Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-01
in COSTA RIGA.
A COUNTRY WHICH ENCOURAGES
EARLY MARRIAGES..
No Bachelor Lawmakers Suffrage
Limited to the Heads Of
FamiIies-Etc.

Especial Correspondence of the REcoRD-USIos. ]
SAN JOSE, November %, 1888.
Before bidding adieu to Costa Rica, to
continue our wanderings in other parts of
the Isthmus, let US briefly review some of
the prominent features of this little Re-
public, hitherto overlooked in these desul-
tory letters.
No country outside of Central America
has so unique Constitution as that under
which Costa Rica was reorganized in 1S4S.
1t claims to be patterned after that of the
model Republic of the world-the United
States-but in many respects is very diff
ferent. For example, to exercise the cleo
tive franchise citizen must be % years
old, be either the father of family or the
head of a household, and own real estate
to the value of at least one thousand dol
lars. In this particular Uncle Samuel
might well pattern after his feeble little
sister.
To be member of Congress in Costa
Rica the citizen must be % years old, and
own real estate to.the value of three thou
sand dollars, or be professor of some
recognized profession-it being taken for
granted apparently, here as elsewhere, that
the children of genius are born to be poor.
The President and Vice-President are
each elected for term of six years by
the electoral assemblies of the counties :;
and to be eligible to either office the
citizen must be thirty-three years old, own
property to the value of ten thousand dol
lars, and be, or have been, married. What
blessing in would be to Washington So
ciety could the same laws be enacted in
the United States, and bachelor Congress
men tabooed Our southern neighbors
evidently recognize the fact that if man
amounts to much, all things being equal,
he will have accumulated respectable
amount of property before middle-age, and
also the older truth that the possession of
home and fire-side, wife and children, give
the citizen more vital interest in the
welfare of the country, upon whose Judi
cious government their freedom and value
depends.
The Costa Rica Constitution has other
points equally worthy of imitation. 1t
prescribes hospitality to strangers as
sacred duty, and declares citizenship to be
forfeited by ingratitude to parents, the
abandonment of wife or children and neg
lect of the obligations due to the family
and homestead. 1t also asserts some
things that look well on paper, but cannot
very readily be carried out-such as Glib
erty of the press Heaven save the markl),
personal security, the inviolability of
property (which still may be confscated
on the slightest political pretext) and the
equality of all citizens.
The legislative power resides in Con-
gress, composed of one chamber, with
twelve members, presided over by the
Vice President of the Republic. The
other two branches of the supreme power
are the executive and judicial The latter
power is vested in a Supreme Court and
other tribunals created by law. The Su-
preme Court consists Of Regent, FIVE
Judges and an Attorney General The
Officers with the exception of the latter,
who is elected for six years only,) hold
their commissions during good behavior;
but none of them can be suspended unless
under Impeachment, nor can they be de-
posed except by formal judicial sentence.
Neither the President, Vice President,
or any member of the Cabinet can vote |;
and all the offices, as well as the Judge
ships of the Supreme Court, are incom-
patible with Representative position
Congress appoints the Judges, prorogues its
own sessions, and names for It's recesses
Permanent Commission, consisting of the
Vice-President and four of its own mem
bers. The passage of law requires the
approval of a Congressional majority, after
10, Il r Al
days, and the sanction of the Executive
The Constitution prohibits slavery, privi-
legged classes, the violation of correspond
ence, and primogeniture, and restricts capi-
tai punishment. The Republic is divided
into five provinces, and these are subdi-
vided into cantons or counties, and these,
again, into districts. The provinces haye
their Governors and military comman-
dantes, and the cantons and districts have
Alcaldes and other political chiefs.
A picturesque looking body are the
Costa Rican police, clad in scanty linen
and "a little brief authority leach with
a carbine slung over his shoulder, and
dangling at one side a short, brass-hilted
sword and cartridge box the costume
completed by greasy old blanket and
ragged sombrero of Panama grass. Every
evening, Immediately after sunset, they are
mustered in the main plaza and marched
off to duty, each having his own particu-
lar "beat." They patrol the silent streets
till day-break, calling out the hours in a
dismal recitative, and at every halfhour
whistling the alert. When these dreary
vigils are ended with the growing of the
cocks, each offers up his oracion del sereno,
proclaiming to the still slumbering town
a loud but sleepy Gave Marie Purissima p'
Though on coming home late from
theater, ball or fiesta, you may not unfre-
quently stumble over a ragged policeman
snoring in the shelter of the doorway, and
feel inclined to grumble at being so often
awakened during the still half-hourssby
his unnecessary whistle-yet his presence
brings a comfortable sense of security and
he is certainly the most faithful of
creatures. In San Jose it is also the
duty of the police force to fill
and light the street lamps, and put
them out in the morning. Though hand
some lamp-posts of wrought-iron, i'm
ported from England, ornament the
intersection of all the streets, the munich
pality illuminates itself but sparingly with
wick and oil. Aside from attending to the
lamps and the alert, Costa Rica's guar
dlans of the peace have little to do. Espe-
cially in San Jose, where the.greatest dis
sipation is the Sunday cock-fght, peace
fulness and temperance prevail. Indeed
all over the country, drunkenness, that
frightful cause of crime and riot, is almost
unknown, though everybody who is rich
enough to procure it drinks wine instead
of water.
Altogether too short is the journey be-
tween San Jose and Nicoya Gulf-one
point of embarkation for Panama-for
every regretful step seems farewell to the
land we have learned to love. Turning
our backs upon the smart little capital in
the twilight of an early morning, we are
whirled out of the town as fast as horses
can carry us; past long lines of neat, white
cottages lining both sides of the road, then
past carefully cultivated huertGs and farm
wards and small plantations. which extend