El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-25
A PAZ, BOlivia. July 25.-The Bolt

2 A PAZ, Bolivia, July 25.-The Boil
Wan government is at last wax
- ing up to the condition of its in
dams Three-fourths Of the Inhabitants
of this high plateau are little more
than savages. The government has
schools, but the indians do not attend
them, and not one in 100 can read and
write Thousands Of them are in a
state Of debt slavery, and tens Of thou
sands are so sOdden with alcohol and
cocaine that for the most Of the time
they are little better than beasts.
Indians Taken Into Army.
one Of the new movements for the
elevation Of the indians has to do with
the reorganization OF the Bolivian
army. Military service has been made
compulsory for all between the ages
OF 1y ana 81 The selection Of the
troop is made without regard to race
and IN this way thousands Of indians
are being brought to the military bar
racks and schools from every part Of
the republic. Here they are drilled by
German officers and instructors They
are taught to obey. and they learn TO
read and write and do primary sums
IN arithmetic They are kept from
drinking. and they acquire such civil
lied tastes and wants that when their
military service is over they are not
COntented to 20 back to the semi saw
age life Of their villages Those who
do 60 carry the seeds Of civilization
with them, and a crop Of new ideas
and new customs is beginning to sprout.
i have seen a great many OF these
indian soldiers during my stay. They
are fine looking fellows and are said
TO have good fighting qualities. They
have great powers Of endurance and
are noted for their frugalty and pa
thence The only trouble is that the
army is not large enough TO take in
more men and there has to be some
wedding out Of those who volunteer
10 20 into the service. At first the in
dams we're afraid Of the army, but they
are now keen TO serve
Exceed United States Indians.
All the above statements relate to
the Aymaras. They are the chief ma
ton Of red men upon the plateau OF
Bolivia They are numbered by nun
dreds Of thousands, and altogether are
twice as many as the indians OF the
United States. They belong to a race
Mat is said to antedate the 1ncas, and
D have been so powerful that the
.hcas were never able to subJugate
them as they did the cher indian ma
tons that populated the western part
Of the South American continent AFTER
the Spaniards got possession OF the
country the Aymaras were enSlaTeds
and they are in what might be called
a condition Of debt slavery today. It
is state Of peOnage not unllke InaI
which prevailed IN the uays, OF 4Suus 5L7
ism. Much Of Bolivia Is still a 1eudal Z
and the men and women are
bought and sold win Ine
farms on which they live me 1acI ]
LALdL me law pei AAA-Ne ---I--- ~
upon the payment or transfer Of their I
debts does not alter the matter Tor II /
is known that their attachment 10 their l
homes is such that they viii not do So /
The indians give two OF three days /
Of each week to the owner OF the lands \
and they are allowed the remaining i
iays for themselves They receive no 4
paw for their work except the ground /
-e1t Of the places where their huts /
stand and Of the little patches which i
they. are allowed to farm If their mas
ter needs only part OF the time ne /
has the right to hire lnem out 70 ON
ers and if they do not obey he can in /
fIict certain punishment upon them II I
Is against the law to strike an indian, !
but as one Euglishman tells me, such !
striking is perfectly safe If II is done /
when there are no white witnesses J
present, as the courts viii never &C I
cent the statement Of an indian as Z
against that Of the white. This woman /
las been living in different parts OF \
Bolivia She says that a system OF /
child slavery IS common IN the hlgh-
lands and out Of the way districts OF I
both Peru and Bolivia, and I under
stand that II prevails in some parts
Of Ecuador as well said she:
Children Bought and Sold
There is no doubt but that indian
children are bought and sold to be
used as servants. Indeed, 1 myself
have bought girls and boys ranging
in age from two to y years AT tunes
have taken them in out Of pity TO
give them a home, and at other times
because I wished to use them as ser
wants Such buying is more after the
form Of a lease than in the way OF
regular bargain and sale. It is like
The binding out Of children to work
Tor their board and clothes as was once
common in some parts of our United
States.
when times are hard or famine
comes the indian fathers or mothers
will often bring in their boys and girls
md ask you to raise them as servants /
They will expect from ten TO 20 Boil
-ianos for them, or IS to SO in gold
There are regular contracts made for
his purpose, and a part Of the con-
-raCt reads that they shall have the
light to take the child back upon the
payment to you Of 10 cents oer day
lor every day you have had it This
is a sheer impOssibility, and
he purchase Of the child means that
you have the right to il until it grows
ID. The law provides that you must
rain the child and teach it TO read and ]
write. It also provides that il must ]
De well treated, but this depends upon }
he caprice Of the purchaser Many Of
he servants are gotten that way
Perform All Domestic Labor.
Practically all the domestic labor Of I
"a Paz and other cities Of Bolivia is |
lone by the Aymara indians In some