Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-23

ranches in the Andes
at-an altitude Of 12.0Oo feet. On about the
latitude of the Congo. QS!to has a more
temperate climate than that of Washington
city. Here at Guayaquil the climate is that
of the tropics; IN some of the Andean val
leys it is like an Ohio June all the year
around. and on many of the peaks the
Snow never meltS.
quito is the highest capital city on aarth.
1t is situated on the roof OF the world. 1t
IS more than half mile higher up in the
air than the City of Mexico. and mole than
thousand feet higher than the Mount of
St. Bernard, in the Alps, which is the high
est point in Europe where men live all the
year around. Quito is. am told. going back
ward. 1t is represented as having about 50,
GW people. Ii Is question whether it has
10000. and it had its greatest number over
80 years ago before the country was dis
covered by the Spaniards Then it had sew
eral hundred thousand people, who had a
better civilization. on the average. than the
masses of Ecuador have today. There was
town on the site of Quito. according to ira
dition, hundred years before Christ was
born. and it is known that a city existed
there in 1000 A. D. Atahualpa, the Inca
monarch who conquered and muir
dered by PiZarro, had a palace at Quito
The roof of which, 1t is said was covered
with pure gold and of the treasures which
were hidden by the Indians at this time it
IS believed that vast quantities were buried
in Ecuador.
City of Quito.
Owing to the rainy season I have not
been able to make my way to the Ecua-
dorian capital. The route is flooded and
the mails are now fifteen days in coming
distance of less than 300 miles. The city
lies over the Andes in a valley between
two ranges, and you ride on mules about
the precipitous slopes of these great noun
tains to reach 1t. In good weather the
trip may he made in eight days; now the
mules must wade through the mud up to
their bellies. and in descending some of
the declivities they sit down and slide.
I mere are here, however. many people who
have lived in Quito and my Information
concerning the city will give you an idea
o. the place as it is today. Quito is about
mile square. II would Just cover four 16u-
acre farms. The streets are laid out at
right angles, but are very narrow and are
such tnat the man VINO introduced the first
earrias;e INTO the town had to get a permit
10 do So Just back of the city is the ac-
tive volcano Mount Pichincha and all
ahout II on the sides of the valley, wallng
Il in as it were. are some of the highest
peaks of the Andes. Mount Pichincha is
srow-capped and its peak is so near Quito
ttat the ice used for making the ice cream
OF the city comes from there. Mount Pr
chincha has crater half a mile deep and
mile wide at the bottom. 1t is a mile
higher up in the air than Mount Aetna,
and its fires are such that it has been
said that Nesuvius would be a portable
furnace beside 1t. The top of this noun
tain can be reached by horses in five
hours ride from Quito. Standing on the
slope of Mount Pichincha. Quito lies in
the yallew below you. 1t is city of white
adobe two-story houses covered with red
tiles. The houses look low and squatty
and you see among them a large number
OF converts. monasteries and churches.
Fully one-fourth of the town Is taken up
with church establishments, and there are
as many priests and nuns to the square
as you will find in the city Of Rome. Quito
has always been great supporter of Rome
and its contributions to the Catholic Church
have been so many that it has been called
''The little mother of the pope"
The Government of Ecuador
Until lately the government of Ecuador
has been largely union of church and
state AMI today the priests have great
influence. Ecuador is, you know, nom
finally a republic, but voters must be-
long to the church and must be able
TO read and write. Not more than one
tenth OF the people can do the latter.
so the educated whites practically control
the elections-I should rather say that the
officials control them and that there is
no sucn thing fair election in Ecuador.
The land is one of revolutions. The pres
ent president, Don Alfaro, has been rev.
olutionist all his life and has at last got
ten into power lie has had a number of
narrow escapes, some of which Captain
Power. the commander of one of the little
Ecnadorian men-of-war. has described to
me. AT one time when Power was with
AlfarO his boat was captured by the
enemy and Aifaro escaped by swimming
to the shore on barrel, and at another
time he lived for weeks in the wilds of
Ecuador and Colombia hunted by the stat,
troops. President Alfaro has limited some
what the power of the priests. although 1
am told that ne Is afraid of them He Is
progressive in his views and he is very de-
sirous that foreign capital should come to
Ecuador and develop IL The president lives
at quito. He has salary of "a, 900 sucres,
or about $1,000 year, and his term of
office is for four years. He has a cabinet.
of the ministers of which represents
the church. In addition to the president
the government consists Of congress. a
system of courts and of governors of the
various provinces. who are appointed by the
president and may be removed by him.
Taxes and the Salt Revenues.
Ecuador has very small national debt
and its dirsct taxes are low. Much of the
government income is derived from the tar
III on imports. which covers almost every
thing. and also from the tax salt Salt
Is a government monopoly here. Every city
has its government salt warehouse. VII ere
the merchants or private consumers must
come to buy, and where they pay several
times as much for very poor article as
r1ey would if salt were free visited such
other day. There were hundreds of tors of
dirty salt banked up In large barn-lke
looms. and 1 saw some being weighed out