Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-08-21
4 Republic which is Not a Republic.

A Republic which Is Not a Republic
Theodore Child, in Harpers Weekly.
The Argentine is Republic in nam
only; in reality it is an oligarchy com
posed of men who make of politics ,
commerce. In the old days the sole OBJ
ject of the conquistadores was to &C
quire wealth rapidly, and such remain.
the ideal Of the Argentines of TO- day
In the colonial days the Spanish or Gre
ole population Of the towns lived as
functionaries and parasites, profiting BY
the labor of slaves and subdued Indian
tribes, and their aim was wealth, and
never civilization. Hence we look in
vain in the old provincial capitals fol
traces Of past splendor or for monu-
ments such as testify to the collective
civic care of the common veal. In the
provincial capitals we find the offices of
the representatives of the authority of
Spain and Church on which no super
fluous adOrnment has been wasted; but
we see no beneficent or educational
foundations, and no evidences Of unset
fish social sentiments. After the declara-
tion of independence the intestine strife
which for years agitated the country
had rarely other than motives of selfish
ambition, for to hold power in Spanish
America has always signifed to possess
the means of rapidly acquiring wealth.
After the cessation of the wars Of
Federalists and Unitarians, and the
formation of the actual Republic,
and its Constitution soi-diSant on the
model of that of the United States, the
race for wealth became all the more fu-
rious as the development of the CONNER
cial relations of the country helped to
create the great fortunes of the creole
eStGncierOS, or cattle breeders. Piqued
by jealousy, other creOles threw them
selves into politics and became yenal
functiOnaries, the aim being always per-
sonal enrichment at the expense of the
nation. Nowadays the Argentine polit-
ical men, with very few notable except
ions that might be counted on the fin
gers of one hand, from the President
down to the humblest local leader, are
venal without cOncealment and without
shame. They are rapacious parasites,
like the conquistadores, like the colonial
functionaries, and like the ambitious
adventures who furnished the dictators
and tyrants of the first half of the pres
ent century. Only at rare intervals does
a good, patriotic man spring up and do
for the country, which in the
normal and iniquitOus state of things
prospers not on account of its govern
ment, but in spite of it. The citizens,
as we have seen, are always crying out |
against their rulers, but they take no |
means to change their condition. Why
do they not act instead of talkingf This |
question is natural. The answer Is not |
easy to give in few words. Briefly, |
we may say that the citizens do nothing !
and can do nothing against their parasit-
ical rulers, because they are not organ
lied and not prepared or educated for
republican institutions. In the pOliti- |
cal struggles there are rarely questions |
of principles, but always questions of
persons. President succeeds President,
but the aim Of all is equally selfish, and
even If the opposition were transformed
into the government, the whole result
would be that one set of parasites would
take the place of another. In the five
5. American republics that have visited
1.-The Argentine, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chill
and Peru-the political conditions are
more or less the same; they are ruled by
Presidents who are as absolute autOcrats
as the Gar of Russia, and even more so,
because they are safe from the intrusion
Or influence of European criticism. The
President of the Argentine or the Pres
dent of Chilli is master of the whole ad-
organization Of the country
80 completely that no legal and constitu-
Jional means can be brought to bear ef-
icaciously against his personal will or
caprice. He not only dispOses Of the
armed force of the country, but the en-
Dll u duiulHiStio1iNO pcISOHitct ID hio SiOoe- |
IRE and at his devotion. Thus the ma
1ipulation of the whole electoral ma
;hinery is under his control, and the
citizens enjoy in consequence right of
voting that is purely platOnic. They
may vote, it is true In many cases, as
much as they please, but no account is
aiken of their suffrages. The whole ap-
Daratus of republicanism in these coun-
,ries is farce, and in spite of the sono-
.ous speeches of after dinner orators,
hey have not yet begun to enjoy even
he most elementary political liberty.
In the Argentine the population is
'eckoned at 100000, nine-tenths Of
which are whites of Caucasian race, de-
'cendants of the conquistadores and Of
subsequent colonists. There are about
100000 natives, 100000 foreigners,
100000 cross breeds or metis, and 1OO,-
100 Indians. The white population Is
almost exclusively Of Latin origin, the
Anglo Saxon and Slav elements not ex-
,eeding 100000 individuals. The 800