The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-12-23
Last Hours in Costa RIGA.


SAN JOSE, COSTA RIGA, Nov. s, 1897.
lhOugh Costa RIGA is the least populous of
lhe five Central American Republics, she
IN some respects the most advanced.
With an area little less than that of the
state of West Virginia, and only about
-63, 600 souls within her borders - less
han the population of many of our cities
she last year placed on the foreign
market ten million dollars worth of her
5wn productions, and imported eight mil
lion dollars worth of merchandise, show =
ug commercial exchange of SIS, 900, 600,
gold. She was the first of the Central
American States to have cheap Geographic
communication, and viii be the first to
onnect the two oceans by rail. Already
some 800 miles Of railway are completed
and about 500 miles of telegraph wires are
u use, the latter service having been ex-
auded in every direction. all over the
ountry. Telegraphic communications
throughout the neigbboring Republics is
lalged at the same rate as that between
-er own cities and villages-ten words for
Ia cents and for every five or less adj
adoHal words > cents. The postal sys-
M is also unsurpassed. since Costa Rica
HOW a member Of the Universal Postal
Mon. and telephones, introduced in
$50 are everywhere! The nearest office
the cable company is at san Juan del
~ar, Nicaragua. not far from the frontier
lud OF course connected with Costa Rican
eegraphs A concession has been grant
% a European company to connect Costa
.ioa with the cable on the Atlantic side
~ means of an office established at Puerto
iulun; and the Government has opened
regulations for establishing new office of
The Central and South American cable
somewhere on the Pacific shore Of Costa
Inca, probably at Punta Arenas. The first
Dauk of Central America was established
N Costa Rica, just forty years ago There
re now two banks, both in san Jose-the
Banco Anglo Costaricense, established in
10, with paidup capital of 81, 800, 600;
ami the Banco de Costa Rica, formerly
Bauco de la Union) with a registered capt.
tal of two millions. Up to date, little
costa RIGA has coined something over four
million dollars in gold, silver and copper
Costa RIGA gold, arranged by the decimal
ta5, q, I ! ~
ar and Que dollar pieces, is worth g per
ant. less than English gold, and twelve
aud a half per cent. less than American
The money in general use in Costa Rica is
lie paper dollar Its value is nomnaIv
lo0 cents, or francs, or Z English shil-
ings, but in reality it is worth only about
10 cents, gold being at a premium of from
q to 40 per cent. The paper money is ac-
.epted throughout the country without
question, and the silver money of the
ountry has no premium oven it.
The wide. well-paved streets Of the
1lital are lighted by electricity, and the
ane public buildings and many of the
rvate residences would do credit to any
country. Having returned to san jose.
I'D uur way to the Atlantic coast to lid a
ual adicu to the country. We desired an
Hdieuce with the President. and readily
obtained it seuol Don Rafuel Iglesias-
He present ruler ot Costa Elca and sure
~ be lie elected about the middle ot ibis
months in his 37th year, a rather hand
some man, with an intelligent face and
treat cordially of manner The latter
1ait makes him immensely popular among
t1e people and is NO doubt partly 1espon-
sible for his being elected to succeed him
self. when the constitution expressly stip-
dates that President shall not have two
successive terms. There are ways of get
ting around that, however, as Diaz has
done in Mexico. In fact, DR.. Iglesias is
the Porh1io Diaz of Central America-a
soldier as well as a statesman, and i'm
bued with the progressive spirit of the
most enlightened nations. He comes from
an ancient and distinguished family and
is himself a scholar of note-an elegant
writer of his own language, and also
master of French, German and English.
Though extremely affable, and so plain
and unaffected in manner that everybody
feels free to call upon him with scant
ceremony, his very word and action shows
the dignity of his high position. A for
midable, but happily unsuccessful, plot
to overthrow him was lately carried on in
the United States-by Don Federico Mora,
an ambitious Costa Rican who is now a
political exile from his native land and
resides in New York City. Many are the
plots he and his friends have Matched
against the Iglesias governmental OF
which, however, have proved abortive.
After being banished as an agitator, he
continued in the United States the work
begun at home, endeavoring by use of the
mails to foment revolution among the dis
affected Costa Ricans. The pamphlets
which he sent down for distribution were
promptly seized by the government; and
then he resorted to subterfuge to get his
Seditious matter into the country. Late
last April he sent from New York large