The Argentine Republic

by Anonymous

Geographically, the Argentine Republic may be divided into three sections: the western, or Andine, the Pampean, and the Mesopotamian. The western is mountainous and comprises the long strip sheltered by the Cordillera of the Andes and its ramifications. It contains numerous valleys of varied character and abounds in mineral wealth. The northern and Andine provinces and the western part of the southern territories are included in this division. The Pampean section embraces the southern and central part of the Republic from the eastern portions of the Province of Salta, with the Territories of Formosa and the Chaco, down to the territories in the south; they include the plains stretching south and extending through the rich Provinces of Santa Fé and Buenos Aires. This section, as its name indicates, is one vast plain rolling towards the south-east. It is crossed by innumerable rivers and streams which descend from the Andes, and either lose themselves in the Pampa, or become tributaries of the great river system of the Paraná, or flow on till they join the Atlantic Ocean. In this section there are some few isolated ranges of hills, besides numerous lakes and lagoons with swamps and salt marshes, while a rich and varied vegetation gives sustenance to millions of cattle. The Mesopotamian section lies between the Rivers Paraná and Uruguay and comprises the Provinces of Entre Rios and Corrientes, and the territory of Misiones. At its southern extremity is the beautiful delta of the Paraná studded with islands of rich soil and fertile vegetation. Advancing northwards, the land becomes undulating with tree-clad hill slopes, intersected by a network of rivulets and streams which water rich meadows and woodland and stretch to the north over a great part of the Province of Corrientes. Here the land dips in a remarkable manner, forming great lagoons and marshes and once more changes its character in the Territory of Misiones, where hills abound, covered with forests which extend far inland. There are also various systems and ranges of mountains, the principal chain being that of the Andes, which extends from north to south as far as Tierra del Fuego, and constitutes a giant boundary wall between Argentina and Chile; but even the barrier created by this great chain of mountains—at some points of a height approaching 15,000 feet—to rapid communication between the two countries has been removed by the opening of railway communication which now permits of the journey from one side of the mountains to the other, to be performed, during the greater part of the year, in a comparatively few hours.

Other physical features of the Argentine Republic have been so much more fully referred to elsewhere in these pages that it is merely necessary for the purposes of this brief sketch to make some reference to the Constitution in its relation to national progress.

As stated above, the Federal Constitution of the Argentine Republic is almost a counterpart of the American Constitution and is based upon the broadest principles of liberty and justice, with even fewer limitations in regard to foreign residents than are imposed by the Constitution of the United States. Nor is there any doubt that in an almost equal degree to its great natural resources, the remarkable development and advance of the Republic is due to its liberal Constitution and to the legislation enacted in terms of its provisions. The principles it embodies have been carried into practice in all its laws. In that Republic there is perfect religious and civil freedom; there are no restrictions upon healthy immigration, or upon the nationality of land owners. The right is accorded to every inhabitant, native or foreign, to engage in any lawful commerce or occupation, to petition the authorities, to enter, remain upon, travel over, or leave Argentine territory at will; and to use and dispose of property and to form part of any society or association having lawful purposes.

Under its provisions the right of property is inviolate and prerogatives of blood, of birth, or titles of nobility are not recognized, all men being equal under the law. The composition of the judiciary, the executive and the legislative branches of government, differs only from that of the United States in that all judges are appointed and not elected.

Each of the fourteen Provinces of the Republic has its own Constitution, which cannot be in conflict with the Federal Constitution which provides a necessarily limited degree of autonomy in the government of the Provinces. The Federal Constitution prohibits the State Government from usurping such functions of the Federal Government as entering into treaties with foreign Powers, enacting laws affecting interstate or foreign commerce, navigation, citizenship, naturalization, the coining of money, or the establishment of custom houses. The organization of its tribunals and the creation of its own laws and forms of procedure is an absolute State right; but the Federal, Civil, Commercial, Penal and Mining Laws are in force throughout the Republic, the Custom Houses and Tariffs being also under the supreme control of the Federal Government. These restricted autonomous powers were wisely provided to prevent the conflict of laws which is of frequent occurrence under other Federal systems. The protection of the moral and material interests of foreign residents of the Republic, or of foreigners having interests therein, is scrupulously enforced by the Courts according to the Constitution where such questions are involved; and frequent decisions have been given by the Federal Tribunals in that direction in order to maintain the inviolability of the Constitution which was framed in the interest of the Argentine nation and of "all the people of the world who may reside in Argentine territory."

THE PROGRESS OF TWO DECADES

In the succeeding review of the progress achieved by the Argentine Republic during the past twenty years, by a comparison of the facts and figures relating largely to commercial movement, uniformity of date has been overlooked and particular years have been selected, in some cases, for the reason that official figures have not been available to equalize the comparisons, although most of the figures given are embraced within the period named.

The factors which, in a material sense, contribute chiefly to the progress of a nation, are its sources of production, its means of communication both within and beyond its territories, its domestic and fiscal legislation and the labor and enterprise of its people. It is therefore to these matters that it is principally intended to draw attention, in so far as they pertain to the national industries, to home and foreign trade, to railways, to ports and shipping, to finance and to the general advance in all matters of a kindred nature; and as this purpose will be better served by a straight-forward and concise formulation of official figures shorn of all comment which might tend to obscure their real significance, the form in which they are presented will convey, at a glance, the extraordinary growth of the Argentine Republic: