The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-08

Gle. \
When republican rovernmentsi
up on Central and South
soil as the authority OF
Spain was slowly swept away from
one region after another, those gov
ernments were eagerly welcomed by /
Liberals and still more effu-
acclaimed by the people OF the
States.
The last Spanish troops left the
continent in 1928. Decade
decade passed with no signs Of
Revolutions and dicta-
tors succeeded one another 80 quick
ly. and seemed to mean to little, that
after q while the only Europeans who
followed the fortunes of South Amer
lea were the hondholders whose loans
remained unpaid. The financial credit
the new States fell very low.
Europeans have been wont until
lately TO lump all OF them in a gem
eral condemnation. That was always
unjust. and Is still more unjust now
than 1t was formerly. There Is as
great difference between the best and
the worst OF them as there is between
the best and the worst Of European
monarchies.
Some OF them are true republics,
countries in which the constitutional
machinery lis a realty and not a sham.
Others are petty despotisms, created
and maintained by military force. In
the fairly large class which lies be-
tween these two groups, the machin-
cry works, but more or less Irregular
ly and imperfectly. The legislature
has some influence - an expression
OF public opinion: the rights OF indi-
viduais to personal safety and to prop
erty receive some respect: the appli-
cation n enforcement OF the law,
though uncertain, ara not subjected to
the arbitrary will of the executive
Tho Handicap OF Physical Conditions.
40 inquire into the causes which
have determined the history OF the
Spantsh-Amer14an States as a whole,
and prevented them from realizing the
hopes that giided their birth ninety
undertaking. What may, how
ever, be lone concisely Is to indicate
The conditions under which indepen-
dent political life had to begin In the
lands that had thrown~off the doIuin-
Ion of-Epain-
In neutrality-suspicious. pop
ulation waSand il small IN proportion
to the area, and In most OF them COM
mundcation across, this thinly peopled
area 10 hindered by mountains or
deserts or forests, Bolivia, three times
a half persons to the square mile, and
It's few towns, only one Of which has
more than twenty-five thousand in
habitant4 are separated by long spaces
OF wilderness. Peru IL cut up by the
numerous chains OF the Andes into
marrow valleys, eachaof which has lit
tie intercourse with h others. In
such countries-and this applies TO
nearly all OF them-there is~ and there
can be, very little public opinion COM
mon to the nation. because the means
OF intercommunication are detective
and slow.
officials representing the central
government cannot easily be super
vised OIL controlled. When local dis
content exists, It may find no consti-
tutional vent, because the legislature
In distant and cannot be got to under
stand tho situation. When a evolt
breaks out. II may spread fast, and be-
come formidable before any adequate
force can be collected and dispatched
to the spot to suppress II. All these
conditions also prevent the growth OF
a press capable OF informing and aid
ing the growth OF opinion.
Nothing but an ~eficient system OF
popular local self-government could
cGG0ES SoCu euAl1AuA6kl dSAQAt utAAoA OuGAb
conditions. and the rule Of shch q pub
lie opinion as England and the United
States possess becomes-almost impossi-
BILE, because people know little either
OF one another. or of ourrentsQue1t1ons.
or of the conduct Of their representa-
uves sent to the capital
The Handicap of an miteratc Majority.
In all the republics except Argen-
tina and Uruguay the native Indians
! md fha n Aotixru fprrr q Ia prA nlnyp ar \
IN the population. In Peru. Bolivia.
Ecuador and Paraguay. the pure In
dams are In a majority OF n whole
In Chile the poorer CLASH Is practically
all meetizo; In Venezuela and Colom-
bia and Panama there are few pure
Europeans
Speaking little or no Spanish, the
Indians constitute "a practically dis
tirct nation. They have nothing to
do with the white people, except In 80
far AZ they pay rent or work for en-
ployers. BY the constitution they are,
in many States, citizens and have
votes. But they have never heard OF
the constitution and they never think
OF voting, having. although free. no
more to do with the government than
the slaves had in the Southern United
States before the civil war.
Bolivia furnishes q good instance
The Indians are either tllers OF tho
soil. or engaged In the transportation
of goods by mule or llama, or are
artisans Of the ruder sort. They are
entirely illiterate. Politics are left en-
tirely TO q few Spaniards and mest-
EOS In four or Ave towns. zach OF
which. in default of q common inter-
est and general public opinion. 10
obliged to try to get as much as 1t can
for itself. Thua. politically regarded.
the Bolivian nation OF two million
.shrinks TO some thousands
A few thousands gathered into ono
city may give q vigorous life to = gen-
latne republic. a. happened in many .
city OF ancient Greece and medieval
'ftHty:- bur wff1rs CftyzefiS are Dcatterod
over many thousands OF square miles.
without railways to bring Them to-
gether and newspapers to convey the
ideas Of each group to the other. DEM
ocratic government becomes scarcely