The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
FUTURE OF ARGENTINA.
CONDITIONS THAT HINDER THE COUN-
TRr'S ADG4NCEMENT

Natural Productivencss and Advantages of
Climate handicapped by the People
Capitalization in the cities. Corrupt Cow
eminent and Lnck Of II stable Currency
some of the Drawbacks That Hurt Most.
BvENOs AYREs. May ~ Tho economic con-
dtion of Argentina i hardly as satisfactory as
might be reasonably expected IN country
possessing 50 many great natural advantages
70 facilitate rapid internal DEVELOPMENT. Tho
system ot public education is defective and in
adequate for the needs of the population. and
little or no effort has been made Of late years
hv tho authorities to remedy this serious
check TO tho national progress. The judiciary
is corruut TIA" machinery of jUsticc antiuuatcd
and unwi"dy and the procedure in the courts
dllatury and unsat isfactory from every point Of
view. The system Of land tenure Is not such as to
encourage immigrants TO settle permanently
In the republic The Argcntines are lacking
in push and their pleasure loving. grcgarious
character tends to make them herd together IN
III" towns in place II dcvoting their energies
t. agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Tho
capital OF the public debt and the great rail
WAY corporations is held almost exclusively by
foreigners. the natives not caring to venture
their money in these concerns. Last. but not
least. every Government appointment Is con-
trollcd 10y political pull tn" efficiency of tho
public service being enormously handicapped
by this condition OF affairs.
Th" latest published returns show that in
1897 the total number Of schools and colleges.
including the four universities OF Bucnos
Ayrcs. Cordoba. Santa FC and La Plata. was
1854. the staff Of professors and trnrhcrs ag-
greEating ll.OOl. the number undergoing in
s'ruction OF all classes 2Su,!ciO. tn" total cost
about Sj.OOO.OOO United States currency. la
1897 in the elementary public schools there
were la2WO pupils. in private establish
men's $500. in the normal institutions b.
Sl3. the balance Of the total of 2SO.!"in being
students attending the higher educational
course at the universities and national col
legoS In theory tho system of teaching il not
altogether unsatisfactory. but in practice il is
quite the reverse. No adequate inspection of
tn" schools IS ever made: til" teachers are left
unpaid for months together: little or no public
interest IS taken in tn" subject Of "du-
cation. No attempt is made properly 10
classify the children in the schools. the result
being that course after course IL rushed
through without any practical understanding
o. the subject by tho pupils and with the ef
feet only of leaving a ~'ight Smatterng Of
superficial knowlcdE" that in most cases is in
intely worse than none at all In the private
establishments more care is naturally taken
and greater measure of Individual attention
given to the students. but it is the system ~
public. not private. instruction that moulds ma
ti0ual character III new countries like Argcn-
tina. Apart from tn" inrncisrcy of the
methods employed in teaching. the official re-
turns If attendance already referred 10 show
that a radical revision Of the system is i'm
perativnlv demanded for out Of a populat ION
of 4OOO.urp inhabitants only 1 per cent. is
under instruction. rs compared to % per cent.
in the United States.
In connection with the judiciary a reform is
most urgently u""Iod The procedure III the
courts is 20 detective that the Minister of Jus
Tie" recently stated that there were now 90
unl 'asce awaiting judgment. NOR" than To-
PRESIDENT. in his recent message To Congress,
eNurcsN"d himself III most uum"asurcd terms
ms "a III" 't"rai"u"" Of justice in this country
and BiOEIs"d energetic action Ia amend mat
tors. Il l. doubtful. however. If any very great
Improvement will b" effected in the immedut"
tn'ur". Only Il few days ago n Judge Of Tia"
Supr"m" Court. when ndlrl"r hy Congress on
most serious, charge, was allowed to, resign
acSeIted ms sam" man Wa APPOINTED by IN"
Admin STRAIT on to AN important ANA lucrative
work. Police administration. with the cN""p-
ton ui tn" municipality Of EuenoS Ayrcs
italy becomes greater scandal Murders and
rohh"ri"o ar" FAR more frequent now than they
were Il few years ago, owing III great measure"
10 the fact that adequate runishm"nt is never
m"ted out to he perpetrators Ut the ulN"Hg"s
committed. Last month The tommiSsary Of
Polio. in san, Lnjs walked into tn" brnuch Of
the Ban"o II" Ia Nar.on III that city and
demanded al advance OF money from
the manager on the, ground that he
had been accustomed II obtain such
loans in his capacity Of Il police Official
% ~" manager refusing this modest request
then deCnmI"d. tins criminal being still at
large. That incident il only one ~ many
similar occnrrcnrnI r"roried from different
districts complain bitterly 81 the treatment
they receive 1T The hands Of the police and III"
I,,,lt tl,nt
an their farms are practically exhausted in
meeting, the bnckmniling demands Of IN 'inIs
md nr24r"ss. no matter how great the a,Ivant
the oNcTcrOwd"d centres Of Europe.
Th" slow growth Of the population Of Algen-
OF "Nplnnation., The total numhcr 81 inhahl.
tants is stated in the census of 1885, to he
n5r@ad and 2r ci iYTiII"F AEgntnI d"T
1853 the total population was So $50. aud
~" Increase is therefor" only "A littl" over
considerable foreign immigration. which. nr-
corling. to official statistics. amounted to
ycHT S rom aE g7 t., thnt Xxx rT Sa TIA me- %rEyw%
immigrants was 2.l,is, IL: Of these no fewer
than s@isln again left the country. ia" bal
aur" OF l.'i+i .Hh' being included IN tNe present
I'll" "migratinn Of S2iSl1 persons is a sori-
GUS loss t. this country. capable as It is 81
supporting ton times N" number nf iphah-
tans now living here, aud needing uo,uatiou
IN" system OF land t"nllr" has much to do with
I'll" fact that thc,r rmigrant- did not remain
Rs permanent settlers No public lands suit
able for settlement ar" fouud within reason
able hiStanc" of railway COMMUNICATION. Ia,
greater part OF tn" national property having
been nli"uat"d hv grants TO H." early "ulpnisiS
when Argentina was under spanish dominion
or ny sale Ht later periods The territories
srll po~ScsScd by the nation are situntad
IN Patagonia. III" far north or the M
accessible regions ON tn" eastern ~.uu,,
OF the Andes. No possibility In. hitherto
existed Of applying u homestead law Tor dis
trcts within fairly easy Hcrr~-. Us j. done in
IN" nted States. Canada and Australia The
p;0pr"tuIS oi the great tracts III land nj lied
ior sheep farming purposes and stock raising
haN" not as a ril". desired to cut M their re-
tates III order that he best ~ the rluIrrty lee
sold Tor agricultural purposes unless the price
realized By the transaction should Dee "A very
high one. Til" Immigrants seldom haze fund.
with which 10 buy land for farming when they
hrst arrive in this country. IN consequence Of
these conditions q system ln- gradually be-
com" established , 81 working and on
certain PROPORTION Il his crops This system
is unsatisfactory for two reasons first. horal,"
the proprietor can iurn oil TIA" farmer il he re-
uuir"s hi property to" other u-rS and hence
there = ilNItN - tpllurp and. -prnrI,,. h.,