Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-18

his house rent free and lots of requisites
Don Ramon Barros has a salary Of less !
than $1,000 and in the neshborhood OF
$500 for expenses. His total official in
como is Just about $1,000, and, notwith-
standing this. he lives in good style and
has limos sine.
white House Bigger Than Ours.
The moncda. or Chilean white house. is
much larger than our executive mansion.
IT covers almost four acres and consists
of three-story building running around
patios or courts, filled with flowers ana
in which fountains play. The building IS
large for country the size Of Chile, and
as the story goes. il was made SO through
d mistake 1t was built in the old Span
ish times, tho plans being made in Madrid
and sent to Santiago The Spanish archi-
tect had been told by the king to con
struct two sets Of drawings, one fora
large building I'm Mexico City. then also
part OF tho Spanish dominion. and
smaller building for Chile. He followed
his directions, but in forwarding the plans
Santiago got the Mexican drawings and
Mexico got those for Santiago The rc-
suit was this enormous moneda, which is
today the largest presidential residence
on this hemisphere
! Returning to the government Of Chile,
! the country is one of the best managed
/ Of all South America. Its people are
/ noted for their patriotism They are for
/ Chile first last and all the time. and al
though they will fight each other during
/ the presidential campaigns. they are
/ peaceful enough once the president is
/ elected. The country is not one of revo-
a
dents since 1880, and one Of these was
elected but did not act, Since the begin
ming Of the republic in 1910 there have
been twenty-five presidents, and the only
revolutionary period was between 1923 and
1880 when there were ten different exec
utives. During the first years of the re-
public several Of the presidents had terms
of ten years, and it was not until 1871 that
the five-year period, without reelection,
which now prevails, began. The presi-
dent has the right of veto, but congress
can. by two-thrds vote, override his
objections, and make Its bills laws. When
q presidential measure fails, it is the Gus
tom of the cabinet to resign, and there
have been times when Chile has had a
new cabinet on the average about once a
mont!
Congress Is Different.
The congress of Chile differs from ours
as to its elections. its times Of meeting
and in several other features. Tho mem
bers Of both senate and house are elected
BY the males of the country, but no one
can vote without he can read and write
There Is a difference i'm the voting age
as to whether a man is married or single
The bachelor has 10 wait until he is p
l. but the married man can vote at the age
Of q. Members of. the house Of deputies
f must be at least "a at the time Of Their
election and senators must be So or more
2 All candidates for congress must have o
% specified income, and a member Of the
{ lower house cannot serve without he has
, at least 500 per year. Every senator
must have at least S2O00 a year, an
e members Of both houses must serve with
- out salaries. There Is supposed to be M
y financial profit in the position, and th'
y place Is one Of honor alone. As TO graft
8 1 have no DOUBT but that more on less eN
e lists Indeed. I have yet 20 find legis
n lative body on earth whore each and al
2 OF tho members are saints.
G The provisions for educational quaHfica
< tiORs for suffrage and tho requirement o
S a specified income makes the government
$ OF Chile an oigarchy. ID PRACTICAL,
S confines the administration 10 tho richie
L classes, and the great families control tn
II country. This IS so not only i'm Chile. bu
- in all of the Latin American republics
G II has always been 50 in Mexico, and III
Il superstition that the Mexicans can hav
+ free and fair elections under the presen
IS conditions Is absurd TO any one VIII
e knows Latin America. The government
Of these counties has always been In IN
Is hands Of the few. ana Il Is only BY educa
II ton and gradusl upiift that the nasse
Il can be fitted Co take part in tho leg sia
20 turo ana the government.
: The Chilean congress Facets in the win