BOLÍVAR's opinion concerning the creation of Bolivia, which was said to be his favorite country even before he trod the ancient lands of Tihuanacu, has been discussed by national and foreign historians. It was on August 7, 1819 that the heroic battle of Boyacá, which freed Colombia, was won. Who would have thought that the battle of Junín in Peru would result in the meeting, just six years later, of the First Constituent Assembly of the people of Alto Perú (as Bolivia was then called) to consolidate its independence from Spain?

René Moreno, speaking of the first revolutionary movement in Bolivia on May 25,

1809, points out that from the beginning of the century the idea of liberty burned in the minds of the young men who were members of the Carolina Academy, the fire being fed by discussion and by books with revolutionary ideas. From this center, like sparks flying to north and south, went Monteagudo, who carried the new ideas to Peru; and Moreno, Castelli and López, who took the password, the sword, and the trumpet of the revolution to Buenos Aires, the capital of the viceroyalty.

When the nations of America had been freed and organized as independent States, Alto Perú, which had been one of the most

important colonies because of the value of its ores and which had been the scene of the first movement for independence in South America, could not remain indifferent to the general movement towards a republican form of government.

For this purpose Dr. Casimiro Olañeta, renowned as an orator, was given a special mission to inform Sucre, Bolívar's chief lieutenant, of the definite determination of the people to establish a republic. Marshal Sucre then issued the well-known decree of February 9, 1825, in which he paved the way for the organization of the Republic.

On July 10, 1825 the Assembly made a declaration of independence signed by forty-eight deputies. In this historic document the country proclaimed to the whole world that its irrevocable intention was to govern itself and to be governed by the constitution, laws, and authorities that the people themselves chose. "The world well knows," it adds, "that Alto Perú was the altar whereon the first blood of free men was shed in South America."

Five days later the Assembly unanimously named the country in honor of Bolívar, who was recognized as its protector and life president. Two deputies appointed to inform Bolívar of this decision met him at La Paz on August 18. He arrived in Potosí on October 5 and was greeted by a wildly cheering throng. On the sixteenth he gave an audience to General Carlos María Alvear and to Doctor José Miguel Díaz Vélez, who had been sent by the government of Argentina to propose a treaty of offensive and defensive alliance between the two countries.

In this transitional period, some remote parts of Bolivia were occupied by the troops of the Brazilian Empire, but Bolívar and Sucre together settled the matter satisfactorily with the Brazilian government.

In the meantime the town of Tarija, which in ecclesiastical matters belonged to the diocese of Salta in Argentina and in political matters to the intendancy of Potosí in Bolivia, was returned to Bolivia. It was the southern redoubt of the Inca Empire and had been incorporated into Alto Perú during the Conquest. As soon as the law of September 23, 1826, had been proclaimed on October 4, deputies from Tarija entered the Constituent Assembly, thus reaffirming their patriotic desire for solidarity and union with the rest of Bolivia.

Bolívar, although he did not use the well-deserved title of Protector and LifePresident, set about the study of the most important reforms relating to social conditions, Indian affairs, and the open-door policy, later discussed in various interAmerican conferences, and finally, in his farewell proclamation, announced the creation of Bolivia in the following affectionate terms:

"Your country is the country of my heart and of my name. The twenty-fifth of next May will be the day when Bolivia will come into being, I promise you."

Bolívar, with his usual frankness and sincerity, could not hide his unbounded. gratitude to the people who chose to name their nation for him.

In June 1827 the Liberator sent from Lima a draft constitution for the new state which he had been requested to prepare by the Constituent Assembly. This document, because of its many original and ingenious features, has been the object of world-wide comment. Some amendments and additions were made to it by the Assembly. It contained both modern and ancient principles, for the members were influenced by the theories held in the University of St. Francis Xavier at Sucre, by the ideas of the United States, and by

the principles of the French Revolution.

It is the duty of every American, whenever opportunity presents itself, to single out for praise the great Marshal Antonio José Sucre, that calm and far-seeing statesman who as President cooperated with the Liberator in the creation of Bolivia and who fell heir to the problems connected with territorial expansion.

As the result of political turmoil Sucre resigned a few days before August 6, 1828, the third anniversary of the Republic. In his farewell he asked as the only recompense for his administration-not to mention his victories on the field of battle and his work in organizing the new statethat the country should avoid the intervention of any foreign power against the safety and independence of Bolivia. This document has always been highly regarded.

Bolivia was born into the international community with a patrimony of a million

square miles more or less. It is an inland country of mountains, plateaus, and plains, with navigable rivers and with complementary zones, facing both the Atlantic and Pacific. Drained by streams belonging to the Amazon and Plata systems, it has a wide variety of climate and products, and because of its geographic situation forms a link between the nations of South America.

When Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, President of Bolivia, was informed of the resignation of the Liberator from the Presidency of Colombia, and of his proposed trip to Europe, he invited him on October 15, 1830 to be the Minister of Bolivia there. The Liberator, weary and depressed by poverty and illness, did not learn of this last gesture of gratitude on the part of the Bolivians. Before receiving his diplomatic letters of credence, he died in Santa Marta on December 17, 1830, still cherishing the hope of a great and

kindly future for Bolivia and for all America.

Bolivia has served the Bolivarian ideal and has faithfully followed the Liberator's patriotic inspiration. On various occasions it has loyally expressed its sincere support of democracy and of the economic and cultural unity of the Pan American System, in conformity with the original plan of the Father of the Country.

Bolivia is not an industrial country, but nevertheless it contributed to continental defense with strategic materials such as tin, petroleum, and rubber.

The favorite country of the Liberator continues to guide its course by its traditional principles of right and justice in order to perform its historic mission of effective vinculation with the republics of the Pan American Union.

茶

Women of the Americas Day

THE Union of American Women, an organization which for some years has been doing much to bring about closer friendship among all the countries of the continent, held a celebration on May 3 at the Hotel Plaza in New York to mark Women of the Americas Day.

The ceremony was dedicated to Carrie Chapman Catt, recently deceased leader of American women's activities. The various speakers praised her creative abilities and urged her successors to follow her teachings and example.

Those who spoke included Señora Luisa Frías de Hempel, Chairman of the Union of American Women; Señora Evangelina A. de Vaughan; Mrs. William Dick Sporborg, representing the General Federation of Women's Clubs; Mrs. Vera W. Begg; Lisa Sergio; Señor Benjamín Cohen, Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Public Information of the United Nations; and Dr. Juan Bautista Lavalle, Peruvian Representative on the Governing

Board of the Pan American Union and to the United Nations.

Señorita Minerva Bernardino, Chairman of the Inter-American Commission of Women, also addressed the gathering. She warned the women against those who are trying to undermine the existing unity among individuals and groups working toward lofty goals in the field of Pan American relations.

Colombia

The Colombian Delegate to the Commission, Señora María Currea de Aya, has announced that the Women's Union of Colombia is planning to give periodic courses on women and their rights and duties in the country's principal schools and universities.

The Women's Union has appointed a reception committee to welcome the Inter-American Commission of Women to the International Conference of American States to be held in Bogotá in January 1948. The members of the committee

are: Señora María Currea de Aya, Señorita Rosita Lobel, Señorita Paulina Gómez Vega y Señorita Camila Uribe.

Mexico

The administration of President Alemán, which began only last December, has already brought about significant advances in the political rights of women.

An amendment was added to the Mexican Constitution granting women the right to vote in municipal elections, and women mayors have been appointed for the towns of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco.

In addition, two women lawyers have been chosen to fill important posts in the juridical branch of Government. Dolores Heduán was named a judge in the Tax Court, and María Lavalle Urbina a judge in the Superior Court.

Señora de Castillo Ledón, the Mexican Delegate to the Inter-American Commission of Women, who gave the foregoing information, told also of the great enthusiasm with which organized groups are preparing themselves and other women to exercise their right to vote in the coming elections of the 5,000 municipalities of the republic.

For the second time in the last four years, the Government of France has awarded to a Mexican woman the coveted prize of the Palmes Académiques. This honor, which

was previously granted to the well-known actress Virginia Fábregas, for her work in making the French theater known in the Spanish-speaking world, went this time to the poet Esperanza Zambrano, "for service to the cause of France" during the time of the Nazi occupation.

Chile

The Inter-American Commission of Women has received word from Chile that President Gabriel González Videla has again requested priority for the projected law relating to the vote for women.

Panama

Panama reports two important new steps in the process of improving the position of women in that country. One was the naming of Señorita Aurora M. Corro to serve on a jury in a recent trial; this is the first time in the juridical history of Panama that a woman has acted as a juror and it therefore serves as a valuable precedent. The other was the appointment of Señorita Ana Jilma Torres as a Commissioner in the District of Panama, which represents a real victory in the political sphere.

In the cultural field, the National University of Panama recently awarded top honors to three women graduate students.