The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-10-17


The seat of the Government is Sam
tiago. The political constitution Of
Chilli consists of the President and
Legislature, or National Congress, COM
posed of an upper and lower house, the
former renewed one-third every three
years, the latter elected triennially. The
President is elected every five years by
the people, and is not eligible for 10
election except after an interval of one
term. Under him are five Ministers
and q Council of State, composed Of
eleven members, five of whom are
chosen by the President himself under
certain regulations. and the other six
elected by the Congress, their term of
Office being for three years. The salary
of the President Is eighteen thousand
dollars . year, the present holder Of
that Office being DON Domingo Santa
Maria. The Ministers receive six
thousand dollars year, and the MEM
bers of the Council of State give their
services gratuitously. The various
Provinces are ruled by Intendentes
,(Governors) named by the President
and removable at his will. The depart
ments are administered by Governors
appointed in the same way, and there
are sub delegates, who are unpaid. cor
responding to our unpaid magistracy.
The members of Congress, Of whom
thirty-seven belong to the Senate and
one hundred and eight to the lower
house, are, like our members of Pariia-
ment. chosen from among the richest
and most influential men in the country.
Although Chilli is called q republic. it is
governed in 3 very conservative man.
ner. The change Of parties there
means simply the retirement from Office
of one set of rich men to be succeeded
by another set of rich men; both
parties holding much the same views,
and being absolutely in accord
as to the paramount necessity
of peace and order. Chill is
the only South American country pos
lsessing an unpaid National Legislature,
and to this must be attributed in no
small degree her singular immunity
from corruption. In no other South
American country are the members of
the Legislature of higher standing and
position than those of Chill. and in no
other country is property safer, the
people more orderly, or the standard of
patriotism higher than in this one. The
fact that political services are unpaid is
a great damper to the professional poll
tician, whoa familiar figure in most
of the other American communicates
ready to support anybody or anything
so long as the result of his election is so
much a year to himself during the sit
ting of Parliament. If other South
American Nations had been governed
as Chill is, BY those who. having their
wants supplied as far as mere money
could supply them. were less accessible
to the debasing influences of corrup-
ton, they would have made greater sd
vances, and the large external debts
which not only have impoverished the
lenders, the unfortunate bondholders,
but have actually Impoverished the
people to whom the money was lent,
would for the most part never have
been incurred. If the heads of the
Government are corrupt, and make
their hundreds of thousands out of
some gigantic financial job. if the rep
resentatives of the people make traffic
Of their opinions and their votes. how
are the minor officials expected to be
.hoaest' is it to be anticipated that the
Customs House officer will be proof
against bride. or the Judge do justice
without favor? 1t thus comes about
that in many of the South American
States, though in theory there is de-
mocracy, in practice there are no coun-
tries where the INSCRIPTIONS use OF
wealth gives greater weight and in
Huence.-Fortnightly RerieW.