The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-29

other revolution with President Balta at
its head and Pierola came back to Lima
as secretary of the treasury He was secre-
tary at the time that Meiggs, the Ameri-
can, inaugurated a great system of rail-
roads and public improvements, and to-
gether they made the money flow faster
than the river Rimac, in trying to develop
Peru. Ex-President Pardo now again APP
peared with another army and drove Balta
and PierolA out. This was just twenty
years ago. Several years later came the
war with Chile, and Pierola was called back
as one of the commanders of the Peruvian
troops. His army was defeated, and it was
charged at the time that he had sold out
to the Chileans. In the meantime President
Pardo had fed the country and Pierola be-
came dictator. The Chileans having con-
quered, refused to recognize him, as they
knew he would not consent to give up the
rich nitrate fields, which were the real
cause of the war. They then put up one
of their own tools as president and Pierola
was banished third time. He fed to France
and did not return until General Caceres
was President, in 1856. Caceres was, 1 am
told, highway robber of the first magni-
tude. His wife, who was originally ra-
bona, a woman following the army, was
with him in his speculations, and conces-
sions and privileges were sold by them the
funds pocketed and the money sent to Paris
to be deposited to Caceres's private account
there. Such actions created a strong anti
Caceres party, and Pierola came back to run
for President. Caceres was afraid of him,
and having concealed some guns on Pier
ola's estate, sent soldiers to find them and
charge Pieroa with treason. This was done
and Pierola was brought to Lima and here
confined in the palace One day a French
lady friend called upon him She was adj
mitted. She changed clothes with Pierola,
in his cell, and when the guards came in
later on they found that Pierola had passed
out in her Clothes and that all that was
left of him was his brown whiskers lying
on the floor, where they had dropped when
he had cut them off.
FOUGHT HIS WAY TO POWER
Pierola fled 10 the mountains, raised an
army and declared war. He fought in the
mountains for some time, and months later
in 1895, appeared before Lima with $500
men and dared President Caceres to come
out and fight him. CacereS had 1900 sol
diers but he fortified the city and remained
inside. One morning at daybreak Pierola
broke through the guards, and, with his
troops made his way right up to the front
of the palace. There was an engagement,
and he was driven back a block or so to the
square of the MERGED Church. Here he tore
up the pavement and made barricades. He
put his cannon in the church towers, and
for three days Lima was filled with fighting
soldiers. The stores were all closed. The
people did not dare to venture out on the
streets, and such as showed their faces al
the windows were fired at by the Caceres
soldiers. Caceres was not at all popular
with the people, and many of his officers
were shot from the second-story windows
by those who sympathized with Pierola. At
the end of the third day the foreign lega-
tons took the matter in hand, and told
Caceres the revolution must stop. Pierolas
men said they would cut the water pipes
and fire the town if Pierola did not aodi-
cate, and, between the two, Caceres was
forced out of office, and provisional gov
eminent appointed until an election could
be had. At this election Pierola was chosen
President by an overwhelming majority.
This was about two years ago, and he has
still almost two years to serve. When he
goes out one of his men will probably take
his place, though I am told that Caceres is
now in Buenos Ayres plotting how he may
again get into power.
WHY PERUVIANS ARE POOR.
Peru is one, of the richest countries on the
face of the globe, and to-day the Peruvians
are comparatively among the poorest of
peoples. say comparatively, for they have
been so wealthy that what seems poverty
to them would still be riches to others. By
the Peruvians I mean the aristocracy and
the ruling classes. The people who own
Peru are chiefly those of Spanish descent.
Some of these are crossed with the Indians,
but the chief property holders and the men
who have now and have always had the
cream of the country are the pure whites.
These are very few. Nowhere in the world
will you find such a condition as has always
existed in this country. There are in Peru
about three million people, or about as
many as in Greater New York. OF these
81 per cent. are pure Indians and about %
per cent. are of mixed races, coming from
the union of the Indians and the negro ex-
slaves and Of the Spaniards and Indians.
Not one man in five is pure white, and of
these white there have always been a select
few who have practically owned the
country.
The story of Peru and its Spanish owners
shows how poorly the Spaniards are fitted
The story of Cuba is not new one. When
Pizarro came here and conquered the Incas
he found a high state of civilization. Peru
was then supporting a population of from
ten to twenty millions. The Andes were
cultivated to their tops, and what is now
largely desert was by a system of fine
aqueducts and canals rich farms. The
masses of the people then as now worked
for their rulers, but the laws were such
that every one was we'll fed and housed,
and by a system of public granaries there
was no want. There was plenty of gold
and silver, but neither metal was used
as money, and the people, in fact, do
not seem to have had money. They were
hard working and peaceful when the Span
iards invaded them and took away the
richest booty that one nation ever got by
expressing another. From one Inca temple
Pizarro took 1900 pounds of gold and $1,000
pounds of silver. The silver nails in one
temple weighed $4,000 ounces. You remern-
Der the room half full of gold which the
Inca king gathered for him as ransom.
They collected vast quantities of the prec-
ious metals from the cities, temples and
palaces in other parts of the country and
made Spain rich for a century or more.
They ensaved the people and made them
work for them, and later on brought Afri-