| Show Too Much Cocaine No Wonder Bolivians ChopOff Chop ChopOff ChopOff Off Each Others Other's Heads Ry By y Frederick C. C Othman V WASHINGTON I I still shill think that if some Bolivian politicians went a little easier on the coc coe co- co c e a i n e they a Any wouldn't chop chopoff chopoff of off each others other's heads Ji t with wilh axes I What I mean i. i is that while while I Iwas I. I was in Bolivia r ra a few weeks back I wrote a little essay a about b 0 u t dope I politics a and n d Mr i Othman murder in the presidential pal pal- ace When that was published there were unofficial complaints complaints complaints com com- plaints in official circles The idea seemed to be that I had insulted the Bolivian nation Haw The headlines indicate that I didn't go o far enough The toll in Bolivia's latest presidential presidential presidential election is 10 dead and 50 wounded A mob tossed one congressional candidate to the ground lopped off his head killed two of his children and beat his brother to death My ly guess is that cocaine was more at fault than politics So with no apologies to the diplomats I propose to tell here and now all I discovered about life in La Paz A favorite re re- re- re freshment of oC the natives is the leaf of the coca tree which they sprinkle with lime and chew like gum This leaf contains contains contains con con- a substantial slug of co co- co caine In La Paz the capital and biggest city are numerous teashops teashops tea teashops shops where those who wear neckties and shoes drop in for frequent cups of oC mate coca This is an infusion of the coca leaf served steaming hot like tea and usually sweetened I with sugar It is an exceedingly exceeding exceeding- ly pleasant drink and there is no doubt that it has a narcotic wallop I tried a couple of oC cups one afternoon and I know Numb Feeling The tip of oC my tongue took on a peculiarly numb feeling but otherwise I never felt so powerful Or so smart One more cup of that stuff and Id I'd probably have run for president president president dent myself I was staying at the Sucre Palace Hotel known up and down South America as the Suckers Sucker's Palace It is a hostelry hostel hostel- ry with cracked plaster little hot water and live turkeys in ina a pen outside the kitchen on account of no refrigeration On the top floor of the Suckers Suckers Sucker's Suckers Sucker's Suck Suck- ers er's Palace lived the president Somehow he felt healthier there than in his own ornately carved palace down the street No wonder In 1946 1916 a mob got tired of the president president consensus consensus is that he deserved what he got climbed up to the balcony outside his bedroom hauled him out and tossed him over over- board lIe He landed on the concrete concrete concrete con con- crete sidewalk one floor down but he still was alive So the citizens dragged him to the studded flower park across the street and hanged him from a lamppost Scour Scourge e of Bolivia A leading Bolivian who told me the story and showed methe methe me methe the scene the palace still is scarred with bullet holes does not drink mate coca himself lie considers it the scourge of his otherwise delightful coun coun- try He said and he was not proud of it that Bolivia has had more presidents than any other nation in the world They come and they go in a hurry usually they keep their suitcases packed One of the candidates in the last election was in exile in Chile He dared not return Another Victor Paz o was exiled in Argentina He conducted a n long distance and fascistic campaign campaign cam carn- pai n and he got the most votes But apparently not quite enough to win So the Bolivian congress probably must decide now who will be president next and everybody expects more shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing The tea shops arc are buzzing and I personally am nm glad Im I'm no longer in residence at the Suckers Sucker's Palace Some coca coca- chewing chewin citizen might take me fora for a politico I. I |
