The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-06
VRNEZURLA'S CAPITAL VIEWING THE SIGHTS OF
 CARACAS.
Forty Newspapers Published in the Federal DIstrIct--The PaIaeea-In- tenseIy Patriotic People.

tensely PatrtOtic People.
 Special Correspondence of the Jour~
 anl and Courier)
 Caracas. Venezuela, Sept. 1, 1902
 Although this little sister republic is so near a neighbor to the United States that we may reach it from New | York in less than a week in fine steamers of American construction, sailing under our own fag-many of our countrymen have no idea that its capital is in many respects superior to our own cities of equal size. In area and population it is about the same as Buffalo; but it is infinitely more beau tiful and is equally well supplied with evidences of highest civilization, such as telegraph, telephone, gas, electric lights. tramways, modern water works, hotels, clubs, shops full of cost ly imported goods, wealthy classes and the fashionable ladies of Venezuela dress very handsomely, after Partisan styles. The small republic is in close touch with the whole of Europe and has much better steamship facilities than any other South American country I-better even than progressive Chilli, or than rich, half-English Argentine
 Among the dozen or more steamship lines that regularly visit Venezuelan ports are two English lines, two Dutch
 two German, one American, one French, one Spanish and one Italian. More than forty newspapers are pub lished in Caracas, mostly political | journals, and the way they lambast one another and members of opposing l factions puts to the blush our vaunted | liberty of the press" The aim of ev- cry good Venezuelan is to become either a great General" or Doctor" both distinction being a long step to- ward the presidency the ultima thule of republican ambition. By entering the army almost as soon as he can l Walk-certainly long before he is able 1 to vote-a youth of beligerent turn of mind very soon achieves military dis | tinction in this land of incessant revolu- | tions and many full-f1edged General, and perhaps Dictator while yet in his 1 twenties There are no subordinate ti- | ties. To address a Caraquenian gen. | tleman- soldier as Colonel" would be l equivalent to calling a Kentuckian 'Corporar and sufficient cause for duel. Thanks to the fine educational | facilities it is easy for the young 1 Venezuelan of proper spirit to become | Doctor" of law or of physics Be- cause the learned professions and the a a hSnpa ha of
 there must be fighting and scribbling to | give them occupation, and this accounts for the plethora of war-talk and war literature, for bomb&stic but inf1am- matory speeches and continual over- turning of successive administrations | The VeneZuelans are firm believers in rotation of office; and the faster they can rotate, the quicker other aspirants for "a little brief authority" may find each his golden opportunity.
 | Like Washington, D. C., Caracas is the center. of Federal District, includ- ing several outlying parishes Its prop CT name is Santiago de Leon de Caracas. l est James of the Lion of Caracas'D the last word being the name of the h. dian chief who ruled the country when 1 visitors first tour of inspection leads him to the national Capital--"El Palacio Federal" as it is known here abouts. It is very large and massive building of brick and stucco, a scant two stories high and the very tallest structure in earthquake-h Caracas. It is built around beautiful circular courtyard, containing foun- tains, flowers and statuary, reached by a very imposing pillared front. A car- riage road, closed by enormous gates of bronze, runs directly through the edi- flee from street to street, and the out side is surrounded by broad avenues,
 with double rows of trees, after the manner of the Paris boulevards. At
 one end of the vast "Palacio" are the halls of Congress-two lofty, barn-like apartments, each about sixty feet square and entirely innocent of any at tempt at decoration, except the por- traits of Bolivar and Blanco on glaring white walls. The senators and repre-
 sentatives sit in ordinary cane-b bottom ed office chairs, which have wide arms in lieu of desks, and are much better adapted to the climate than any up- holstered seats could be. The presiding officers of House and Senate are perch ed alOft in little pens, high up on the walls. Congress assemblies every year on the 20th of February, and it's first duty is to elect by. ballot a Council of sixteen from among it's members. This Council selects the President of the Re- public, with two e-presidents-also from it's own members. Then it elects the federal judiciary and confirms rthe appointments of the President then in the chair, or votes his acts. at discre- tion, although he cannot veto theirs. They have authority to remove as well as to appoint judges; and to enact leg
 islation during the long recesses of Congress by issuing "decrees of the Council" In short tl11s body, which is perpetual and supposed to be always in session, is the highest Constitutional power in the 1and-one of it's duties be- ing to serve as a check on the Presi- dent when vaulting ambition gets the better of that functionary. However, a wise and willy President may manage all that, after the mild but effective fashion of Dictator Diaz, of Mexico, and Keep the Council entirely under his own thumb by himself nominating the Senators and members of Congress and
 seeing to it personally that they are elected. Then he has only to make out l 1ict of lot 1xr11r1 b1