The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2941, 21 May 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1891

Foil sonic time past the papers have contained numerous cablegrams in reference to the civil war, or revolution, which is in progress in Chili. These of course, have been to a large extent unintelligible to those who are not conversant with the Chilian Constitution and the events which have immediately led up to the rebellion. The Constitution provides a Chamber of Deputies, a Senate, and a President of the Republic, in whom rests the Executive. The President has the appointment of all employes from the highest to the lowest grade; all these depend immediately upon him, the only exception being the Judges who are not retnoveable at his pleasure. This immense patronage makes the President practically more despotic than any European monarch. As was only natural, the Liberal party has been working to secure the amendment of the Constitution in the direction of securing some degree of autonomy to the municipalities. The President is Don Jose Manuel Balmaceda, who came into power in 1886 for the usual term of five years; his term expires in September of the present year. No President can be elected for a second term till the expiration of five years from the date of going out of ollice. The Liberal party were determined to have a fair election of the next President; hitherto they had been practically the nominees of their predecessors, as owing to the patronage already referred to they could command a majority of votes against which it was hopeless to contend. As the time drew near for the minor elections of Municipalities, Deputies, aiul Senators, which eventually decide that of President, the antagonism of Balmaceda to all who were not prepared to work blindly j for him was very marked and gave I warning to tho country, air) " Liberty of Election " became tho I cry under which Radicals, Liberals, 1 Conservatives, and Clericals banded together. The President had appointed a Cabinet to forward his views, but with this Cabinet a more than two-thirds majority of both houses could not work. The law for levying all taxes only held good for eighteen months, and the term would expire in September. The Houses refused to renew this law, and so brought things to a dead lock. The Arch* bishop intervened and a more acceptable Ministry was appointed, supplies were voted and things promised to work smoothly again. It soon became manifest that the President had not changed his policy, this again divided tho Cabinet, and they found themselves compelled to resign, these were_ immediately replaced by a Ministry more subservient to the President's will, Tho House thon passed an almost unanimous vote of want of confidence; notwithstanding this, Ministers declared that they would hold power so long as they enjoyed the confidence of tho President. The Constitution provides that both Houses shall go into recess at the end of September, when a third chamber comes into existence, composed of delegates of both Houses, its function is to keep things g°i n g in case of emergency, but it has no legislative powers. This chamber as there were several important, measures not dealt with when Congress went into recess, and as the Constitution prescribes that the budget for the ensuing year must bo passed by the 31st December, and the existence of the army and navy ratiliod, called upon tho President to summon Congress to an extraordinary session. Balmaceda foreseeing probably that one of its first acts would bo to impeach the Ministry for unconstitutional proceedings refused to comply. Tho

;i Ist December came and no burbot, or the oxi.stonco of tho land or sen forces sanctioned. Tlip caso of a (lesertor nr-ise, and tho Procurator Fiscal gave it as his opinion that tho man had comuiittod no breach of any law, as since the .'Hat December tho army had had no legal oxistonco. Tho Proeuratoras a matter of courso lost his billet,but all tho country applauded him for his firmness. It soon bocame apparent that tho President meanttoputthocoustitution in his pockot, and all tho began to writo oponly of revolution. On January Gth, delegates from both Houses went on board tho floet, then anchored in Valparaiso, which that night loft for Quintero, where a Conference was held the next morning, then returnod to Valparaiso and unanimously declared for Congress. | Tho President immediately declared himself Director, suspending all, laws to the contrary, suppressed all newspapers but two, and placed the country under martial law, as in a state of siege. The leaders of the Congress party were either imprisoned or compelled to flight. It was expected that tho army would fratornise with the fleet, but this did not tako place; it stood by I3alraaceda, who, having seizod the public treasury, which contained several millions of surplus funds, started recruiting, he offered bounties sufficiently liberal to attract all the field hands, who wore just then engaged in harvesting. The consequence has been that a large portion of a splendid harvest has been left to rot on the ground. Balmaceda relies entirely upon the army, for tho country is almost unanimously against him. So long as his funds last, or he can levy by force, this will probably remain so. The Congress party, however, has possession of the aiost wealthy portions of the country, and are in a position to collect the taxes. The President's position is an impossible one, and thero can be little doubt but that the intervention of other Powers will soon bring about a settlement of the dispute, notwithstanding that the latest telegram informs us that the first stage in the negotiations has been reached and no good result brought about. Chili is only one more illustration of the fact that the republican form of government places the people in the position of being tyrannised over by those elected President to a greater extent than almost any people who live under monarch lal government in any form.