New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-28

ARDUOUs TASKS BEFORE PRESIDENT
MORAES.
,1rrs ,poN WHICH TIE COUNTRY Is SUFFER
1NG-IGNoEANcE. EXTRAVAGANZA
AND MILITARISM

AND MILITARlSM
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
cir. Although the term OF Office Of President
Pexoto does no. expire until November 10 next, 1t
is not unlikely that changes in the country's Adj
mnistration from the Presidential chair down.
may occur in phe interim. The defeat OF section
of the insurgent forces under Admirals Mei'o ana
Da CANA. however impar;ialy Viewed. can scarcely
be construed as a complete victory Tor the ADMIN
istration. Generals Tavares and Saraiva' in no
Grande do Sui still command large bodies OF men,
resolute and defiant. and ready at any time 10 give
battle to the Government troops Added 10 this 'he
intense uneaslncss prevailing throughout the couh-
try with martial law still in force. the muzzled con-
dition Of the press the judiciary parayzed ana eX-
change lower than II has ever been since our pollti-
cal existence all these elements Increase the dli-
Guilty OF administering the affairs OF state ana rem
der more and more precarious the condition OF our
people Now that a brief respite has taken pace
in our unhappy fratrlcdal struggle. 1t might be OF
interest to the North American reader. before essay
inC forecast of the future political aspect OF fraz
to outline of the leading factors that nave
brought about the rebellion.
Myself firm believer in republican institutions
fully convinced that wisely administered republic
offers the best government for the people and ad-
hitting that the Constitution OF Brazil as framed
embodied a system OF laws on a par win tha'
of any existing commonwealth. still am forced 10
admit that up 10 the present time the carrying OUT
of those enactments has been characterized at one
/
q total disrey ard Of the most elementary principles
they contained. Nor Is 1t 10 be wondered mat
change so complete. so radical. so far-reachhg on
every side took place suddenly In the history
of my country on thai eventful day or November
Is 1889 was attended with minor uphcavals that
might in turn threaten the rev order OF things
Public men Of irreproachabe standing and expert
ence were ruthcssly brushed aside. In many IN
stances individuals fitted for the work neither by
education nor natural ability we're called upon 10
ill the most important Offices In the gift of the peo-
pie In vain did the few wise heads attempt TO stay
the course Of naladmnistration. Gradually tho per
sonnet assumed such an aspect to warran; the
conclusion that the whole machinery OF government
centres in the person OF Marcha Florisno Peixoto.
who might well exclam of Brazil. as Louis XIV. IN
his dav did OF France lie Brezl. Cest mol
Aside from petty tyrannies peculiar TO military
men in office there Is striking cause that lies
at the root Of Brazii's misery to-day. We have a
| constitution almos; Identical with that OF the
United States. and based on its ~isest measures
| Offering the greatest sum OF freedom and liberty
! 70 the individual. either IN private or public
! capacity that could be desired. by following It's
/ spirit. muzzled newspaper. however radically OPP
] posed TO the administration. should be unknown;
| the privacy Of the public mail and telegraph held
! inviolab.e by the Government. rather than broken
! in.o in a manner such would disgrace the hire
liugs the Cars police VIII the reconstruction
! of the Government on civilian basis. this per
version Of republican IDEAS. fos'ere1 and engcn-
! dered by a few military dcspots. will be matter
Of past history. II has. however. LETT It's ravages.
chief among which IL the financial question. the
! most absorbing problem OF to-day.
When the Republic was proo.aimed Brazil was
at home and abroad Money was easy and Euro
psan capita 1a engrr The os spei and
! conservative country OF South Amersa England
alone had invested more than SJc01,GO our paper
money was at par. that is our standard currency
lmilreisl was equal TO q pence sterling r far
keeping with our character and temperament, and
despite the advice Of sound men Ike fFs..irnt
! Ubaldino. Bulhoes and Rodrigues Alves: and. asi
but not least the formal do Commerce." rash
CUR carte blanche was given the d.
T issue incoaveriSle paper money al s6c rate
| OF three times the amount Of It's realized capital
of a purely fictitious nature. Short roads 20 w1th
were now in order. BY many. conservatlye bust
pan!es were formed the shares reaching such a
ure as 10 am s the promoters Dd ne Gn
eminent crlm.nally incuiplted. me result was
gan to rise until our currency was deprecated
lose almost two- r6s Of it's intrinsic value.
lmmigra,ion was flowing 10 the country ana ex,
ports the Increase.
This state Of things eliminated IN the dissolution
Of Congress ana fonseca's resgns{ion; rhtouS E
the nnnenca OF A9mlaI Me 81 , anG thde 90 i hf
Florano Peixoto his legal snccess1r was piaccd
was worded In a conservative and patriotic spirit.
our financial position was practically the same
net had not escaped the bias Of that Admnistra-
tlon. Rodrigues Alyes, his Minister Of Finance
forth the most strenuous efforts TO cut aloof from
jeopardized the Treasury The ring was. however.
s'ill a-powerful. Moyrink officially dismissed as
President of the Banco ia Republica. as cop 10
the public. through the medium Of his friends who
succeeded him in Office ami backed by a score OF
political turncoats; who had suddenly come mo
prominence Immediately after the establishment Of
he new e. T@ m " y 20 onG cn Of me
mould. To such an extent was their influence sue
soldier President. go well fitted to his sIhGre in TIE
camp or in the barracks. was so dazed by the
difficulties Of his position that he Numbered even
more fatally than Fonseca, and became a mere
puppet in their hands.
child our monetary agents IN London politely In
tmated to our Government that they deemed It in
The financial position Of Brazil can be summed oC
more than :2Occoooo our budget. four years ago
representing assets Of almost sl0onmO, has been
reduced by the present exchange OF little oyer nine
pence sterling. TO s43cogo According to the,e
figures, which plain facts, PeiXoto has only
s23.OOO6OO with which TO pay the lnteres, on our
debt and the a5g out the OF aS
Purposely / say extraordinary, because the civil
10 deliver the Of the Government 10 President
Moraes. More than one-third OF this balance Of So
Brazilian Treasury in London In paying diplomats
1nS army heavy s sam is also pad in god to
foreign railroad companies, whose annual dividends
have been guaranteed by the Brazilian Government
Previous TO the Peixoto spent t2O,CoooO on the
army and the navy without any authorization from
Congress How much he has already spent and will
spend with the civil war. and with the main
tenance of his sui-generis Government remains an
unknown quantity. However. his prodigality can be
measured by the fact that he paid az high as go +,
90 and $4,000 per annum to alien gunners and
sailors.
| IL can now be understood how the grievance Of
the people Of Rio Grande do Sui. upon whom a de-
tested Governor has been fosted against the popular
will. acted a torch 10 the already lnnammable
state OF public opinion and was eagerly accepted as
a pretext and casus belli against the administration
This Is the actual position which Congress ana
President Moraes have to face il II upon these
data that legislation must b. built. and 1t is
upon their enactments the future welfare OF the
country viii depend. Truly. the outlook is a gloomy
one and II not for the natural resources OF
| Brazil and for the peaceful character Of its In