CHILI. 



165 



riage law of 1883 has produced a sensation 

 throughout the country. The Government will 

 not allow a clerical marriage any force in law, 

 nor will the Church allow any force in religion 

 to a civil marriage. As most of the women 

 are on the clerical side, and most of the men 

 on the Government side, there is a general 

 suspension of marriages, except among the 

 very poor, who are content with the clerical 

 rite alone, or indifferent to any ceremony at 

 all. The proportion of illegitimacy in births 

 in Chili is prodigious, exceeding 23 per cent. 

 The clergy affix conditions to the bestowal of 

 the sacrament of marriage to which men of 

 character and independence are unwilling to 

 submit. Neither party shows any sign of 

 yielding. It is intended to remedy this source 

 of discord by prohibiting the clergy from mar- 

 rying any persons who have not a certificate 

 of civil marriage. The clergy, on the other 

 hand, threaten that in case this is done they 

 will refuse to marry any who have been pre- 

 viously married by civil law. The political 

 issue in Chili has thus become the repeal of 

 the law of 1883. The archbishop issued an 

 edict excommunicating the President of the 

 Republic, the members of his Cabinet, and the 

 members of Congress who voted for the stat- 

 ute, and directing that a similar penalty be 

 visited upon every communicant that obeyed 

 it and neglected to recognize the Church as the 

 only authority competent to solemnize mar- 

 riage vows. In Chili the clergy now insist on 

 their right to take an active part in politics, 

 and this has been one of the causes of the low 

 standard of political morality now prevalent, 

 for during the elections of March, 1885, abso- 

 lution and religious privileges were the prices 

 paid for votes. 



Attempt on the President's Life. On Jan. 24 the 

 President received through the mail, while at 

 his residence in the capital, a package contain- 

 ing an infernal machine. After cutting the 

 strings of the package, he became suspicious. 

 The contents were subsequently carefully ex- 

 amined, and it was found that there was clock- 

 work and a hammer to explode a charge of 

 gun-cotton and ordinary powder, sufficient to 

 blow him and his family to pieces. 



Education. A practical agricultural school 

 was opened at Santiago on July 2. The bud- 

 get for 1885-'86, at the recommendation of the 

 Minister of Public Instruction, provides for an 

 appropriation of $20,000 for schools at Anto- 

 fagasta; $10,000 at Tacna; $3,000 at Arica; 

 $15,000 in Tarapaca; and $8,000 for the de- 

 partment of Pisagua. 



On June 30, the new school named for the 

 late Francisco Arriaran, who endowed it, was 

 opened at Santiago. 



American Trade Commission. The South Ameri- 

 can Commission, under date of Santiago, May 

 14, made its report to the Secretary of State at 

 Washington on the result of its visit to Chili. 

 The report describes the meeting of the Presi- 

 dent of Chili by the commission, and says a 



series of propositions was submitted to him. 

 It continued : 



The first, that the old treaty of amity, commerce, 

 and navigation between the United States and Chili, 

 which long since was terminated, might be renewed 

 with advantage to both countries, fn reply to this 

 the President said that he did not see any advantage 

 to Chili in such a treaty, and was not disposed to en- 

 ter into any further conventions with foreign coun- 

 tries. While he personally, and the people of Chili 

 in general, abounded in the most cordial feelings to- 

 ward the Government of the United States and its 

 people, and endeavored to imitate us as closely as 

 possible, he could not see any necessity for a treaty, 

 and thought the two nations could get along just as 

 well without one. 



The second proposition involved the idea of a re- 

 ciprocal commercial treaty between the two countries, 

 under which special products of each should be ad- 

 mitted free of duty into the other when carried under 

 the flag of either nation. This did not meet with any 

 greater favor with President Santa Maria, who was 

 not disposed to make reciprocity treaties. His people 

 were at liberty to sell where they could get the best 

 prices and buy where goods were the cheapest. In 

 nis opinion commerce was not aided by commercial 

 treaties, and Chili neither asked from nor gave to 

 other nations especial favors. Trade would regulate 

 itself. So far as the United States were concerned, 

 there could be very little trade with Chili, owing to 

 the fact that the products of the two countries were 

 almost identical. 



The next topic seemed to be received with decided 

 favor. It was touching the establishment of a com- 

 mon silver coin of the value of the United States gold 

 dollar, to be coined by each of the American repub- 

 lics, of an equal degree of fineness, and, to an amount 

 which should be agreed on, to be legal tender in all 

 commercial transactions between citizens of this hemi- 

 sphere. This proposition, which has already been 

 assented to by Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala, Costa 

 Kica, Ecuador, and Peru, was accepted by President 

 Santa Maria as a long step toward the monetization of 

 silver. 



The fourth proposition^ which invited the views of 

 the Government of Chili as to the practicability of 

 holding a congress of delegates from all the American 

 republics, to adopt measures to secure peace and pro- 

 met with disfavor. His Excellency could not see the 

 advantage of such a gathering. Chili had learned by 

 experience that nothing could be gained, and that the 

 general welfare was not promoted, by international 

 conventions. 



The fifth and last proposition was a general one, and 

 invited the suggestions of Chili as to the best modes of 

 increasing trade between that country and the United 

 States. The President repeated what he had said pre- 

 viously about the impossibility of securing a large 

 trade, but thought that if there could be direct com- 

 munication by steam from the ports of one country to 

 those of another, commerce would be greatly aided. 

 If any steamship company in the United States would 

 establish such communication, he believed the Con- 

 gress of Chili would give it a subsidy such as was 

 given to the Pacific Steam Navigation Company of 

 Liverpool. 



A National Exhibition. On Aug. 20, 1885, the 

 Intendant of Valparaiso presided at a meeting 

 held in that city for the purpose of effecting 

 arrangements for holding an annual exhibition 

 of the industries of the country and a cattle- 

 show. A committee was appointed, and was 

 expected soon to present details for the fur- 

 therance of the project. 



The Condor. The Chilian Government has is- 

 sued a proclamation declaring the condor to be 



