The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-29

ment revenues were so large that
there was good picking for every one
with any kind of pull. One of the
viceroys3 of the eleventh century rode
from his palace to the cathedral in Lii
ma over a path paved with ingots Of
solid silver. His horse was shod with
shoes of solid gold, and every hair of
the horses name and tail was strung
with pearls. Later on, to the wealth
of the mines was added that Of the
guano, and Peru got hundreds Of mil
lions Of dollars out of her manure piles.
This source of wealth was being worked
when the great nitrate fields were dis
covered, and in 1878 Peru exported $17,-
100000 worth of nitrate, which in the
then value of silver was worth nearly
twice as much as all other exports in
1896. The total exports that year were
$47,000000, and the government re-
ceipts from guano and nitrate and other
sources were more than $17,0O0,0 600. Then
the Chileans, who were poor, cast their
covetous eyes upon these riches. They
trumped up an excuse for war about
their boundary lines and invaded the
country.
They had about $4,000 men, and they
laid Peru waste, demanding ransom of
various sections and destroying every
thing when it was not granted. At
Chimbote, north of here, there was a
sugar factory and railroad shops filled
with fine machinery imported from the
United States The Chilean general
demanded that the owners should pay
him 100000 in three days. They
could not and he blew up the machinery
with dynamite, destroyed the beautiful
houses of the haciendas and killed 500
sheep, which the soldiers could not
carry off. The Chilean army destroyed
the magnificent residences at the sum-
mer resorts below Lima. In their
fights they gave no quarter bayonet-
ting not only the wounded soldiers, but
the defenseless civilians as well. They
looted Lima, taking the university for
barracks and destroying the archives.
They also sacked the public library,
which contained $4,000 volumes and
many valuable manuscripts. They
even robbed the geological garden,
sending an elephant to Chile.
They cleaned out the palace and the
treasury, and collected millions in the
way Of customs, getting $2S,000,000 in
one year from that source alone The
war lasted for nearly three years and
when 1t was closed by the cession to
Chile of the nitrate territory, which she
coveted, Peru had been raked by the
Chilean soldiers as with fine tooth
comb, and nearly everything of value
taken away. I understand that the
Chileans have now about used up all
that they stole, and that they are MAX
ing trouble with the Argentines in the
hope of another great haul. Since
then Peru has had number of revolu-
lions such as 1 have described, and be-
tween the upper and neither mill stones
| of PERSONAL politics, the people have
had little chance = do anything but
| keep out of the way of the bullets.
| PRESIDENT AND THE CHURCH.
Since Pierola has been president.
however, the country has been re-
| markedly quiet, and the general be-
| lief here is that this will continue. Bus
| mess is steadily growing better and
there are a number of movements un-
| der way for internal development. For
eign capital is coming in and the presi-
| dent is doing what he can to encour-
| age it. He is improving Lima, repair
ing the great cathedral, building new
| city postOfice and, as far as possible,
| reorganizing the army. The president
| of a South American republic has far
more power, in some things, than the
| president of the United States He
practically decides everything although
his cabinet ministers must approve his
| acts to make them valid. He practi-
cally controls congress, to a large ex-
| tent, grants the concessions which are
| given for public and private works.
and has much to do with the manage
| ment of the revenues. This country is
you know. a. Catholic country. The pope
sends delegate to the court Of Peru
and there are more priests here thar,
| congressman.
All other religions excepting the
Catholic are prohibited by the constitu-
ton, though Protestant church SER
vices are tolerated In Lima and CAL