The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-07-03
AN UNDISCOVERED
REPUBLIC
THE TINY SOVEREIGNTY WHICH
HAS LIVED IN UNDIsTURBED
SIMPLICITY FOR CENTURIES.

Long ago a peaceful and fruitful little
valley country lying between the Span
ish province of Lerida and the French
department of Ariege-it amounts In all
only to coo square miles--was made in
to a state. Some believe that Charlie
mango himself was the author of An
dorras being; others attribute the
honor to Louis le Debonnaire of France
At all events, in 1878. the suzerainty of
the little country was divided between
the bishop of Urgel in Spain and
the counts of Folk in France. Though
the rights of the counts of Folk were
later made over to the French govern
ment this system of double suzerainty
has existed ever since, and has pre-
served Andorra from destruction.
The machinery of government that
has served for so many centuries to
keep the Andorrans in order is very
simple. The country is divided into
10 parishes, each headed by two con-
sus and several councillors. As the
law of primogeniture still operates in
full force in Andorra, these officers are
chosen by the heads Of families rather
than by popular vote. The II consuls
form the General Council of Andorra,
which meets twice a year and whose
function it is to elect the president and
the vice-president of the republic. The
relations of Andorra with its co-princes
French and Spanish, is a little compli-
Gated. France sends a permanent de-
legate to Andorra and each of the prin-
ces has a representative in the republic
The most agreeable feature of the
local administration is that there is so
little of it, There are, however, two
judges of appeals, alternately appoint
ed by the princes lieutenants. Equity,
rather than any exact system of law,
is followed in the court proceedings
which ocur but twice yearly and which
are short and simple by reason of the
high standard of virtue among the 5000
inhabitants of Andorra. 1t has never
been considered necessary to have
prison in the republic, such sentences
as are melted out to criminals are served
in France, but only twice in 20 years
has Andorra sent delinquent to the
French penitential colonies.
AS for the national features, there
practically is none The presidents
salary is 1872 a year and the councillors
receive much less. AS there is abso-
lutely no other outlay, and the parishes
have good revenue from their pasture
lands, the average individual tax is
cents year. In some years there is
surplus of revenue, and in that case the
excess is divided among the citizens.
Thus fiscal problems are unknown So
are Crokers and Deverys. They would
not thrive in Andorra.
What is the secret of it all? Simply,
that the AndOrrans have never eaten of
the tree of modern civilization. 1t is
difficult to believe that there is a race
whose customs have not changed in six
centuries. but such is the case. Shut
in as they are by Pyrenean snow-peaks
the Andorrans have barely any COM
munication with the rest of Europe.
There is no way of getting into this
ideal republic save by mule path, and
during six months of the year, it is
unapproachable from the French side.
The country is as innocent of carriage
roads as it is of railroads. OF public
sanitation and sewerage it has doubt
less never heard. Public instruction
exists in theory; in fact, it is of the
most occasional nature and so per
cent of the healthy and happy inha-
bitants are illiterate. OF letters, mu-
sic and art they are cheerfuly ignorant
end are conscious of no .aLk. Thus
there are no prctensions 90 culture"
in Andorra NORMALLY there is a pos
tai service, but this IS as unreliable as
its administrators are nOncralant. New
and then a messenger is despatched
h Al rc y. tat 70
liver letters to their proper destination;
but it is only now and then. But
what need have the AndOrrans of cor
respondence? They have no business
relations with the world or railroads,
automobiles, newspapers, stock ex-
changes and trusts. And as for their
pleasures, they are all confined within
the limits of Andorra.
In spite of the many things they do
not do, the Andarrans are busy peo-
pie. They are a healthy, hardy race,
Spanish in appearance, even as their
speech is the Cat tlonian dialect Of
Spain. Their Fondness for outdoors
perhaps accounts for their two main
pursuits, which are sheep-raising and
smuggling. Because of their geOgraph-
ical and political situation, the Andor-
rams are relieved of customs duties to-
ward both the Spanish and French
governments. Thrifty taking advan-
ltage of this fact they have used it as
the basis of their commercial life.
Horses and mules, for instance, they
buy in large numbers on the French
frontier and taking them through their
own country into Spain, sell them at
comfortable profit A still more daring
trade was that of purchasing large
quantities of French tobacco and then
reselling it at a profit on French soil.
When this was checked a few years
ago, the undiscouraged natives be
of their own, which they have since
done with remarkable success. 1t is
| now Andorran tobacco, therefore, some
times made into AndOman cigars and