The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-19
He COnverses with Our Correspondent
as to the Chances for Americans
and American Capital.
CATTLE FARMS OF PARAGUAY
HOW AGRICULTURAL LAND IS SOLD,
AND SOMETHING ABOUT PRICES.
Extensive Forests AbOunding in Hard
WoOds-Americans in Paraguay and
What They Are Doing.

AOONClONs JAN f.-l@eI me lulIOuuCe you
to the President of Paraguay. 1 have had
talk with him in his palace in the city of
Asuncion. His office is in a magnificent
building above the Paraguay river 1t is
palace which would not be out of place
among the royal residences of Potsdam, near
Berlin. 1t would be a fine building in
Vienna, London or Washington. 1t is an
immense structure of two stories, with walls
so covered with stucco that they resemble
white marble, and tower like that of
cathedral rising from it's center 1t has wide
galleries or arcades about the greater part
of it, and it's porticoes are upheld by Ionic
pillars. It is one Of the wonders of mans
creation here in the heart of South America
as far inland from the sea in a straight line
as New York is distant from Chicago and
by the route you must travel over the Rio
de la Plata, the Parana and the Paraguay
rivers as far from the Atlantic as is our own
city of Omaha The palace was built by the
tyrant Lopez just before Paraguay's war
with the Argentine Republic, Uruguay and
Brazil Lopez was living in it during the
war, and his enemies almost battered it to
pieces with their guns. Since then it has
been repaired, and it now contains the
offices of the President and his government.
A CALL ON THE PRESIDENT.
The Presidents name is Juan B. Egus-
quiza He is one of the practical business
men of Paraguay. If you saw him on the
streets of New York you might take him
for one of the millionaires of the city, and
you would certainly think him man of i'm
portance. He is 1 judge, about fifty years
of age, and in features and form reminds
me of President Harrison's secretary of the
treasury, Charles Foster, of Ohio. His eyes
1 4sCto
and his manners quite as cordial. He has
the same practical ideas which sparkle in
the conversation of Mr.. Foster, and the
same enthusiastic hope for the future for all
| things about him.
1t was in the reception room of the palace
| that l met him. Our American consul, Mr..
| John Ruffin, introduced me. Mr.. Ruffin is a
colored man from Tennessee. He has d
| complexion as light as that of the average
| Paraguayan and he has put in his time so
| well on the study of the Spanish since his
| appointment that he was able to act as in
| terpreter in the talk with the President.
The President says that Paraguay is rapidly
regaining it's old population. 1t has now al
most as many people as before it's terrible
war He estimates that Paraguay has now
| 100000 inhabitants, but says that it could
support seven millions. He tells me that
| Paraguay is anxious to have immigrants.
and that there is a good chance here for
those who have small capital and wish to
| own good homes.
! l asked President Egusquiza as to titles
and the security of property. He replied
that the titles ware as good here as in the
| United States. and that foreign property is
entirely secure. He said there would be no
tamperng with foreign estates by the gov
| ~
have equal rights with Paraguayans
| L asked him where would be the best
places for investments in Paraguay.
He replied that the country was an unde-
veloped empire, and that it had large areas
of natural pasture which were especially
fitted for cattle raising, These, he said
could be bought at low prices. He also re-
| ferred to the chances for making money in
manufacturing, ana asked me to tell our
people that it would pay them to come out
and lcok the ground over. He seemed glad
| Of chance to have his country better
known in the United States, and asked me
| to wait a few moments while he dictated
| letters for me to the heads of his govern
| ment departments and prominent business
men. These letters L have since used, and
| through them have secured the best and
latest data upon the different matters of in
terest.
One of my most intelligent informants has
been the secretary of state, Senor
Jose Decoud. Mr. Decoud speaks
English, German and Spanish. He
! has Travelled over all parts of
Paraguay, and has published a number of
| books concerning it. He is largely interested
in the United States, and his library contains
more North Americana than you will find
in the library Of any Of our Cabinet min
| listers at home. I spent one afternoon with
| him at his residence in the suburbs of Asun-
cion. His house has only one story, but it
must cover about quarter of an acre of
ground, and the ceilings of it are about
twenty feet high. His gardens are filled
with tropical plants, and it is, all told, one
of the most comfortable and delightful
homes l have visited in South America.
LANDS AND STOCK RAISING.
As a result of these talks, and also from
my travels through a large part of the coun-
try l judge that there must soon be a de-
cided increase in the value of Paraguayan
lands. The best parts of South America are
being absorbed more rapidly than we think
The Argentine and Uruguay have but little
good government land left. Real estate has
gone up in the countries south of here and
to-day the cheap lands for stock raising are
limited. doubt whether there is much wild
pasture in Paraguay that is not owned by
some one, but the lands are still low
The grass is green here all the year round
There is water everywhere, and the cattle
need but little care except at the times of
the annual round-ups. Every year the mar
ketable stock is picked out and driven to
Asuncion for sale There is a demand for
the meat as Well as the hides. Paraguay
has about 100000 cattle. 1t has three for
every man, woman and child in the coun-
try, but it does not raise enough meat for
its own consumption.
These people are beef eaters. They eat the
meat fresh and they dote on it when it is
dried and salted. AS you ride through the
country you see strips and sheets of meat
hanging upon poles and swaying to and fro
in the breeze as the red flannel shirts of our
washers sway to and fro in the United
States. The air is the refrigerator of the
South American countries. The meat is not
kept in cold storage. but 1t is dried by the
warm air and the sun, and when it is as