Omaha daily bee., 1885-04-24
The Government of Costa Rica.

Correspondence of San Francisco Chronicle,
The government of Costa Rlca is like
all of the Spanish American countries-a
republic In name, but a monarchy In fact.
Every one Of the republics Is controlled
either by an autocrat or a family, or a
clique of politicians who have gained
power and keep it with the sword. The
people rather like that sort of govern
men, at least they are contented with
It, having known no better, and it Is such
an improvement on tyrannys plumber and
persecution, which their fathers endured
under Spanish rule that they regard their
more recent oppressors in the light OF bene
factors. This applies not only to Costa
R!cs, but to all the other republics as
we'll. They will submit to q dictator and
let him steal as much as he likes of gov
ernment money, provided he let's their
person and property alone. Costa RIGA
got her freedom In 1921 without a strug-
gle, and therefore the people do not I'M
derstaud nor appreciate the true nature
and value of political liberty. Tbs pow.
er was at nee usurped by persons Of
wealth and social influence, and they
maint aimed it until overthrow by other
families of the same circumstances and
ambition. The revolutions that so i'm.
poverish other republics have not been
frequent in Costa Rica; they have been
only three or four slncs the dissipation
of the Central American confederacy, and
all OF them have taken place without
much bloodshed; but the country has
been kept poor by desperate financial op.
e%rations more from the pecuniary benefit
of the persona in power than the public
good.
The national debt Is now nearyly 800.
600, 600 and is owned in England, where
the money was borrowed for the construc,
tiun of railways and other internal I'm
provements, but 1t Is q notorious fact
that but a small portion ever reached the
actual object for which it was incurred.
Commissions as high as from IL to "a per
cent were paid to persons who had the
influence to secure the loans, and every
clerk under tho government got mis- share
of a division Of the great part of it. When
every friend of the ruling power got all
he wanted the remainder was devoted to
the construction of the railroad seventy
miles long, a second one twenty Fix miles
long, and two cartroads, one forty-two
miles and the other twenty eight miles.
The longer railroad cost $l2, 000, 900, or
nearly $4,000 q mils-st least, that Ia
the amount of money borrowed and used
IN the construction of a track which ought
to have cost not more than 500, 600 per
mile and could be replaced for that
amount. The road is leased to q man by
the name OF X eth, from Brooklyn, who
pays the government 500, 600 q year
for the use of it, and openly admits that
he pockets a net profit of over $40, 00O
per month. But Mr.. Keith Is solid with
the government, having married q daugh-
ter OF the secretary of state and de fscto
president of the republic. Tho other
railroad, twenty.six miles long, repre-.
sents an expenditure of over $4,000, OOO
and cost nearly $500, 900 a mile, while il
could be replaced for less than the other
from l $1,000 to s1s. 900 per mile. It
Is said the road cost as much as If its
rails had been made of solid silver.