THE PRESIDENT’S CABINET--DEPENDENCIES OF THE
STATE DEPARTMENT
With a liberal constitution and a president ambitious for his country’s
progress and prosperity, Bolivia has the additional guarantee of good
government assured in a judiciously chosen Cabinet of state. By good
judgment in the appointment of his ministers, as well as in other acts
of executive authority, President Montes has contributed to make the
present administration an epoch in the history of national progress.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DON CLAUDIO PINILLA, MINISTER OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS.]
The work of the state department is in charge of six _ministerios_:
foreign affairs and worship, government and promotion, justice and
instruction, finance and industry, war, colonization and agriculture.
Through the department of foreign affairs the international relations
of the government are maintained, foreign treaties are made, the
representatives of the government abroad are appointed, and all details
of the administration as it affects Bolivia’s attitude toward other
nations are consummated. Under the present government the Foreign
Office has been particularly occupied with the settlement of boundary
questions, and, as the minister’s annual report for last year shows,
with very satisfactory results. A problem of first importance to
Bolivia, especially since the loss of its seaboard, has been that
of establishing the frontiers and securing necessary privileges of
transportation over the railroads, and of shipment through the seaports
of neighboring republics. Referring to this purpose, the president
said in his last annual message to Congress: “The executive has not
believed that even the legitimate and patriotic aim to preserve the
territorial integrity should be sufficient, without counting upon other
elements, to stand in the way of diplomatic arrangements counselled
by reason and imposed by circumstances.” And, he adds, with correct
judgment: “Bolivia can live and develop with more or less kilometres
of territory, but it cannot do so, however immeasurable its extent,
without industries, without credit, without economic vitality.” It
is this tone of practical statesmanship which animates the entire
Cabinet as well as the president. The minister of foreign affairs,
Señor Don Claudio Pinilla, is particularly well equipped for the duties
of his office at this time when boundary questions are of paramount
importance, having rendered his country valuable services in settling
international disputes not only under the present government, but
in the capacity of special envoy to Brazil during General Pando’s
presidency, when he succeeded in arranging the difficult Acre dispute
to the eminent credit of his diplomatic perspicacity. A Paceño by
birth, Señor Pinilla began his public career in his twenty-fifth
year, while still a student of law, being chosen as a member of the
commission sent in 1883 to Caraccas to carry to the land of the great
liberator a message from Bolivia on the centenary of the hero’s birth.
In 1884 Señor Pinilla received his degree as a lawyer, and a year later
he entered the diplomatic service, being appointed secretary of the
Bolivian legation in Paraguay. The chief work of the legation was the
concluding of a treaty of limits between the two countries, and the
young secretary, who, in the meantime, had attracted much attention
by his clear and well-defined discussion of international questions
in the press, remained in Paraguay as _chargé d’affaires_, upon the
return of the minister after the treaty settlement. In his new capacity
he displayed the energy of a great character by his close study and
complete mastery of every detail that concerned his country’s relation
with Paraguay. He initiated plans for its improvement through the
opening up of new roads between the two countries, in recognition of
which he was presented with a gold medal by the national Senate of
Bolivia in 1888. From Paraguay Señor Pinilla was called to be secretary
to the president, and from that post he was sent to Chile as secretary
of the Bolivian legation. During all this time the young diplomat
devoted his attention especially to the study of international limits,
and when in 1896 he was appointed minister to Peru, it was understood
that he had been chosen because of his complete knowledge of the
boundary question, the chief purpose of his mission to Lima being to
represent his government’s interests in the solution of this difficult
problem. It was during his residence at Lima that the Federal party of
La Paz, of which his brother Señor Don Macario Pinilla was one of the
leaders, declared against Alonso’s government; and as he was heartily
in sympathy with his brother’s cause, he resigned the post of minister
to Peru in order to join the ranks of the revolutionists. After the
overthrow of President Alonso and the election of President Pando he
was sent as minister to Chile. Later, when the solution of the Acre
territory dispute between Bolivia and Brazil called for great diplomacy
and a thorough knowledge of boundary questions, the government found in
Señor Pinilla a representative worthy of its utmost confidence, and he
was sent to Rio de Janeiro, accomplishing the purpose of his mission
with signal success. As a statesman his knowledge of human nature, his
keen observation and unfailing discretion, and the enthusiasm of his
energy in promoting the interests of his country have won for him the
general respect of the people.
[Illustration: RECEPTION ROOM OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE, LA PAZ.]
Through the Foreign Office the relations of the government with its
diplomatic and consular representatives are sustained, many of whom are
among the country’s best statesmen and scholars, and in charge of its
legations in London, Paris, Washington, and other foreign capitals.
The Bolivian minister at the Court of Saint James, Dr. Fernando E.
Guachalla, is one of the most gifted of South American diplomats. His
experience has been gained in several very difficult missions, in which
he acquitted himself with distinction. After the treaty of Ancón,
by which Peru withdrew from alliance with Bolivia, Señor Guachalla
was sent to Lima as secretary of the Bolivian legation, remaining as
_chargé d’affaires_ when the minister returned. In this post,
of special importance at such a time, he proved himself possessed of
superior diplomatic ability, and here he laid the foundation of a
career remarkable in fruitful results and increasing in importance,
as the extraordinary talents of the man became better known and
recognized. When the revolution of 1891, which was first federalist and
then liberal and reactionary, was installed, Dr. Guachalla was made
secretary-general of its governing board; and after the establishment
of General Pando’s government, he was appointed minister of foreign
affairs. At the head of a special mission he visited Mexico, and was
one of the leading figures in the Pan-American Congress there; soon
afterward he received the appointment of minister to Washington. It
was during his stay at the capital of the United States that the
complications of the Acre difficulty began to approach an international
crisis, and from Washington his government sent him to Rio de Janeiro
to confer with Minister Pinilla in the negotiations for the settlement
of that thorny question with Brazil. Like Señor Pinilla, Dr. Guachalla
has given especial attention to the boundary question. After the
conclusion of the Acre affair he was appointed minister to Buenos
Aires, where he was called upon to discuss problems connected with the
Argentine arbitration of the Peru-Bolivian boundary dispute, which
required skilful judgment and an accurate knowledge of the subject.
In 1906 Dr. Guachalla was appointed to his present post as Bolivian
minister at the court of Great Britain.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DON ANIBAL CAPRILES, MINISTER OF
GOVERNMENT AND PROMOTION.]
At Paris and Berlin the legation of Bolivia is in charge of Señor Don
Francisco Argandoña, Prince de Glorieta, whose magnificent property is
one of the show places of Sucre, though the prince and princess live
chiefly in Paris, where they are well known and much beloved. As a
prince of the papal court, the minister has great influence in church
circles, and as Bolivia’s richest banker his word is important in the
financial world. He is a clever diplomatist, and has been successful
in settling important international questions. The government is
represented at Washington by one of the most experienced diplomats
in the foreign service, Señor Don Ignacio Calderón, who has lived at
the North American capital for many years. His influence has been
valuable in promoting the friendly relations that exist between the two
countries, politically and commercially. His distinguished wife is a
native of the United States, and his children were born in that country.
In the recent negotiations between Bolivia and Peru regarding their
commercial relations, which had been unfavorably affected by Bolivia’s
treaty with Chile, the Bolivian minister at Lima, Señor Don Benedicto
Goitia, whose ability as a politician and a parliamentarian places him
among the leaders of his country, was called upon to act on behalf of
Bolivian interests, and the success of his mission won the applause of
his countrymen. The Bolivian highlands have given to the world more
than one diplomat of extraordinary talent, entitled to be named among
the most distinguished representatives of the great world powers. Force
of will and fearlessness seem to be the predominating characteristics
of the people of the region. Perhaps the free air of the altitude
“above the heights to which fear may climb” favors a dispassionate
study of one’s fellowman, his strength and his weakness, and the will
is more able to assert itself because sure of its power. Considering
the limited scope allowed for the exercise of his talent, the Bolivian
diplomat has frequently shown wonderful qualities; and as in the
twentieth century diplomacy bids fair to be a more important national
equipment in any country than a strong army and navy, it is essential
that this branch of the government should receive especial attention.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DON JUAN M. SARACHO, MINISTER OF JUSTICE
AND INSTRUCTION.]
The department of government and public works, or, as it is called,
Ministerio de Gobierno y Fomento, directs the affairs of the
interior as distinct from foreign affairs. Everything relating to
departmental, provincial, and municipal government, and the promotion
of public works is under the supervision of this _ministerio_,
and it is one of the most important branches of the administration,
particularly at present, when the government is devoting constant and
profound attention to the improvement of its political system and the
development of public works. In the annual report of this department
recently presented to Congress, it is seen that many reforms have
been made in matters affecting the well-being of society, such as
sanitation, police surveillance, the protection of the Indian from
abuses of the petty authorities, and the better regulation of the
government’s mail service. Bolivia is a member of the Universal
Postal Union; newspapers and printed matter are mailed free to any
point within the republic; the law punishes severely any tampering
with the mail or fraudulent use of its privileges. The system of
post-office money orders has been established between Bolivia and the
principal foreign countries, and a parcel post service was recently
adopted between Bolivia and the United States. The annual report of
the director-general of post offices, Señor Dr. Victor Sanjinés,
shows that seven hundred and seventy-nine thousand seven hundred and
ninety letters, packages, etc., were received from foreign sources,
and two hundred and fifty-five thousand eight hundred and seventeen
sent to foreign addresses last year. The internal mail service shows
the receipts and despatching of mail to have been about equal, nearly
two million letters. The foreign correspondence is despatched through
the ports of Peru, Chile, and Argentina, according to agreement with
those countries. In the interior of the republic there is a weekly
service to all parts of the country, and the more accessible districts
have semi-weekly delivery of mails. Germany ranks first on the list
of foreign correspondence other than South American, France and
the United States coming next about evenly. The minister’s report
shows a marked improvement in the revenues from the mail service,
both foreign and domestic; last year’s returns noting an increase
of fifteen thousand bolivianos over those of the previous year. In
public works, which are under the supervision of this department,
in the branch of _fomento_, or promotion, progress has been
stimulated as never before in the history of the country, the uppermost
question at the present moment in the councils of state being the
construction of a great system of railroads in accordance with a plan
which aims to unite the most thickly populated centres, and proposes
to bring railway facilities to the mining districts and to promote
commercial interchange on the Amazon, the Paraguay, the La Plata, and
the Pacific. The minister of this department, Dr. Anibal Capriles,
voices the national sentiment in his report to Congress this year,
when he says: “We aspire to gradual, homogeneous development by our
own efforts, and this is the policy which the present administration
seeks to carry out, with the support of the best popular element and
upon the ample basis of justice and right. As should be the case, the
administration recognizes neither political parties nor territorial
circumscriptions; eminently national, it has acted with equal zeal in
all sections of the republic, studying the most urgent necessities
and seeking to make the improvements respond to legitimate interests.
The plan of the government has been, in brief, to work steadily and
surely under the shelter of order and liberty.” Dr. Capriles is himself
an indefatigable worker, with extraordinary executive ability, and
under his systematic direction of affairs, the various branches of his
department despatch daily an enormous amount and variety of work. A
native of Cochabamba, Dr. Capriles received his earliest lessons in
patriotism and political science in that city. While a student at the
university he became associated with the brightest minds of the country
in the publication of periodicals devoted to the liberal principles
which are represented in the present government. He was the leader of
the opposition during Alonso’s administration, and became the head of
the revolutionary party in Cochabamba, which seconded the movement in
La Paz, in 1898, contributing to bring about the change that resulted
in the establishment of the present governing power. Elected second
vice-president by the conventional assembly and appointed minister of
government two years later, Dr. Capriles has held high offices in the
administrations of President Pando and President Montes, having been
acting president during the six months that General Pando was with his
army in the Acre territory. Dr. Capriles is a writer of distinguished
ability, and his biography of General Sucre is one of the valued
contributions to South American literature.
[Illustration: OFFICES OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND
INSTRUCTION.]
Impressed with the necessity for giving increased attention to
the administration of justice and public instruction, the present
government has initiated important reforms in this department in
accordance with the suggestions of the minister, Señor Don Juan M.
Saracho, who has made a careful study of existing conditions and the
possibilities of improvement. A characteristic feature of the present
Cabinet is the absolute fearlessness of its attitude, collectively
and individually, in treating of any evils of the body politic which
require amendment. The period of soothing and flattering messages to
Congress has passed with the gold-laced _poseur_ whom tradition
loves to picture in Spanish-American politics; and the annual report
of a Cabinet minister to-day may be expected to present a true idea
of the actual state of affairs in his department. Señor Saracho gives
the result of his year’s administration in clear-cut phrases, urging
reform where needed, and expressing satisfaction where progress has
been encouraging. In every branch there is the manifest determination
to strengthen the efficiency of the public service, to cut off
whatever is useless and cumbersome and to build up a perfect system.
The question of public instruction occupies a very prominent place
in Señor Saracho’s department, and public opinion has not been slow
to grasp the importance of establishing schools in every part of the
republic upon a more advanced basis than that formerly existing, when
the primary school was unknown and the university was within reach of
only a favored few. The present minister of instruction proposes fewer
universities and a greater number of primary schools, which is the only
practical basis of popular education. In accordance with the liberal
views which he has held throughout his public career, Señor Saracho
believes in the right of every citizen to share the privileges of
public instruction, and he regards this as one of the great principles
of national progress. He has devoted much attention to questions of
education, and long before his appointment to the Cabinet, when as a
rising lawyer he made his home in Potosí after being graduated from
the university in Sucre, he was recognized as an enthusiastic advocate
of popular education. Although a native of Tarija, Señor Saracho’s
home has been for many years in Potosí. Upon the fall of President
Alonso’s government he was elected representative from that city to
the national convention at Oruro, in October, 1899, where he became
president of the committee on the constitution, and vice-president of
the assembly. After the close of its sessions he was appointed rector
of the University of Potosí, and he remained in this post until elected
senator from the department of Tarija in 1902, being chosen secretary
of the Senate in 1903. At the close of 1903 President Pando called
him to the ministry of justice and public instruction, and upon his
resignation at the end of President Pando’s term of office, he was
again appointed by President Montes. Señor Saracho possesses a thorough
knowledge of existing conditions in his country and has absolute
confidence in its future greatness. His optimism is wholesome, genial,
and of a character to inspire a like sentiment in all who come within
the influence of his singularly magnetic voice.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DON DANIEL DEL CASTILLO, MINISTER OF
FINANCE.]
As the treasury is the barometer by which a nation judges its “weather
prospect”; and as the prosperity or depression of industrial activity
is a sure indication of general conditions, the department of finance
and industry has especial interest from an economic standpoint.
Under its direction all the financial operations of the government
are consummated. The general income of the republic is divided into
national, departmental, and municipal revenues. The national revenue
arises from customs taxes; duties on the exportation of silver,
tin, copper, bismuth, gold, and rubber; imports paid by anonymous
societies and mining enterprises; bridge tolls; imported alcohols and
_aguardientes_; consular bills, mortgages, trademarks, mining
patents, stamped paper, and stamps; the mint, the state telegraph,
land taxes, pensions, and university degrees. The national resources
have been increased recently by the Brazilian and Chilean indemnities.
These sums will be spent in the construction of railroads. The national
revenues are administered by the director of the national treasury
in accordance with the budgets of the various _ministerios_
endorsed by the minister of finance. The departmental revenues arise
chiefly from the territorial contribution of Indians, taxes on landed
property, duties on the importation and exportation of cattle, on
legacies, tithes, taxes on hides and skins, and from other sources
peculiar to each department. The departmental funds are administered
by the director of the public treasury in each department. Congress
discusses and votes the general budget, national and departmental,
annually, designating the revenues and determining the expenses; the
minister of finance and the prefects of the departments supervise the
disposal of the budget in accordance with the decision of Congress.
The annual budget balances at about ten million bolivianos. As has been
said, Bolivia has no external debt; the internal debt is stated at four
million bolivianos. A national office of public credit is charged to
certify the internal debt. A national tribunal of accounts exists for
the purpose of settling accounts in all branches of the administration,
national, departmental, and municipal. It is composed of five
magistrates elected by the president from a ternary list provided by
the Senate; the principal accountants are named by the president from a
ternary list of the tribunal, and the remaining employés are appointed
by the tribunal. The magistrates of the tribunal can be removed only
under sentence of the supreme court of justice.
[Illustration: THE QUARTEL, LA PAZ.]
The promising financial outlook of the country is indicated by the
spontaneous offers of loans that have come recently from English and
Belgian capitalists, amounting in the first case to a million, and in
the second to two million pounds sterling. The minister of finance
and industry, Señor Don Daniel del Castillo, comments on these offers
in his report for 1905, regarding them as a proof of the favorable
condition of Bolivian credit in European markets, and as a guarantee
of the facility with which funds could be obtained if necessary to
develop the national industries. Señor Castillo is very hopeful for the
future of industrial enterprise in his country, when the new railways
are completed, to facilitate transportation, and when regulations
are once established to protect infant industries. An ardent patriot
and for years one of the staunch leaders of the liberal party now in
power, Señor Castillo represents the spirit of the new Bolivia, which
has outgrown the ebullitions of juvenile temper, and has settled down
to the task of full grown government. A statesman of high ideals and
practical methods, he devotes all his talents to the public service,
and in the councils of state is distinguished for his correct decisions
and far-seeing judgment.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DR. JOSÉ QUINTEROS, MINISTER OF WAR.]
The war department is now chiefly occupied with the reorganization of
the army, in fulfilment of a decree of the president, issued March 3,
1905, calling for a new military registration of all Bolivians from
eighteen years of age upward, without distinction of social class.
It is the intention of the government to give no opportunity for the
evasion of the law which makes military service obligatory, and the
minister of war, Señor Dr. José S. Quinteros, says: “When it is a
question of the militarization of the country and of the national
defence, there are no privileged social classes, no exclusions for
professional reasons; every Bolivian, of whatever social condition and
whatever profession, is obliged to fulfil the sacred duty of preparing
himself and educating himself in a military sense. And the best school
of military education and apprenticeship is the quartel; it is there
that practical lessons in military science are given, and that one
learns the love of country, consecrating to it the sacrifice of one’s
life if necessary.” By following the proposed system of giving military
education and instruction to all Bolivians within the quartels, calling
them into the service at determined periods, it is believed that
within a few years Bolivia will be able to count on a large number of
citizens prepared for war. By the laws of the country, every citizen is
a soldier except the clergy, the only sons of aged parents, fathers of
more than two children, and those whose brothers have died in national
war. Those who enjoy immunity from conscription are required to pay a
small semi-annual tax during the years in which they would otherwise
serve. The Bolivian army is divided into two principal categories,
the troops of the line and the reserves; the latter are again divided
into the pledged troops of the line, composed of young men between
twenty and twenty-five years of age, who form an integral part of the
army of the line and may be sent to the quartel at a moment’s notice
if necessary; the ordinary reserve, of men from twenty-five to thirty
years of age; the extraordinary reserve, from thirty to forty years
of age; and the territorial guard, from forty to fifty years of age.
The total strength of the army, counting it in these divisions, is one
hundred and two thousand five hundred and sixty men.
The military departments correspond to the political departments, the
prefect being also _commandante general_. In each department
capital there is a chief of staff, who is a subaltern of the
_commandante general_, and has charge of the transmission of
military judgments in civil as well as criminal cases. The republic is
also divided into five military zones: the north, which includes the
department of La Paz; the centre, including Oruro and Cochabamba; the
south, Chuquisaca, Potosí, and Tarija; the east, Santa Cruz; and the
northwest, including the Beni and the Territorio Nacional de Colonias.
The military park is in La Paz, where it occupies the edifice of the
Intendencia de la Guerra; its dependencies are in Oruro and Potosí.
The Escuela de Guerra, which has for its object the preparation of
technical experts for the service of the general staff and instructors
for the army, is under the direction of the war department, as is also
the Colegio Militar, designed to give practical military training in
all its branches. The general inspection of the army is in charge of
General of Division Clodomiro Montes, who has recently made a journey
through the republic, completing a thorough investigation of the
various branches of military service. The result of his observations
has been to confirm the necessity for a new military census and a
reorganization of the army. General Montes is a distinguished figure
in military circles, not only of his own country, but abroad, with a
brave and honorable war record, and in his effort to raise the military
standard of Bolivia he is adding an additional service to the many
he has rendered in behalf of the nation. The minister of war, Dr.
Quinteros, a native of the “Villa Imperial,” Potosí, is one of the
youngest members of the Cabinet, though his name is well known not
only in political, but in literary circles of South America, where
his works on constitutional law have been widely read. He was several
times elected deputy before entering the present Cabinet as minister,
and in 1903 was president of the Chamber of Deputies. A lawyer of
distinguished talents, he has contributed in an important degree to
the advancement of knowledge in legal matters, especially through his
lectures to the students of the law classes in the University of San
Francisco Xavier, Sucre, where he occupied the chair of jurisprudence
for several years.
In order to give adequate attention to the important questions of
immigration, colonization, and agriculture, the government organized
in October, 1904, the Ministerio de Colonias y Agricultura, appointing
as minister Señor Manuel Vicente Ballivian, whose thorough knowledge
of all subjects relating to Bolivia, whether historical, political,
or commercial, makes him a veritable encyclopædia of information. So
universally is he recognized as an authority in this respect, that
he is quoted in nearly all books of reference on Bolivia in whatever
country or language. Señor Ballivian is an accomplished linguist and a
writer of great talent, as well as a statesman, inheriting many of the
distinguished gifts of his illustrious family, of whom General José
Ballivian, Dr. Adolfo Ballivian, and the minister’s father, Don Vicente
Ballivian y Rojas, are particularly noted for their fine intellects.
Señor Ballivian has translated into Spanish all the more important
works written on his country by foreigners, and he has contributed to
its bibliography scores of interesting books and pamphlets written
by himself. In all his works the chief purpose is the dissemination
of knowledge regarding the immense resources of Bolivia, and the
opportunity it offers as a field for great industrial enterprises. When
called to the ministry of colonization and agriculture, Señor Ballivian
had already made his services most valuable to the government through
the Geographic Society of La Paz, of which he is president, and the
National Bureau of Immigration, Statistics, and Geographic Propaganda,
which is under his direction. In his first annual report to Congress,
Señor Ballivian gives his plan for promoting immigration, which is
to secure only those colonists who come voluntarily to the country,
attracted by its great resources, good climate, and favorable laws,
thus avoiding the disastrous consequences of promiscuous immigration,
such as has afflicted neighboring republics, where the too liberal
importation of immigrants has frequently resulted in the necessity
for shipping the newcomers back to Europe at great expense. It is
the opinion of Señor Ballivian, endorsed by the government, that
more satisfactory colonization will be accomplished if immigrants
are brought out at their own risk, after being supplied with full
information about the country through the consulates and immigration
agencies, which will be provided with literature in various languages
for distribution as propaganda.
[Illustration: SEÑOR DON MANUEL VICENTE BALLIVIAN, MINISTER
OF COLONIZATION AND AGRICULTURE.]
Bearing on the subject of colonization, an important law governing
the acquisition of unfilled lands was passed by Congress in October,
1905. According to its provisions, state lands can be acquired only
by purchase, except under special dispositions and laws. The unit of
measurement is the hectare, equivalent to a trifle less than two and
one-half acres. The ownership of land does not carry unrestricted
rights as to minerals, which are regulated by mining laws. Everyone,
native or foreigner, capable of conforming to the civil law is
permitted to purchase from the state as much as twenty thousand
hectares, paying cash therefor at the rate of ten centavos, equivalent
to four and one-half cents gold, per hectare, for land suitable to
agriculture and cattle raising; for lands which contain productive
rubber trees the price is one boliviano per hectare. Purchasers are
obliged to establish on their lands at least one family for each
thousand hectares. Concessions for more than twenty thousand hectares
are subject to the approval of Congress. After the land has been
granted, it is measured and the limits are marked by two experts,
one of whom is appointed by the government and the other by the
purchaser, the expenses of both being paid by the purchaser; on the
termination of this work, the respective authorities are notified and
the concession is recorded in the prescribed registers. For purposes of
immigration the government reserves such lands as it deems necessary,
holding certain tracts also for distribution among the Indians, for
establishing government institutions, founding villages, building
roads, and promoting foreign investment and enterprise. Neither those
acquiring lands nor their successors are permitted to oppose the
opening of roads and streets through their property or the building
of railroads across their lands, when an increase of population
requires it, nor will they have the right of indemnity, except for the
construction work done on the land which the roads cover. All matters
relating to these land laws are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the
minister of colonies. The executive and the _delegados nacionales_
of the Territorio de Colonias and the Gran Chaco have the power to sell
the government lands within their respective territorial limits, in
conformity with the provisions of the present law and the regulations
authorized by the executive for its execution. Not only has the
government made every possible effort to facilitate the opening up of
hitherto uncultivated regions, but it has promulgated particularly
favorable laws to govern the adjudication of lands and the guarantees
and protection which are offered to the foreigner. Furthermore, the
districts, or _zonas_, which are to be appropriated to purposes
of colonization, have been specified by law and arranged in groups
according to the nature of products and climate.
In addition to the Territorio de Colonias, which offers special
inducements for colonization, there are vast lands in the Departments
of the Beni, Santa Cruz, and Chuquisaca, along the eastern boundary
of the republic. Probably the most promising field for immigration,
considering the favorable climate as well as the great resources and
proximity to the Argentine railway system and the waterways of La
Plata, is the province of the Gran Chaco, belonging to the department
of Tarija. This province is now being settled under the direction of
the intrepid prefect of the department, Señor Don Leocadio Trigo,
who has travelled through the savage wilds that still exist in this
region, beyond the most remote districts explored by his predecessors
in office. He has succeeded in subduing hitherto intransigent tribes,
and has established government authority in districts never before
subjected to the laws of civilization. Roads have been opened and
_postas_ built to facilitate communication between the Chaco
and the rest of the republic. In his recent message, the minister of
colonization warmly commends the zeal and patriotism which accomplished
a work so important to the interests of national progress.
While active efforts toward colonization are thus in progress, the work
of stimulating agricultural development is occupying the minister’s
attention in an equal degree. Juntas de Fomento Agricola y Ganadero,
which are boards for the promotion of agriculture and stock raising,
have been established throughout the republic, and model farms are
being instituted for the technical training of agriculturists. A school
of agriculture has just been founded in the port of Rurrenabaque,
in the Territorio Nacional de Colonias, and another in Tarija. The
government proposes also to give elementary lessons in agriculture
in the primary schools, followed by agricultural studies of a more
advanced character in the secondary schools. The National Bureau
of Immigration, Statistics, and Geographic Propaganda is annexed
to the Department of Colonization and Agriculture, and, under the
indefatigable efforts of Señor Ballivian, the national statistics are
being compiled in a satisfactory way. In the section of geographic
propaganda, the minister’s predilection for scientific study and
research is seen in the institution of a National Museum of Natural
History; and among the works of geographic propaganda issued by the
bureau, the material coming from Señor Ballivian’s pen indicates the
wide range of knowledge he possesses on this subject. The museum
contains specimens of the production of the soil, objects of interest
in historical research, as prehistoric fossils and archæological
specimens; collections of minerals and of plants and animals; of
weapons and ornaments of the aborigines; to which is added a rare
collection of coins. As the museum is of recent existence, it is still
in process of classification, but promises to be one of the most
interesting and attractive of the national institutions.
The president confers with each of the ministers of his Cabinet upon
an appointed day of each week, and with the entire Cabinet in council
once a week. By this method the chief executive is in constant touch
with all the departments of the government, and the administration
is directed by the supreme power in perfect accord with the various
_ministerios_.
[Illustration: PLAZA MURILLO IN FRONT OF THE GOVERNMENT
PALACE, LA PAZ.]
[Illustration: MUNICIPAL THEATRE, LA PAZ.]