Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-06
REPUBLIC OF ANDORRA
g
A STATE WHICH Is A POLITICAL
ANACHRoNIsM.
Where There is No Poverty, Crime,
Education Nor
Taxes.
From the Boston TRANSCRIPT.

! litical, social or commercial sense on the
placid surface OF the most interesting coun-
| try, considering it's size of Europe. A. tiny
republic set in the midst of empires, it's
| character. customs and boundaries I'M
| changed in six centuries Andorra, even in
this age of universal publicity. has escap-
! ed notice altogether. Few tourists have
| ever heard of it. Fewer still have passed
within its not inaccessible boundaries. The
discouraged seeker for political and eco
! nomic paradise has overlooked entirely this
| extraordinary survival of a more primitive
| age.
| For. at first sight. this diminutive state,
hidden away in the shadow of the Pyre-
| nees. is a political paradise, indeed. Corrup
| ruption and official scandal are unknown
within its staidly republican government
Dreams of empire do not keep its states
men awake o nights-indeed, 1t has no
army, nor even a single soldier. The coun-
| try has never been in debt and the citizens
are rarely taxed. Crime is almost I'M
known, as also money worship and all
forms Of envfous rivalry. Nobody In An
dora suffers from poverty and everybody
is as happy as a king. And there is not
a modern improvement from one end of the
little state to the other Plainly, the An
dorian situation is worth looking into.
Founded Centuries Ago.
IOIS dSO d pedCelul anu lIulIlul htIiO
valley country, lying between the Spanish
province of Lerida and the French depart
ment of Ariege-it amounts in all only to
six hundred square miles-was made into
state. Some believe that Charlemagne HIM
self was the author of Andorra's being;
others attribute the honor to Louise lie
Debonairre of France. At all events In
1878 the suzerainty of the little country
was divided between the bishops 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 gov
eminent, this system of double suzera1nty
has existed ever since. and has preserved
Andorra from destruction.
The machinery of government that has
served for so many centuries 10 Keep tne
Andorrans in order is very simple. Ihe
country is divided into twelve parishes,
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.
A Presidents Salary of $32.
The twelve consuls form the general
council of Andorra, which meets twice
year and whose function it is to elect the
president and the vice president of the re-
public The relations of Andorra with it's
co-princes, French and Spanish, is a little
complicated. France sends a permanent
has a representative in the republic.
The most agreeable feature of the local
administration is that there is so little of 1T.
There are, however two judges, each ap-
pointed by a cO-prince, and a judge OF ap-
peals, alternately appointed by the princes
lieutenants. Equity, rather than any ex-
act system of law, is followed in the court
proceedings, which occur 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 twenty years has
Andorra sent a delinquent to the French
penitential colonies.
AS for the national finances, there practi-
cally is none. The presidents salary is $50
a year and the councillors receive much
less. AS there is absolutely no other out
lay, and the parishes have good revenue
from their pasture lands, the average indi-
vidual tax is cents a year. In some years
there is surplus of revenue. and in that
case the excess is divided among the citi-
zens. Thus fiscal problems are unknown
So are Crokers and Deverys. They would
| not thrive in Andorra.
No Couture" 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 race whose customs
| is the case. Shut in they are by Pyr-
| reneean snow peaks, the Andorrans have
| barely any communication 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 1t is unap-
| proachable from the French side. The
| country is as innocent Of carriage roads as
| 1t is of railroads. OF public sanitation and
| sewerage 1t has doubtless 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 in
! habitants are illiterate. OF letters, music
| and art they cheerfully ignorant. and
| are conscious Of no lack. Thus there are
| no pretensons to culture" in Andorra
| Nominally, there is a postal service, but
| this IS as unreliable as its administrators
| are nonchalant Now and then a messen-
ger is dispatched from the capital of the
| state to deliver letters to their proper des-
| tination; but 1t is only now and then But
| what need of the Andorrans of correspond
| ence? They have no business relations with
| the world of railroads, automobiles news
| papers, stock exchanges and trusts. And
| as for their pleasures, they are all confined
| within the limits of Andorra.