The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-30

The nayI0nai government and itnoynas
Municipio Neutro. It is in every sense
of the word the national capital, and
represents Brazilian progress as well as
hereditary Portuguese stubborn ness. IN
some respects the city resembles Paris,
for almost all great national gprisings
have had their origin within its limits.
The stormy days of 1893 are still fresh
in the memory Of the people who seem
to rejoice that the new president OF
the republic. DR.. Prudente de Moraes,
IS governing the unr1ly elements in all
parts of the country with a firm hand.
vet without attempting TO encroach
upon the liberties Of the nation al
large.
The LATED S4a.as- az Rrazil h26 an
srea Of nearly s,250,OOO square miles
and a population of about Il .000, 900.
The Republic consists OF twenty states
and the federal district of Rio. Each
state makes its own local laws and is
entitled to representation in the ma
tional congress. In many important
particulars the government is patterned
after that of the United States. A few
years ago the state of Rio Grande do
Sui attempted to leave the union and
establish an independent republic, but
was prevented by the federal govern
ment. Since the coup d'etat OF No
vember Is, 1889, by which Emperor
Dom Pedro was dethroned, Brazil has
had three chief executives-FOnseca,
who was compelled to resign when he
attempted to- make himself dictator;
Peixoto, who caused the revolution of
1888 by his superciliousness, and DIR.
Moraes, the present incumbent of the
presidency, who, ] am pleased to state,
Is strengthening the republic at home
and abroad.
Everything 10 Brazil revolves around
coffee. If the coffee crop is good,
everybody, from the planter down to
the negro farm hand, seems to have
plenty of money. A friend in Rio adj
Wis i me to visit famous facenda in
the interior for the purpose of becom-
ing familiar with the people who give
stability to the government. The sue
cessful coffee planters are the best
friends republican progress has in the
country, and as they control thousands
o. votes their good will is courted by
the representatives Of the powers that
be-
The planter. no matter how wealthy
he may be, is not a dude. He is in
variably clad in the national garment,
the poncho, a shawl ornamented with
yariops striking designs in embroidery.
This Is slipped on over the head, and
presents really effective appearance
when gracefully worn. The only ex-
.travagance in which he INDUCES is his
spurs, which are verylarge and frequent
'ly of pure gold and silver. A sombrero
and Mexican trousers complete his
outer toilet.
The first question the facendeiro
asks of visitor from foreign parts is
whether he knows anything about COT
fee culture. Should the answer be,
like mine, in the negative, he will be
taken TO the coffee fields without delay;
and the information he receives, and
the pretty sight on which he can feast
his eyes, will well repay him for the
trip from the city to the country. A
coffee plantation in bloom is strillingly
beautiful. Planted in straight rows
extending from the top of a good-sized
hill to the edges of a priIneval tropical
forest the pyramid shaped coffee trees
presented the appearance of a huge
army of weil-drilled soldiers, sthe deep