New-York tribune., 1882-03-05
THE CONDITION or CHILI AND PERU.

humanity.
THE CONDITION or CHILI AND PEPU.
1t is now more than year since the Chilian
army marched into Lima and unfurled the
Lone Star flag above the palace of the old
Spanish yicer0ys. The northern coast has
since been occupied and military operations
can be extended inland, without meeting any
resistance, wherever the cOnquerOrs will.
Since January Is, 1851, Peru has lain utter
" PROSTATE and pOwerlcsS at the mercy OF
Chilli When General Lynch took possession
of the Peruvian capital, he levied upon the
city war contribution Of 81, 600 600 FOR the
support of his army, but the LimcnOs declared
themselves unable to pay it. He thereupOn
took control of the custom house of Callao.
The other custom houses to the south and
north were also seized, and the ports thrown
open to commerce. Under Chlhan manage
mcnt the revenues from the port ol Cdllao
have amounted to nearly half n million dol
lars per month--a larger sum than was
formerly turned into the Peruvian Treasury
from the same source in time Of peace
In the occupied territory the postal
revenues and local taxes are collected BY the
Chilians to pay the expenses Of the courts,
police s;rcet-Clcauin2 service, prisons and hos
pitfalls, all Of which are organized and con-
Quoted by the conqUcrors. Admiral MOntcro,
appointed Nicc-Pre,idcnt by CadcrOn, upholdsa
scmbaucc ofindependcnt government in the lit
tie inland town Of CaamarCa, but he controls no
territory, has no army, no revenue and through
out the entire country there is nothing like
order outside of the REGIONS where the law Is
directly administered 10y Gillian authority.
On the other hand Chilli has achieved success
only by cxhausting effort. The stoImng Of
the Heights of Pisagua, the victories AZ San
Francisco ard Tacna the capture OF africa and
Lima, and the desert march Of the 10000
through fifty leagues Of absolute drOuth,
have proved the military proves, courage
and endurance Of Chill at the cost of the
flower of her youth She has paid her way
without borrowing a cent from abroad, and
her six per cent bonds are above par in the
money markets Of Europe. But she las issued
$50, 900 900 in legal-teHdcr notes which arcnOw
worth 80 cents on the dollar, and the slow
uphill work of redceming her home promises
is vet to be grappled with. Three years Of
good crops and favorable prospects for an
other, have been in her favor and copper,
her chief export is in large demand at excel
lent prices. The holders of Peruvian bonds
which were guaranteed by guano deposits are
working those deposits and paying Chilli
royalty Of Il los. per ton. Her people are
habituatcd to sclfgoyenment, and in
the long trial of their patience she has
had no revolutionary upriSings to qucll. And
yet an honorable treaty of peace and the re-
turn and disbanding of her armies would be-
of greater advantage to Chill than to Peru
and no doubt she appreciates the fact.
Long before the capture Of Lima it was
plain that Peru was beaten. All hope was alb
solutely gone when africa fell, and it was then
confidently predicted i'll these columns that
the Chilians would once more occupy the
Peruvian capital, as they did in 1888. 1t
was predicted too, that the most serious OBJ
stacle in the way of peace negotiations would
be that the captors could find no Government
TO treat with. Soon after this the Peruvian
President fled the country. Pierola amid
scenes of blood declared himself Dictator. The
people had little to lose. The National credit
was gone, for they had paid no interest on
their bonds since 1876. They cared
nothing for the overthrow of their Gov
ernmcnt, for they never had one
which they respected. leader who
had offered to accept the terms proposed by
the conqueror, namely, the payment of a war
indemnity, would have been murdered by the
mob. Money they had none, and loan was
impossible, until at Last Chilli who had all
the while dsclaimcd the desire of conquest,
demanded n ccSsion of territory to pay for
her increasing expenses Of her invading and
occupying armies.
A people with any faculty for organiz-
ton would have voted some trustworthy
ruler into power and made the earliest and
best terms possible. But instead OF this
the Peruvian grandccs were qudTeliug among
themselves, and trying to sell ont their
county to any Nation who would inter
lere in their behalf. France, England and
Italy were bcsousht in turn, and finally clutch
ing al the hope of Intervention by the United
Statcs-a hope inspired by some unauthorized
uttcraucc5 Of our Miuistcr-thc people
and their leaders grew more stubborn than
ever. rcbukc from the State Depart
mcut di-pcllcd this doius.on, and now the
Peruvian, are especially cnarod at our Govern
mcnt, alleging that by trusting to help rom the
United States they have lost the opportunity
of aid from Europe which might have been
secured. 1t is to be- hoped that Mr. Tresc0tt
can prevail upon Peru to do what Bolivia has
done, that is, 10 make pccuniaIy amends in the
only way possible for tho waste of war which
she began and in which she has been Worsted.