongly anti-clerical, Guiterrez was responsible for the seizure and forced sale of church property, the suppression of religious institutions, and the prohibition of entry to the country of clericals of any denomination whatsoever. On the other hand, Guayquil, the capital, a hot-bed of yellow fever, bubonic plague, and tropical diseases was brought into a thoroughly healthy condition and the diseases stamped out during his reign. After his first term of office his elected successor was defeated in arms by the loser at the poll, but his successor after his second term retained the Presidency. Political unrest in 1924, which was suppressed, manifested itself again in 1925 in a nonviolent revolution which caused President Cordova and Guiterrez to leave the country.