Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-28

States. He practically decides every
thing. although his cabinet ministers
must approve his acts to make them
valid. He practically controls con-
gress. to large extent. grants the
concessions which are given for public
and private works. and has much to
do with the management of the reve-
nues. This country is, you know. n
Catholic country The pope sends "a
delegate to the court of Peru and there
are more priests here than congress-
men. All other religions excepting the
Catholic are prohibited by the consti-
tuition. though Protestant church SER
vices are tolerated in Lima and Callao.
There are only 5000 Professionals In all,
Peru, and until last fall marriage. to
be legitimate, had to be celebrated In
the Catholic church and according to
It's ceremonies. The offspring of other
marriages were not considered legltl-
mate and the average Peruvian looked
upon the married foreigners here as
living outside the marriage relation. 1t
was largely through Plerola that this
has been changed and / am told he
would like to restrict the pow ers OF the
priests still further though 1t seems to
me that the money he is spending on
the churches shows he is trying to cur
ry favor with the clerical factions.
THE CONGRESS OF PERU.
i paid visit today to the two houses
of congress of Peru, This country has
"A constitution which is modelled some
what after ours. The law-maling
power is composed Of a senate and a
house of deputies. The senators are
elected for four years and the deputies
for two. The sessions begin on the
2sth of July, which is the anniversary
of Peru's Independence of Spain, and
they last ninety days. The salary of
each member of congress is Sl5 In silver
day, or about $3.50 In our money.
Deputies must be twenty-five years of
age and have an income of $500 n year.
Senators must be thirty five years of
age and their incomes must be 81, 900 a
year. II the members are. however.
professors of science, the question OF
income is not raised
Both houses are on the Plaza of the
1nquisition, where that terrible court
sat In times past. Peru was the CEN
ter of Catholicism In western South
America for more than two centuries.
and from the Isthmus OF Panama to
the Straits of Magellan heretics were
brought here to be tried. The most
horrible of tortures were used and
many were burned at the stake. 1t is
n strange commentary on the changes
of the times that the senate OF Peru
sits today in the very room In which
the inquisition court held its sessions.
and that speeches In favor OF free
thought are made in the very hall in
which the most terrible bigots of the
past were tortured and slaughtered UNI
der the name of religion. Even today
higotry Is common in the mountain
districts, and l am told that priest
is now in jail here for having caused
a witch TO be burned at the stake. The
old hall of the inquisition where the
senate meets has ceiling of dark
wood wonderfully carved. The room
Is long and narrow and this ceiling Ia.
] judge. about thirty feet above tha
floor. The front OF the senate is being
remodeled. An entrance like that of
the Parthenon at Athens is being ad-
ded to 1t, and It now looks more like a
Greek temple than an old Spanish
structure. ! photographed the front
during my stay. but could not get a
picture of the hall on account OF the
height of the ceiling. The secretary
OF the senate took me through the
building, and upon my departure Of
fered me volume as big as a four.
dollar Bible, comprising the last edi-
tion of the laws of Peru. 1t was In
Spanish. which 1 read very poorly, but
for politeness' snke / took II, though II
was decidedly heavy in more senses
than one.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.