Feliciano Alberto Viera Borges (8 November 1872 – 13 November 1927) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background He was a member of the Colorado Party and closely identified with the liberal former president José Batlle y Ordóñez, who long dominated Uruguayan political life. Prior to becoming president, Viera served Batlle's second government as interior minister. He served as the President of the Senate of Uruguay from 1907 to 1912. President of Uruguay He was President of Uruguay from 1915 to 1919. Among prominent figures who served in his administration was Baltasar Brum, who occupied the interior and subsequently the foreign affairs ministry. Uruguay was more closely identified with the Allied cause in World War I than was neighbouring Argentina, cutting diplomatic relations with the German Empire in late 1917. On September 8, 1917, Viera received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor of France. In a speech addressed to deputies and senators during his first year as president, Viera indicated that he would continue the reform program of his predecessor Batlle, stating that “I will especially ask Your Honor for the sanction of laws that you are already studying, some that ensure and improve the situation of the worker and others that prevent conflicts between capital and the proletariat whose harmony we must seek as fertile sources of peace and progress. Thus, I will ask you to enact laws on workplace accidents, women's and children's work, working hours, old-age pension, child protection, labor legislation, minimum wage, weekly rest and others.” Viera has however been described as more conservative than Batlle. This was arguably demonstrated in 1916 when Viera indicated, according to one study, that “he disapproved of the enthusiasm for experiment and reform.” This occurred following the introduction of a constitutional reform proposal, in which the first election conducted by secret ballot was held which saw Battlism lose. Upon hearing the results, Viera stated “Well, gentlemen, we won’t advance any more in the area of social and economic legislation; we should reconcile capital with labor. We have moved too quickly; we must pause in the task. We should not sponsor new laws of this type and even paralyze those that are being considered in the legislature.” According to his finance minister M.C. Martinez, as noted by one study, “The president feels that it is necessary to call a halt because the machine has been going too fast,” but “It