The age-herald., 1898-09-21
CHILE AND
ARGENTINE

prosperous than they, IL IS aiso pecauSS
 boundary disputes, such as the one that is
 now on between Chile and Argentine, have been used to increase territory. Peru and
 Bolivia suffered in that way, and they paid
 A. dear price for their resistance to Chilean
 demands Bolivia lost territory and Its
 only seaport. Peru had to pay an indemni-
 tv that hurt it a great deal more than the
 indeml " France paid to Germany.
 Argentine has not yet had a real war
 with Chile, though the present situation is
 war-like. On the face of 1t Chile would
 seem to be more than a match for Argen-
 tine. It is true that the latter nation has
 a population of 100000, against Chile's
 population of 3,OO0,OOO but the Chieans are
 a more war-lilxe race. The regular armies
 contain about 10000 men each. Besides
 these there is the militia. Argentine is
 supposed to have 4SO,O0O men in the nation al guard the majority of whom receive
 military training, those 20 years of age be- ing mobilized every year and given two
 months in camp. The other guards are drilled every Sunday during the two
 months. In Chile the national guard is or ganized on the same lines, and 25,OJ0 men
 annually receive military instruction,
 which Is compulsory, as in Germany.
 Chile's navy Is it's boast. It is the
 strongest of any South American state, and constant increases are made to the force of fighting ships. At the present time the Chilean feet including ships building, con- sists of one first-class batleship Che Capi- tan Pratt one port defense armor-clad (the Huascar), one armored cruiser, one drst-class cruiser and one building, four second-class cruisers, three third-class cruisers and two building, nine gunboats, thirteen torpedo boats, four destroyers building and several vessels for harbor service Against this Argentine has two monitors of our civil war type two hrst- class cruisers purchased from Italy, three armored cruisers, three second-class cru1s-
 CTS. three third-class cruisers, six gum
 boats. fourteen torpedo boats, with four
 destroyers building in England.
 An examination of these figures would show the nations well matched on the face
 of it-Argentine with a stronger army,
 while Chile has the stronger navy In ac- tual warfare, however, the Chileans would probably have the advantage The Chile- ans are good fighters. They showed that in the war with Bolivia and Peru, and in deed many of the people were willing enough to fight the United States, if the wiser COu1Sel Ol lltlI lulSiS hdu iob iS strained them from such foolhardiness. The war with Peru and Bolivia is inter- esting, if only because out of it grew the ill feeling between Chile and the United States which has continued to the present day. A boundary dispute led to declara- ton of war April 2, 1SS0 Peru and Bolivia having meanwhile made a secret treaty to aid each other in fighting their neighbor,
 who coveted their rich deposits of guano The war lasted until October 20, 1883, when peace was signed. The Chileans won prac- tically every battle that was fought. The United States, during the war, offered its services mediator but the result was only to increase the diplomatic complica- tions and after the war an inquiry was made into the causes of the ill-feeling | against the United States. This led to the exposure of conduct and procedure be- yond the power of the United States min isters at Lima and Santiago, who appar- ently leaned very decidedly toward Peru and Bolivia in the dispute
 In spite of the advantages gained by Chile the war proved costly and the Chile an government has been in financial diff cultes. MT. Carpenter in one of his re- cent letters published in the Times-Herald, intimated very strongly that the Chileans were considering the advsabilty of mak- ing another raid on Peru. in order to gain cash. and he gave it as his idea that the Chileans would like to fleece the Peruvians as thoroughly as did P1zarro.
 The ChiIeans are energetic and have really advanced far beyond any other South American country. Argentine a--s had a greater apparent prosperity. Its az riculture is enormous but the people there are more slothful and the immigration from Italy has not resulted in an infusion | of energy into the race. On the other hand, the Chileans. occupying a narrow | strip of country. whose soil is not fertile, and with a eacoast that Is of great length Chile is the longest country in the world have developed into a trading race by far more energetic than any of its neigh l bors. This length of Chile is enormous. | From end to end the country is 5000 miles, | which is as great distance as from the north point of Hudson's bay to the south | ern boundary of Mexico, or far as from | New York to San Francisco. The country being only 100 miles in width 1t is a say 1 ing that the people of Chile hang to the | Andes by their finger and toe nails to keep | from falling into the sea. This exercise | mas been beneficial, and the Chileans are, as whole, further advanced in civiliza- | tion than any other South Americans. | They are a busy people and do a thriving | trade with the rest of the world. Every body works-even the women-for they | have women street car conductors and in l case of war the women might fight. and l fight well, if there were occasion.
 The land is divided into small landhold- | ings, there being 20O0D estates valued at | less than s100 year. and it Is easy to see | how this system, in France, acts on its prosperity. The statesmen are the best in 1 South America. and there have been fewer | financial experiments than anywhere else. | On the whole. Chile would probably win | war with Argentine, and 1t is not sur | prising that the latter nation is willing to l agree to the arbitration proposed by Great
 Britain The interests of foreign nations l in Argentine are so great that it Is possible | that they may exert diplomatic pressure l in order to avert the war, and this would 1 be a good thing for Argentine.
 l SHOULD NOT REMAIN SPANISH
 l Manila September 1S.--Tn an interview l here with him by the correspondent of the