The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-23
HOW ARGENTINE IS GOVERNED
BY FRANK c. CARPENTER

de Mayo. the Pennsylvania avenue of Buenos Aires. to the new capitol, where Congress meets. This building is still in course of construction, but it is al- ready one of the most imposing struc- lures CT the world. It stands in front of 8 magnificent plaza. which was carved out of the business part of the city. To make 1t four solid blocks of buildings were torn down and the ground was built up and covered with grass. trees and shrubs. Fine statues were erected. fountains were instituted and other decorations made at cost of s5.o0o, 000. In order to have the park ready for the centennial display of 1910 the work was all done in 30 days.
 The capitol faces this plaza. It re- minds one a little of our capitol at Washington It is a marble buifAng of four stories from whose center rises a great dome which weighs 30,000 tors The dome rests upon pillars of white granite and its weight is such that Tn order to strengthen it it was nee- essary to construct an inverted dome beneath It. The building is of Graeco- homan style. It's center has the form of semi-circle and there Is a wing at each end and a projecting pavilion at each corner The buildings contain the national halls of the House and Senate. the secretary's offices, the committee rooms and a library. All of It's Furnishings are magnificent and IL IS like the state house of Pennsyl- vanla and the capitol at Albany in. the extravaganza of it's expenditures IT, deed, there has been so much scandal Connected with it that 1t has been nick named the palace of gold
 The original estimates for it were 6,00o,0o0 pesos, but it has already cost over thirty millions. Something like $l4,000,000 was spent,for cement alone and S2,000,000. so the people say. was paid out for work that was never done. Another $2,000.0O0 was squar- dered on bronze capitals. 900 on marble statues. and $7,00O.000 more in mistakes on the dressing and stuccc of the fronts Over. and above this fabulous sums were Spent for decor alton and furniture and no one knows where much of the money went. Just at this time, when we are looking into the pork barrels of our Congress ar home, the people here are beginning 10 question the pork barrel ends of this capitol building and in the hard times created by the war. to wonder whether some of it may not be recovered. Con- mittees have been appointed to get to the bottom of the building scandal and to expose the graft and the grafters
 The congressional session of the Ar genuine. republic is held in our sum mer. which is the winter on this side of the equator. It lasts from May l to September 30. and the sittings for the house take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and on the other days of the week for the senate. The congress is formed in much the same way as ours There are two bodies, the senate and house of representatives The sen ate has 30 m embers, two from the cap ital and two from each province elect. ed by special body of electors, who meet at the capital and by the leg islatures in the provinces. The house of representatives consists of 12o depu- ties elected by the people. By the constitution there must be one deputy for every 33,000 inhabitants The dep uties are elected for four years, but half must go out every two years. A deputy must be 25 years of age be- fore he can run and have been for four years a citizen. 4
 The senators must 3O years of age be- fore they are eligible. and must have been citizens for six years They are elected for terms of nine years instead of six years, as with us. Both senators and deputies receive salaries of $7500 a year. The president gets an annual salary of about 2G00 of our money. ana he nas. in addition, about sl3,0o0 for his official expenses. The vice president has salary of about s16000, with s10,500 for official ex- penses, and each of the eight cabinet officers gets about s16000 per annuu..
 There are property qualifications for all congressman, and a senator must have income of at least $500 q year All money appropriations must originate n the House of Deputies, and only the dep uties have a voice in fixing taxation. 
 In addition to the national government the republic has state governments and state legislatures such we have Each of the IA provinces elects its own gov ernor. Parliament and judges. and each has it's own constitution Each has its own courts and its own laws for legal proceedings. but it can only make such