The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-29

destroying everything when il was rot
granted. n, CAsmho;e. north oe here.
tasfe was 4 sugar factory ana railroad
shops nlsed VITA machinery imported from
the United States. The Chilean genera,
demanded that the owners should pay HIM
ss1sAess in three days They could net and
re blew Up Tse machinery with DYNAMITE
destroyed the beautiful houses of the ha-
ciendss and killed go sheen. which his
soldiers could not carry or. The Chilean
army destroyed tae magnificent residences
AZ the snmnae. resorts below Lama, In
their fights they gave no quarter, hayoa-
citing net only the wounded soldiers. bur
me defeaseiesS civilians as we'll They
iocteG Lima. taking the university for \
barracks ard destroying the archives They
also sacked the public library. which con-
tanned sa9s9 volumes and many vaiuaris
manuscripts. They even robbed the Zoo
iosica, garden. sending an elephant 10
Chl4e They cleaned cat the palace and
TIE treasury ana collected millions in the
Way OF customs. getting $ss.ea.n0a in one
year from that source alone. The war
lasted for nearly three years. ard when II
VAS closed by the cession 20 Chile of the
nitrate territory. which size coveted. Peru
had been Eaketl by the Chilean soldiers az
With a fine tooth comb. and nearly every
Thing OF value taken away. 1 under
stand that the ChileaHs have now about
used up az that they stole and that they
TIE hope or another great haul, Since
then Peru has had 4 number 81 revuiti-
tons sach as have described and betwesn
the upper ANA neither millstones OF personal
politics the people have had little chance
- DO anything bus keep out OF the way
Of the bullets.
The President and the Church.
Since pierola has been president. how
ever, the country has been remarkably
gAs . a sHs kt.ak
this will continue. Business Is steadily
growing better and there are a number Of
movements under way for internal develops
;aent. Foreign capital is coming in and
the president is doing what he can TO ea-
courage 10. he is improving lima, re-
pairing the great cathedral. building .
new city postufioe. and as far as possible,
reorganiz.ng the army. The president OF q
South American republic has far more
power. in some things, than the president
of the United States. He practically de.
eides everything. although his cabinet min
listers must approve his acts TO make them
valid. He practically controls congress,
TO large extent grants the concessions
which are given for public and private
works. and has much 10 do with the man
agemsnt OF the revenues. This country In,
you know, a Catholic country. The pope
sends a delegate TO the court OF Peru.
and there are more priests here than con-
the Catholic are prohibited by the consii-
tuition, though Protestant church services
are tolerated in Lima and Callao. There
are only 5,oea Proses;ants in all Peru, and
until last fall a marriage TO be legitimate
had to ha celebrated in thu cathclic
church and according to its ceremonies.
The offsprings OF other marriages were not
considered legitimate. and the average Pc
ruvian looked upon the married foreigners
here as living outside the marriage reta-
ton. IL was largely through Pierola that
this has been changed, ard ! am told he
would like TO restrict the powers OF the
priests stin further. though II seems TO me
that the money he IL spending on the
churches shows he is trying to curry favor
with the clerical factions.
The Congress of Peru.
paid "A visit today to the two houses Of
congress OF Peru. This country has a con-
stitution which is modelled somewhat after
ours The making power Is COM
posed Of a senate and house or deputies.
The senator's are elected for four years
and the deputies for two. The sessions be-
gin on the 2sth Of July which Is the annl-
versary OF Perus independence OF Spain.
and they last ninety days. The salary OK
each member OF congress Is SIS In silver .
day, or about $50 in our money. Deputies
must be 81 years of aga and have an in
come of $500 a year. Senator'S must be IS
$1,000 n year. II the members are. however.
professors of science, the question OF in-
come Is not raised.
Both houses are on the Plaza of the In.
QUESTION, where that terrible court sat In
times past. Peru was the center OF Ca
thoiic.sm In Western South America for
more than TIVE centuries, and from the
isthmus OF Panama TO the strait Of Ma
gelian heretcs were brought here TO be
tried. The most horrible OF tortures were
used and many were burned at the stake.
Ii Is a strange commentary on the changes
OF tho times that the senate or i'aru sta
today In the very room In which the in-
QUESTION court held Its sessions and that
speeches In favor Of free thought are made
in the very hall In which the most terri.
BILE bigots of the past tortured and
slaughtered under the name or religion.
Even today bigotry liz common In the
mountain districts. and l am told that =
priest Is now IL jail here for having caused
a witch 10 be burned at the stake. The
old hall OF the inquislticn where the sem
ate meets has a ceiling of dark wood won
derfuiiy carved. The room Is long and mar
row. and this ceiling Is. l Judge about
thirty feet above the floor. The front OK
the senate Is being remodeled. An en-
trance Ike that Of the Parthsnon at Ath-
ems IL being added TO IL, and It now looks
more like Greek temple than an old
Spanish structure. / photographed the
front during my stay. but could not get q
picture OF thu hall on account or the
height of the ceiling. The secretary OF the
senate took ma through the building, ana
upon my departure offered me Il yoiumo
as big as a four-dollar Bible. comprising
the last edition OF tbs laws OF Peru. II
was In Spanish. which l read very poorly.
but for politeness' sake / took IL. though
# was decidedly heavy In more senses than
one. FRANK @. CARPENTER.