The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-09-17
CHILE.
Few Statistics or the Country's Politics and
Trade.
By WILLIAM HOWARD MILLS.

The Juuta dc G0bicrno Of Chile. composed Of
Seniors Waldo silva, Vice President Of the
Senate; Ramon BarOs LucO. Speaker OF the
Chamber Of Deputies. and Jorge MONTE with
the Senators whose terms Of Office have rot cX-
pIred. having determined that the best method
TO bring about the tranquility Of the country Is
by the election Of Presidential Electors, Scua-
tors. Deputies, and municipal officers on the
18th inst, interest in that Republic possibly
tho most progressive Of South American Eo-
publics before the war-iutousjies.
The Presidential Electors WILL meet on Nov
Is 20 cast their ballots Tor the thief Magistrate
confirming tho choice Of the people. The
Senators. Deputies, or members Of Congress.
aud other officers of the Government wi D be
installed Nov 10. The new President vii DO
inaugurated Dec. 26. An Electoral College
representing all the Provinces then under con
troll Of Balmaceda-uearly all Of Chj.s-wJs
assembled on the 2Jth Of July last and uuaui-
mOusly elected Senior Claudio Fcuua his sue
cessOr, but be is q fugitive on the German war
ship SOphi, and Of course his claims arc not
considered. tie would have succeeded Balma-
ceda on the 18th inst. and was expected to con
time his policy.
The National Independence Day-1sth
in5t.-wiil no doubt DO celebrated with great
ecias by the victorious party, the Congressional
lists.
The Constitution Of Chile provides that the
President shall 90 chosen by electors bI.lOted
for by the people Of the Provinces i'm tho pro-
portion OF three electors for each Deputy re-
turned % Congress. His term Of Office is q ye
years and be is not eligible for reelection
until after an Intervening term. The salary in
the coin Of the country equals aDou. $4,000 Of
our money. He is assisted By . Council OF state
OF II members, six Of whom are selected By Con-
gress and five by himself and a Cabinet eli
eight Ministers Interior, Foreign Affairs. Wor-
and fyrff FIrrf,r .f To-
struction, Finance, Army and Navy, Industry,
and Public Works.
The National Congress is composed Of two
Houses, a Senate elected By the Provinces for
six years in the proportion Of one Senator 10
three Deputies and q Chamber Of Deputies
elected by the Departments iu the proportion
Of one Deputy for every 10000 inhabitants, or
fraction greater than $4,000.
The Supreme Court has Jurisdiction oyerthe
entire country, and there are five Courts Of APP
peal and subordinate tribunals throughout the
Republic.
Chile is divided into % Provinces and ono
Territory subdivided into 80 Departments. The
? Departments and Territory are subdivided into
$50 subIegati0us and 5,J65 districts. The area
covers 2g3y7J square miles. The population
in 1850 --latest official rcturusI was 2GG5. G25.
This does not include an estimate OF 10000
abOEigines, and an estimate Of about 800 $50 Of
tho population from which no returns were re-
ceivcd, which would raise the total 70 3II5.-I5.
The population OF santiago, the capital and
/ q very beautiful city. was in 1850 zS6,e1J.
Valparaiso had 109J5l citizens. There are
three other cities with q population Of over
I 10000; two over 10000; three over $4,000 !;
seven over 10000; Il over 10000 I3 over
10000; - over 5000; seven over 1900 and
seven from over 5000 TO 10000 While the
Roman Catholic is the recognized rcIi 1iou Of
+ the State, and its Clergy subsidized igiOus
\ liberty is guaranteed IN the Constitution.
There is one Archbishop and tire, Bishops.
I Civil marriage only is recognized By law
There are ,OZ9 schools 3a6 for males, PIG
for females. and III mixed. with q total attend
auce OF $3.50 pupils. A Normal School for
the preparation Of teachers and an institute
for the deaf and dumb have been established
and teachers brought from Europe. The Uni
versisy and National Institute Of Santiago pro-
vide professional instruction. There are col
leges and lyCcums established n the capitals
Of the provinces.
Santiago bias national library containing
more than 10000 printed volumes and about
7 $4,000 manuscript volumes, q museum Of nat
ur9I sciences, an academy Of fine arts a con-
scrvatOry Of music, botanical garden, and
either public institutions.
seven daily papers are published in the cap
itaI, and also q number Of reviews and her
papers, scientific and literary. Valparaiso and
The public revenue is principally derived
T from customs duties and the chief expcndi-
lures are, or were before the war. for the pay
ment OF the National debt public works and
sl,aries The foreign debt amounts SI1fi5 500
pesos and was contracted principally Tor invest
mGnt in railroads.
Chile was The first Of South American States
in the construction Of railroads, Of Itch there
are = Is miles and - additional miles author
lied.
There arc 1oGiO miles Of telegraph, Of which
1000 belong TO the State. There are about 500
postoiiiccs, through which are transmitted some
50.CoJ0JD letters aud packets There are 10
banks OF Issue. with circulation OF 81 ,537. 900
7 pesos. At tho present time there is a large
amount Of bad!y-depreciated paper money in
circulation.
The silver peso Of 100 eentavos is the none
tary unit; its nominal value is a dollar bu5 it
was struck on the basis OF the French five
franc piece. It's equivalent in the money Of
the United States IS Ji.2 cents Is9l Ten
dollar CONDOR Gye-doi.ar fmcd o-cOndor or
I doblonl, two-do!lar .escudO) and oue-d0iiar
I .pesoI gold pieces are coined 9 fine, but the
+ currency is practically silver one. There are
Y also half fifth, tenth and twentieth parts OF a
I dollar in silver . lIue. There are two and a
I half, two, one, and one-haif ccntavo5 in uickle
and copper.
I England has had the lions share Of the for
cIgu trade Of Chile, while It's commercial inter
course with the United States has been very
variable. In the earlier years of California
I Chile sent large quantities Of -four grain, and
I lumber TO that state, and took freely Of our
goods in return but since then her exports to
this country have not exceeded oue-sixth of
I those to England.
The foreign trade Of Chile in 1850 amounted
to I3I, O53,1l3 pesos. Of which 65O90Ol3 were
imports and 60 g63, 100 exports Great Bril-
tain had the best OF IT, and exported 10 Chile
goods 20 the amount Of i5.3JL36D pesos, i'm
/ porting to the extent Of - sol glJ the bal
ance 2O,5J2 { IL pesos or in our money SIS $685.
229sf, being paid by her people in money.
AT the same time TIE imports by Chile from
I Germany were valued 40 II,7SS $50 pesos, and
/ the exports j,3l3.S35. leaving a balance in ia
vor % Germany of 9,375W9 pesos. or s. JjO,-
I OI1.33. Imports from France, 6549.2j9. Ex-
PORTS 22E2 1913. Balance i'm favor of France
/ L3u5,s0 pesos, or So 926 s95.07 From the
United States Chile imported in 1850, to the
value OF 3. Si2,O1S pesos, and her exports 90 the
United States were valued at $751;, III, leaving
q balance in cur favor of 60,66I pesos, or
$Jja2-.3D. Her imports from che Argentine
Republic amounted to 5,2360lI and exports
thereto Al 1879 pesos; imports from Peru
3,5S2 49, and exports thereto, !, 43O.99j pesos.
Her business with Uruguay amounted to
500 10 pesos in Imports and ,O9S. sol exports;
with Eucad0r, in imports, 3O3, 365 and exports,
900 132 pesos The rest Of Chiies foreign
trade in 1889 to the amount of 6,43i,S76 pesos,
was with ~ other countries
I'LL. ~ n. u