The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-11
THE OLDEST KKPUBLIC,
An Election in San Marine Founded 'ooo
Years Ago,

An Election in San Marine Founded 500
Years Ago,
The Oldest republic In the world is
San Marine. a rocky, patch OF iaE1 , Uii
the Adtfatic, surrounded on all SIDES but
the sea by Italian territory. AS chtl~ens
Of "A very big and very new repupile, We
should be Interested in very sinai
and very old one. .hito
entered on their six months term %
office. The ceremony was OF unusual I'M, I'M
pOrtance, as the new Senate pui!ul.e
was opened at the same lime monte
Titnao mountain with three peaAs'
which is the principal geographical iei-
ture Of San Marine and where me pupnc
buildings are situated, was Drilliahtly
The patron saint and traditional found
or of the republic is Marinus' hoIy
DalInatian stone mason. MS poI Iait
| hangs in the Senate house. lie Is snomn
with his tools, and his last words arc
| written under the portrait; KeHilquo
vos liberos alb utroque homine.' lie dled
| 800 years ago. -, ,oo,,os
| which Italy's greatest living poet, GlQsue
| Carducci laVished upon their lnsul"tlVI'o
| i'm his eloquent speech at me oRt.iiIS
| of the new Government House, WHINE,
| In, archives of tins miniature heRupI'C W
| nineteen miles In circumference have now
| been removed. For small as thelr otdsS
| Sc ms besides the gis L1uc empires ~, u
| TO-DAY IL has IKE lDt bItth
of old, produced not few men OF MARI MARI
| whose tact and sta-esm1nsn'P nave GuIu,
| Cd IL amidst the mazeS or lnleIllStOiia'
| politics. It's constitution Is the sole sur
| Viving specimen left 10 show us Whal
| the Italian republics of ,he miGdle ages
| we're like. Napoleon spared San Marin0
| for ths very reason. Let 1t remain.
he said, forever as the pattern OF the re-
| nilhiic" Indeed, such was his friendship
| for the mountGineers OF Tltano that ne
offered TO increase tier o0nhoaries p at
Antonio Onofri. san Marines greatest
statesman. had the wisdom TO decline
this seductive offer. Subsequent events
proved the soundness OF MS 1udgIleIlt
When Napoleon fell. the allied soverelghs
| looked with favor upon the little UmDTlal
state which had known how TO pfdctise
moderation. -,
| ia itself and its institutions; that is the
| reason why neither Pope nor Kaiser ever
| swallowed IT up in the evil days when
| the foreigner overran the UnDlah
Marches republic In name, II U.s. ana
| always has been, an oligarchy in TACT
| The Council Of Sixty. which makes the
laws, is composed of twenty nobles'
twenty townsmen and twenty country.
men from the adjoining hamlets, all or
whom are elected for life. whenever n
| vacancy occurs, the Council chooses
some suitable person, usually the son or
, the deceased Councillor, to MI IL. But the
| Constitution is careful to guard against
the concentration of power In the hahdS
Of one family. For no one can be erected
to the Council during the lifetime OF
his father. nor may more than one of Il
family of brothers living together De
chosen as a Senator In the whole MS
tory of the republic there is no instance
of an attempt on the part OF any OF her
citizens to establish a dictatorship.
The two Pegents, who are elected by
the Council hold office for only six months
and act each as a check upon tle otn sI !.
Moreover, they are not eligible again for
three wears one OF them must be no
hle the other Is chosen from me cluzehs
of the little capital. or from the country
folk of the provinces. They look very
} imposing in their robes OF office with the
grand Gordon Of the Equestrian Order OF
| San Marine. The Republicans of san
Marine believe greatly in titles, ana de-
| rive n portion of their revenue from the
| sale of these decorations. Every visitor
TO their city has seen in the square. or
| Pianello, opposite the new Government
| House a beautiful marble statue of the
| Republic The lady who gave them this
! | she was the wife Of their diplomatic rep
| resentative I'm Paris-was created duch'
! ess-Duchess Of AcquaViva-in return, and
| | not a few distinguished persons-Prince
| Bismarck among them-are patrician of
| | San Marine.
But the most curious survival in their
Constitution IL the way I'm which their
| judges and doctors are appointed. The
= three judges must not be natives of the
| Republic, but are elected for a term Of
= three years from outside like the old
% | BOdeStd, at Milan ana fi'VtIVe. Stl-
{ | aries at San Marino are low Even the
| Regents only get n small indemnity OF
, | about $G0 and their two Secretaries OF
i state are handsomely remunerated al
% the rate OF $500. The doctors are elected
: | and paid by the Council, and kill or cure
y | free of charge.
, The Kingdom OF Italy has been very
> | kind TO the tiny republic within ~
. boundaries. Sig. Crlspi telegraphed hi
good wishes 10. the Regents last week
. | and his sovereign has given them nj
= | bust in majolica for their new Senat
y | House. Nor are they less proud of th'
q | portrait OF Washington. which Mr.. WI
u liam Warren Tucker. of Boston. the ben
a | efactor OF their library, once presented
= | TO them as a memorial OF their younge
| sister across the Atlantic.
The Italian Government pays them
! | nxed sum every year. calculated at s.
: | much per head of their population o
> | Q 900 inhabitants, on condition that the.
4, | have no CuStom-House. In order u
avoid difficult questions of copyright
newspaper In the whole country. Per
! | hans that is the reason why they hav'
only had ore war In their whole history
. | Ruf they have admirably executed com
= | ~ their own and their stamps ana posi-
: | cards are the delight of all phllatehsts
and therefore, "a considerable source
revenue to the state. Their budget Us
. marvel OF business-lke care. ESelS
thing. even to the sum EXPENDED o.
honts for the little army OF twenty
eight men. and an item for a new cloal
o. Rlei the beadle, is carefully note'
, down and, unlike their great nflShoo
| ond allv thew have balance AT inei
. bankers'1only $32, 1t is true, but still
] balance.