The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-02-02
JOINING TWO REPUBLICS

some notable things are happening
in the southern division of the west
ern hemisphere since the South
American countries threw off the
yokes of the old world. Patterning
their governments after that of the
United States, their religion after
what pleases them, and their CONNER
cial codes after what seems most like
ly to develop their resources and put
them in the fore, they are forging
ahead and encouraging the operations
of e%nterprising men of any country
who come among them to offer ideas
and energies.
Chilli and Argentine, long rent by
conflict that could bring no advant-
age to one without corresponding or
greater loss to the other, long since
agreed to adopt the Christian prin-
ciple in adjusting their affairs, and
settled their differences so happily
that a giant statue of the Christ was
erected on the summit of the Andes
marking the boundary between the
two countries, and indicating that in
erecting it there they had not only
settled their boundary dispute but
had established the Christian princi-
pie for the settlement of all other
differences that might arise.
International Railway
Under former conditions, CONNER
cial relations between the two coun-
tries were cut off most of the year
by the tremendous cordillera with
high snowy passes piercing the sky
between them, but for the past thir-
ty-five years an international trans
continental railroad has been in
course of construction. 1t offered
the greatest engineering difficulties
of any piece of road in the world.
and the generation that commenced
the work have largely passed away
DoAoAC SohipiCJioh.
Some of these difficulties were the
building of road along perpendicular
cliffs, through steep canyons where
tremendous floods come down almost
without notice, along great mountain
slopes where snowslides shake the
earth and bury everything in their
way, over great slopes where glaciers
slowly but surely grind everything
to powder even the solid rock that
offers resistance, and through ranges
of mountains SO high and steep that
spiral tunnels had to be resorted to
in places to get into the range and
out again where it would be posi-
BILE to let down trains from the ire
mendous heights to which they had
climbed. Every device known to rail-
road building in the world is said to
have been employed at some point in
this short tedious line that lasted so
long. The last great tunnel, spiral
in form, presented unusual engineer
ing difficulties, and yet when the two
sets of machines and workmen met,
the two parts of the tunnel cut from
opposite sides of the range, lacked
only ga of an inch of being on the
same level and 2 ga inches of be-
ing in perfect alignment.
1t is a question whether this road
will pay even interest on the ire
mendous investment, but even if it
does not, and the people have to foot
the bill by government appropriations,
they will have gained by the enter
prise. First, because they have used
up some of their national energies
in bodybuilding that must otherwise
have been expended for war in stand
ing armies opposing each other and
second because of the commerce It
Will develop. This enterprise cult
waited the peace spirit and gave them
some tangible object to work to and
to hope for, and it was during the
prosecution of this work that the
peace agreement was reached and the
statue of the Christ placed on the in
te%rnational boundary line. After this
was easier to enlist capital for the
road and to secure legislation from
both countries looking to the compile
ton Of the enterprise. 1t was, in a
way. simply diverting the forces of
war to the operations of peace, and
the latter they have something
useful to show--a road that makes
social and commercial intercourse
Easy, a new Panama canal, a new and
easy route around the Horn that is
'ull OF beautiful and inspiring scenery
Ind relieved Of the danger of a trip
through the Straits Of Magellan. I