The St. Johns herald., 1895-11-09
BRAzIL'S NEW CAPITAL.
The Proposed Site Selected by
 the Government Commission.
Popular Demand for the Removal of Ofh- cial Headquarters from Rio de Ja- neiro-A Project That Looks
 Very UnprOmising.

After leisurely searching for more than two years, the scientific commission ap- pointed to find site for the new Bra zilian capital has reported. And as mo- body except themselves knows any thing about the chosen locality, their data, if not their conclusions, will, no doubt, be received with all the respect due to so well discussed a question. Naturally, the first point to be consid- cred is whether Brazil needs new capital. In Bio de Janeiro it has a splendid city, of historic fame, with all the buildings and other offices required for seat of government, so that to people less endowed with a mania for brand-new constitutions than the quondam subjects of Dom Pedro it may seem as needless for the Brazil ian federal rulers to leave Rio as it would be for the monarchial ones to leave London for the Wolds, of Yorkshire. But Brazil ''enjoys" home rule to such an extent that every state or province is in itself a little re- public, which-as the world is by this time aware--is at intervals struggling to break loose from the rest of the con- federation. Each of the provincial capi- tals is naturally jealous of Rio, and of the splendid opportunities which the local politicians of that city have for place, and pelf, and pronunciamentos
 Hence the outcry, says the London Standard, for a more centrally situated capital, the inhabitants of which shall be less subject to corrupt influences than those of a great city like the pres ent metropolis. The result was the appointment of a commission of geOlo- gists, engineers, meteorologists, doctors, astronomers and political economists, to report on some desirable locality for this ideal capital, with a goodly guard of soldiers to protect them, in case the wild Indians of the interior might en- certain prejudice against the disturb ance of their primeval forests. Twenty thousand pounds was voted for the ex- penses of the party, the consequence of whose impedimenta required the serv- ices of one hundred and eighty horses, mules and asses. Brazil is, however, so large land that, had the explorers received a rowing commission, they might have died of old age, of yellow jack" or by Indians, long before they had examined 9 tithe of the possible sites suited for the purpose indicated. Their attention was, therefore, devoted to the Brazilian highlands northwest of Rio-a rolling country covered with stunted trees and grass, inhabited by poor-spirited race, reputed to be too lazy to either rob or murder, and too few to be of any account, if forced to fight for their birthright. It is in this region that the commissioners have found the sought-for site, on a plateau four thousand feet above the sea level, well-watered, free from yellow fever, and naturally-this point is made much of, as it is eighteen hours by railway from Rio-not liable to be bombarded the next time the fleet revolts or the republic feels it necessary to fatter the electors by insulting European power.
 And there the scheme is likely to end. The report will be printed, and possibly debated. But it is quite cer- tain that the new capital is to-day as far off as it was before the commissions CTS set out on their travels. For to build even the bare outlines of a gov ernment city would cost more millions of milreis than Brazil can obtain credit for on the money markets. Railways must, in the first place, be constructed to the chosen spot. Offices for the state business, legislative buildings, and host of similar necessities must be pro- vided, even if private enterprise erected hotels and houses, and municipality which does not exist undertook to lay out roads, make drains, erect gas and water works, and generally constitute this capital in the outer world fairly habitable. And, of course, barracks would have to be built, otherwise a change of government might be sud denly precipitated by the opposition playing Cromwell on large scale, by not only turning out the legislature, but-what would be much worse-by putting the late officials in jail, and their adherents in the posts recently filed by them. All this, it may be added, is apart from the endless polite al difficulties inherent in the proposal, all of which are perfectly well known to those. concerned.