The morning call., 1893-12-07
PERU AND ECUADOR.

While the South Americans on the east
side of their continent are bombarding
each other over the question of supremacy
in Brazil, their compatriots of the west
side appear to be spelling for fight on the
delimitation of their mutual frontier. In
this latter case the omDataDts are not
equally matched. Ecuador has an area
nearly as large as that of Texas, with
population of a million or so Peru is as
large as Texas and New Mexico combined.
and is occupied by two and half million
people. Peru is the other colony, from
which all the South American States ex-
cept Brazil originally sprang. 1t was the
main vicer0yaity. which gave birth In
turn to Chile. Bolivia, Ecuador, New
Granada. Guiana and Venezuela. But its
dismembered fragments have no affection
for the fatherland. When Chile was de-
vouring the resources of Peru no other
South American State attempted to in
terfere.
1t would seem that eventually both
Peru and Ecuador as well as Bolivia
would fall under the control of the aggres-
sive people who inhabit Chile. They do
not contain resources sufficient TO sustain
an independent nationality without sys-
TEN VI oO tppiCsolfc dS ~ plD-
yoke revolt Peru would be nothing with
out its guano, the lions share of which
has been seized by Chile, and its nitrates
which are gradually passing into the hands
OF the English as security for loans
Its silver mines. which used to be the
wonder of the world, are not now more
productive than those of California.
Ecuador IS still poorer country. II pays
for its foreign imports mainly in cocoa
and rubber. Though 1t is traversed by the
equator it does not yield any exportable
surplus of equatorial products. Its two
cities. Quito and GuayaquIl, appear to the
traveller to be lively. but their commercial
movem ent is sluggish. Much larger than
either Peru or Ecuador is Bolivia, which
is thrice the size Of Texas and contains, 1t
is supposed, about two and a half millions
of people. OF the exporta BILE products OF
this State little is known, because it has no
outlet to the foreign world except through
other Souh American States. But it
yields wool, cocoa. rubber, coffee, various
gums and drugs, hides, besides minerals
and ntrates, and 1t is supposed that If it
were not peopled by the hybrid race of
Indians and Spaniards. who become inert
on the elevated lands which they inhabit,
the quantity of these products would
be larger than it is. Bolivia occupies the
vast high plateaus which break the slope
OF the Andes TO the east. Within its
borders every variety of climate may be
found, and the pateaus, like our prairies.
are clothed with the same alluvial deposit
as the pampas.
The chief advantage of all this country
is its splendid water system. There are
but few streams heading in the west water
shed of the mountains and emptying into
the Pacific. But on the eastern slope the
traveller is seldom out of sight of some con-
fluent of the Amazon. There is water
transportation from three-fourths of
Ecuador, Bolivia and Perm to the Atlantic
for everything the country will grow. No
use is made of 1t a. present. The dwellers
on the tableands grow just enough 10 sus-
tain life and sleep away their days; exer-
ion of any kind is repugnant to them.
Engineers who have needed labor have
got it by dragging the natives out of their
huts and kicking them until they went to
work. No idea of resistance ever entered
their mind. Labor was uncongenial. but
fighting was even more rksome.
If the policy of Chile had been statesman
like when she was at war with Peru she
would have annexed that country, and
Bolivia and Ecuador as well. This would
have made a State of 1.250.000 square
miles, with a homogeneous population of
eight or nine millions. Such State would
hold its own against Brazil Or Argentine;
and by the force of centripeta attraction
the remains of the old Colombian repub-
lie such as New Granada would be drawn
to it sooner or later. In fact. it would re-
produce the old empire of the Incas.
There is no reason why such a State
should not become one of the important
agricultural and commercial communities
Of the world.