Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-12
DIEZ Y. OCHO.
Preparations to Celebrate Chill
ian independence.
BALMACEDA NOT so BLACK.
Why Chilians are so Bitter Against Ameri-
cans-Devoted Patriotism of Chilli
ans OF High and Low Estate.
Preliminary Spree.
ice OF the Gazette.

Special Correspondence OF the Gazette.
C4NCEPCIoN DE chill, Sept. 5-Retuned
10 the haunts of men, we learn that during
those weeks of journeying in the wilder
less. surrounded by unconquerable Indians,
Cur lives have been more secure than If we
had remained in any city of Chill, where
var aas been rampant in its werst form
X OF brother against brother-attended
hg mob rule, incendiary confagratinos,
rapiue and murders innumerable. The
r,.cgramS which brought you the main
facts Of rebel victories have told you none
Cd The grim particulars. l want to impress
.pou my fricnGs in the distant North that
ir forming their Judgment of this CHILEAN
controversy few things should not be left
ost Ct account. In the fist place, remem-
-pT that no faction now Ominating Chill
CONTROLS all telcgraphic and cable comm uni
rA'ica with the outer world. and therefore
.1 accounts unfavorablc to themselves are
lcirg sent abroad. On the contrary, their
paid disScminators of ALLEGED news have
scrupUlously omitted any illusions TO the
CgElrt-InartialS that Invariably end in muir
der, cuuiiscation Of the property of many
private individuals, whose only crime was
That Of having remained loyal TO the gov
crumeut countess assassinationS, and
carte blanche 10 pillage and destroy, which
is known to have been given in several i'll
stances by the triumphant leaders to their
b.OOd-CraVed followers. They speak instead
Of the ''merciful policy Of the victorS, and,
even while riots were raging in the cities
and unparalleled atrocities being hourly
committed. declared That peace and order
have been restored" \ mark of the civil
ilation OF any land Is its treatment of a con.
oGered foe. y fair sample of the ''mcrcy"
which prevails in Chill was shown by the
Illumination of their homes and other
demonstrations Of JOY by the powers that
now De when the depOSed and conquered
ey-prcsident, who certainly could do no
more harm, lay dead in the capital city,
having taken his own life in the vain hope
OF saving from further persecution his few
faithful friends, and in the wholesale dis
penSing of free whisky for the purpose of
netting the irresponsible riff-raff to n
rnOU.ish celebration Of that SAD occasion.
Remember the end is not yet Impartial
history VIII by and by render different
account of these stirring events: and then
j0or HalmaCeda, now suffering the world S
contumcly, viii be written down as one
VINO. though perhaps misguided, held the
interests OF his country nearer at heart than
Toes the pricSt-COntrOlled faction which de-
featcd him. assisted by English brains and
capital for mercenary purposes. The hostile
feeling toward Americans, induStrious!y
fos'cred 10y interested BritonS. grows more
ana more. bitter in Chill. with the Itata
government in not sooner recognizing the
.'0e.S. for Il present excuse. If ii were not
for those alleged causes, others would be
iruWpCd up to suit the occasion equally
we'll The fact is, as one with half an eye
should see, that our English cousins are
making TOO much money out OF this far
away corner of the globe to willingly share
sly portion of it with Americans. In the
ne of monopOliaing all there is of value in
country on which he can lay his hands or
gam 4 tcOthOld ''by hook or by crook" the
thrifty Brilup stands without an eQual-aS
witness in Baja California, Belize, the
Mosquito coast and other sections of the
western hemisphere. To an inside OBJ
server i seems strange that the
world is slow 10 understand the Sc
ret aHimus of the present conflict
iho last struggle of the church of Rome to
regain its lost grip. allied in its desperation
with few English capitalists, whose inter
'7r IS not in Gillian patriotism or religion,
Dat In Gillian nitrate and other articles of
commerce. And il is amusing TO note how
some excited journals call upon the preSi-
Gent Of the United States and his cabinet to
i'er bic in their shoes because of the hostile
attitude assumed toward them by this puny
and unstable republic. Uncle Samuel is
N'.4 abundantly able to take care of his own
lu any part of the world, and i'll time even
his arrogant ''junta' may come to under
and that its favor or disfavor is a matter
o., profound Indifference to the citizens OF
Gods country In spite of his conceit,
' 81 IS something refreshing in the patriot
20 Of the typical Chilian-though it con-
slN'S IN killing everybody who disagrees
l;h him, # he can. While we, as anation.
nave grown somewhat ashamed of our old
'aSmoued Fourth of July, and the Declara
1nn Of Independence, to which we are in
ntcd for existence, it is remembered for
+t,,, h ,,4f IF al
0aers, the true Chileno will cut the throat
n. any maa who refuses to celebrate with
2 m the 18th of September. There is law
u The land requiring every house TO have Il
'aE-Staf, and every flagstaff to hang out
.e national banner by day and 4 lantern 1T
'gAt on all anniversaries of the republic.
( lillian vanity goes still further. and insists
nat a. the schools must use textbooks by
Ta'iys authors; al the bands must play the
music of native composers, and visiting
opera or concert singers must introduce the
songs Of the country into all their perform
2ryaS. Although there is nowhere a more
I>Cordant and unruly people-nowhere SO
~ Och murder and other serious crimes-yet
NE cruel soldier and the hunted bandit, the
tG-Aty don and the patient peon are one in
uelr love Of country and their firm convic-
lon ghat ii is the mightiest on the face Of
ZEE earth. In the Spanish language Diez Y
CCho ten and eight, means eighteen. and
among Chilenos the words have special
lcfcrence 10 their national independence,
"1ich was declared on September IS. in the
year ISIS. The finest residence street in
proud old Santiago. the city Of palaces, is
med the Gale street. of Diez V ocho. All
er the land there are Diez Y ocho plazas, \
lGeZ echo saloons manufactures and es-
,a,es; and many children, male and female,
who were so unfortunate as TO be born near
that patriotic date, are burdened with the
ihree cabalistic words for a front name. AT
his festive time of year the law compels
people to paint their houses, to clean the
s'reets and to Turkish up things generally,
both inside and out. Every woman in Chilli
must have a new gown for the Diez y ocho,
and in the matter of bonnets, it is to the
creme de Ia creme of Santiago what Easter
Sunday is to society bellies in the North.
Flags streaming over every doorway trans
form the streets into long vistas of bunting
the beautiful CHILEAN banner. with its sim |
gle white star on a blue ground, and two
stripes. one white, one red-interspersedb by |
he colors of foreign officials. Even the |
,ook in our house has felt the cpntagion of |
reform, and this morning found her in |
9ustriously pushing the dirt from the mid |