Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-28

HI Frank G.
lEMM6@M0M1N70 HdHdlk6S0H5M0M0
How the People Are
Governed on the Roof
of the World - b.
livia, an Enormous
Republic, Yet in the
Making 1t Has but
Few Cities and Towns
and Almost No Peo-
pie New Railroads
Started by Americans.
La Paz or the Bolivian
Lhassa-The New Ma
tional Capitol and the
Presidents Palace.
Something About Edu-
cation, Government.
the Church, Etc.
Copyrighted. 1914. by Frank G. Carpenter,
PA PAZ. Bolivia
!. !. ]: !. !. !. ]. !
HAVE just met
II NTl grand lama Of
nj Mh ~ American Tibet
0RMM ~ His name is Senior
II M0N W Don Ismael Mon
XII n ties. He is the
N IA president of IT,.
Nh M republic of b.
WMXA G/ livia. and his capt.
@X% tai, La Paz. might
be called the high
- .Andine Lhassa. In
his conduct President Monies pursues
much the same policy his prototype
Of the Himalayas. He keeps to himself
and does not give out newspaper inter-
views for publication. He governs his
people in his own way. and practically
without let or hindrance Like the cen
turion of the Scriptures, He says unto
this man. come. and he cometh. and to
that man. go, and he goeth. and to a
third. do this. and he doeth it, am not
sure as to the wording of this quotation.
but it describes President Monies He is
the big man of Bolivia. and I am told he
Is doing all he can to advance it along
the lines Of the development of it's great
natural resources Like President Will
son. he has all sorts of new schemes I'M
der way. He is building railroads. es-
tablishing banks and playing with othe.
financial matters in such a way as tc
cause great annoyance to the bankers
and brokers. He is like our President
also in that he has big things to play
with Since | came here some weeks ago,
] have devoted my time to learning about
the country and people. I have met men
from every large city, and with the maps
before me have gone over the country
with Don Manuel Vicente Bolivian. the
chief Of the bureau of statistics I am
surprised at the size of the republic
and at its enormous undeveloped re-
sources.
have called Bolivia the Tibet of South
America. OF all the lands upon earth,
1t kisses the sky next below the Hima-
layan highlands. 1t has more high noun
tains than any other country outside of
Asia, and its mighty plateau is exce,Ied
in altitude only by that Of Tibet Within
its borders are more than a score of
mountains that approximate four miles in
height, and. upheld by these. a great
tableland twice as far up in the air
as the high plateaus of the Rockies
Overlooking the plateau from the west
4re the snow-clad peaks of Pomerape,
Parinacota, Sajama and Huallatiri, all
ranging from 10000 feet to 21,6OO feet
high. and there are four other volcanoes
that are almost as high. On the way to
canoes: and. scattered over the country,
are mountains that surpass anything on
the North American continent excepting
Mount Mckinley, Alaska The plateau
itself is almost thirteen thousand feet
high and in many places it rises far
above that.
This gives one some idea of the gen.
eral altitude of the republic. 1t must be
remembered however that Bolivia has
also vast tracts of lowlands. On the
east the land slopes down to some of
the large tributaries of the Amazon Civ
ing 1t every fruit of the tropics and the
temperate zones. Right here in La Paz
you can buy bananas and oranges, and
also apples. peaches and pears. Quinua,
a grain that will grow only at twelve
or thirteen thousand feet above the sea
level. grows well on the plateau, and at
the same time Bolivia has the rubber,