St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-14
THE REPUBLIoA 1NcoaNrrA.
4 Country WRh Nine ROBlen for Each
Man.

A Country Wtth Nine ROfnen for Each
Alan.
On Friday morning looked out Of nv ca
bin window TO find that we were tied up at
the most yellow wharf that ever saw, and
in front of a large barn-like building. / did
not dream that We were at Asuncion. but go
ing on deck found that the barn was the Gus
tom house for Paraguay, and that when we
went ashore we were in the city Of the repub-
lea incognita. A very nice little city we
found 1t to be. Not that it is pretty or pre-
tentious, or worth vlsiting-but II Is an en-
terprising, republican, go-abead place. Most
of the houses are small and old, and are built
without any regard to being on the streets.
You cannot imagine q more irregular as
semblage of houses, but the symmetry with
which the public buildings are built offsets
this. The presidents house, governmnnt
house, arsenal, barracks, and custom house,
stand on wide boulevards, and with the ex-
eeption OF the latter, are as well built as the
similar buildings in any American city of the
same rank. The word ''asuncion,n you
know is net Spanish, for ascension" as we
used TO believe when sehoOlboys, but for as
sumption, and in the case Of the Paraguayan
city is well bestowed, for It Is not often in
South America that there can be found a city
that is mors assuming politically, socially
and generally. Remember that fifteen years
ago It was sacked by the Brazilian army. and
look at II now is a busy trading town of So
coo people, many Of them Of fine cultivation.
In short, one need not fear 70 be proud OF
seeing such city, city built by virgin for
ests on a beautiful hin that slopes from sun
ny farmlands 10 the grand, wide Parana. I
viii not 90 .utn dnsty details, but assure YOU
that though isolated, Paraguay "a a state
worth knowing. Situated in the warm heart
OF South America, 4. lies uuder the shadow Of
the Sierras, and between the two great rivers.
Parana and ParagE Into its territory there
have come three and One-haif century OF sad
ness and misfortune. Spain had no COLONY
that was more enslaved; aud though the
Jesuitical control gave IL q bright day. Il was
long the prey Of cruelty and adventure. Re-
voiutiOns came at length AID resulted I'm in-
dependence. From 1917 until 1869. first
Francia and then the Lopez iyrznts. held the
country under 4 cruel dcspotism. Then
Solano Lopez involved the state in war with
Brazil, and after the sack of Asuncion. and
the ravage Of the country, the tyrsnt was shot
and the reign of terror gave place to reor-
Canization Of the republic, which was
modelled after the United States. Appropri-
ations are voted by ngress aud that body
also fixes the salaries of the officials. The
president receives SO. 600, the vice-president
$4,000, the ministry 81 500, congressman
$500, and the judges OF the supreme court
$50. The population Is about 800, coo: and
what is strange about 1t is that there are only
about 80. 600 men aud 270, 900 women. OF
course the females are the farmers. producers
and laborcrs. They work slavishly and are
very poor. While the men sit at home and
drink and smoke, they indefatigably toll aud
support the families.-Correspond
SnrinVfeld ReyuaIica1