The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-29
Romantic Career of a South American
Statesman and General Who Fought
His Way to Presidency.
THE SPANISH rs COLONIZERS
PERt'S CONGRESS AND SOMETHING
ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT.
Constitution TOIerates Catholicism a
the Only ReligiOn-CharGed with
Burning a Witch.
Copyright, 1898, by Frank G. carpenter.)

Copyright 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter)
LIMA, Peru, April 25.-It was in company
with Mr. Richard r. Neal, the secretary of
our legation at Lima, that I called upon
the President this afternoon. His Excel
lency had appointed 2 p. m. for the audi
ence and at that hour we entered the vast,
low, one-story building which forms the
White House and government offices Of this
republic. Soldiers in uniforms of white
duck, with guns at their sides, guarded the
doors and as we entered the hall we passed
by a company of infantry ready for imme-
date action in case of revolution. Addi-
tional guns stood in racks against the walls.
and my surroundings were those of a cort-
ress rather than a country where the peo-
pie are supposed to rule. This is, you know,
a land of revolutions President Pierola
came in after many months of hard tight
ing, and in the houses and churches of
Lima you may yet see the marks where
cannon balls and bullets went crashing
through. For days the President besieged
the city. The opposing factions had CAT
ling guns trained upon one another, and
they swept the streets. The dead were car
ried out each morning by the CARLOAD, and
there were so many dead horses that they
were not buried, but were covered with coal
OIL and a match having been applied, were
thus consumed. With the new President,
Pierola, in and the old President, Caceres,
banished, there was peace and a new gov
eminent, and there is peace to-day The
present administration has been in power
for several years. 1t is more progressive
than any administration Peru has had for
a long period, and under 1t the country is
steadily improving. There is an opposition
party however, and President Pierola is
too good a soldier to sleep on his arms.
He keeps his troops in good order, and you
find sldiers almost everywhere present.
THE PRESIDENT OF PERU.
AS we went further into the palace we
passed a number of officers in uniform and
then proceeded through one anteroom after
another, until we came into the office of
the Presidents private secretary the J. Ad-
olson Porter of Peru. This man was even
more suave than our Mr.. Porter. He told
us that the palace, the President and him
self were at my disposition and that his
Excellency would receive me at once. He
went out, and moment later ushered Mr..
Neal and myself into a large hall furnished
not unlike one of our public reception rooms
at Washington. In the center of the room
as we entered stood a straight, handsome
eagle. His features were striking, and his
strong nose and mouth those of a leader
of men, His forehead was very high, and
the white curl which hung down upon it
was twisted about after the style of our
once American dictator, Roscoe Conkling,
while his brown whiskers were trimmed aft
err the fashion of Louis Napoleon. 1t was
Nicholas Pierola, the famous South Ameri-
can statesman, general, patriot and revolu-
zionist, the President of Peru. He is now,
T. Judge, between fifty and sixty years Of
age, probably nearer the latter year than
the former He is about five feet six inches
in height, but his military bearing makes
him look taller. He was dressed in a black
broadcloth suit with a cameo medallion
upon his white tie. He stepped toward us as
we came in and shook hands with me upon
my presentation. He asked me to take
seat on a sofa and, with his own hands,
brought a chair and sat down beside me-
He chatted for some time with me to my
trip, and said he was glad to have an Ameri-
can journalist come to Peru, he felt that
his country was not properly known in
North America. During the conversation, in
which Secretary Neal acted as interpreter,
his EXcellency referred to the wonderful
and agricultural possibilities of Peru. He
said that it's mineral regions had not been
carefully prospected, that its surface was
hardly scratched and that if it had the
proper amount of capital and the right sort
of immigration it would be one of the rich
est countries of the continent. Upon my
asking his Excellency how he regarded the
introduction of American money, he replied
that Peru would be glad to welcome any
Americans that might come and that there
were many safe investments here which
would yield a profitable return. He was
anxious, he said, to see an increased trade
between the sister republics of the United
States and Peru, and hoped that one of
the transisthmian canals would be pushed
to its completion with that end in view.
During the audience 1 told his Excellency
of a chat l had had with President Nc
Kinley just before leaving Washington, in
which our President stated his anxiety that
the two continents should have better trade
relations and that business between them
should be greatly increased. In his talk
with me President Mckinley stated his po
sition on this matter in strong terms, say
ing that the foundation for all such Iela-
tions was peace and friendship, and that 1
might state his hope that peace would con-
tinue, for without it business could not en-
0ure. RreSlQ6nL Gl6TOid heartily sdSSeQL6u
to this He said he was able to state that
Peru was in a safe and settled condition,
and that he thought 1t would continue so.
He referred to the Monroe doctrine. with
which he said he was in hearty accord,
saying that the republics of this hemisphere
should support, aid and defend one an
other in the protection of their rights as
free governments. At this point the new
minister from Bolivia, whose reception had
been fixed to follow mine was announced
and our very pleasant talk was brought to
a close.
UPS AND DOWNS OF A PRESIDENT
The statesmen of South America have
much more eventful lives than politicians
of the United States. President Pierola's
career has been one of romantic ups and
downs. He is the son of famous scientist
and litterateur, his father having been presi-
dent Of a university and coworker with
Humboldt Sir Humphrey Davy and Dr.
Won Tschudi. the noted Austrian philoso-
pher and traveller. President Pieroia was
educated in Europe, and while a student in
Paris he married the daughter of the EN-
peror Iturbide OF Mexico. He began his
life's work as an editor here In Lima. but