The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

In the hecatomb of Angamos perished Peru’s last hope of keeping the enemy from an attack on the coast, which extended fourteen hundred miles in length and presented peculiar difficulties of defence, because of the desert regions that occur at intervals. The movement of troops was practically impossible in case of a blockade of the ports, and the uncertainty of the chosen point of attack made it necessary to prepare for defence everywhere. In November 1879 the invading Chilean army, consisting of ten thousand men, and supported by the Chilean fleet, began a series of attacks on land which, with the exception of the battle of Tarapacá and a few minor engagements, resulted in victory for the invading troops. The only advantage Peru could claim lay in the skill of her generals and other commanding officers who performed miracles in manœuvring the small forces at their disposal. General Buendia, commander-in-chief of the Peruvian army, was fortunate in the officers who surrounded him. His chief staff officer, Colonel Suarez, who led the troops in the victory of Tarapacá, and Colonel (now General) Andrés Cáceres, who received the felicitations of his chief on the field of battle on that memorable occasion, showed themselves worthy descendants of a race of warriors; Colonel Bolognesi, Colonel Zubiaga, Colonel Pardo de Figueroa, Colonel Rios, all of whom lost their lives in the service of their country, were soldiers whose military genius, no less than their heroism, reflected glory on their country. The name of Bolognesi is especially revered in Peru, in memory of the heroic fight which this indomitable hero made on the Morro de Arica, June 5, 1880. The war had gone against the allies, the command of the sea giving the Chileans a tremendous advantage; though, in spite of their watchfulness, the Union and small transports succeeded in running the blockades and getting troops, arms, and clothing to the Peruvian army at various points. The assault and capture of Arica was to bring the struggle close to its final scene—the last formal resistance on the part of Peru being made at Huamachuco under the command of General Cáceres—and this thrilling event proved a fitting climax to one of the saddest dramas in the history of republican America. Colonel Francisco Bolognesi was given command of the defence of Arica. With him were Captain Moore, Alfonso Ugarte, Colonel Inclan, Arias, Varela, and the Cornejo brothers, all prepared to die with their leader rather than surrender. The heavy bombardment from the Cochrane, Magallanes, Covadonga, and Loa was answered by the monitor Manco Ccapac and the shore batteries, the guns on the Morro doing effective service; but the odds were more than two to one of disciplined troops against volunteers and the result was inevitable. Bolognesi, Moore, and Alfonso Ugarte stood together at the guns as the fort was taken, and met the death of heroes. The story of Arica and of the events which followed chills one with horror at the thought that such things could be; and the nation to whom victory was thus brought must sincerely regret that it was won at such dreadful cost. Peruvian industries and commerce were paralyzed, as if the whole land had been scourged by a plague; and the beautiful City of the Kings, with its population of one hundred thousand, as well as the suburbs, Chorillos and Miraflores, presented a spectacle of general desolation.

The War of the Pacific lasted four years and a half, and closed with the Treaty of Ancón, which was signed in Lima on the 23d of October, 1883, by General Manuel Iglesias, the commander of the Peruvian army in the north, who believed there was no other way to obtain peace than by submission. In accordance with this treaty, the province of Tarapacá, with its valuable nitrate fields, was given up to Chile unconditionally and for all time; and the provinces of Tacna and Arica were ceded for a period of ten years, subject, at the expiration of that time, to a plebiscite, which would definitely establish their nationality; it being stipulated that the country in whose favor it should result, should pay to the other the sum of ten million pesos. This plebiscite has not yet been held. After the signing of this treaty, General Iglesias assumed command of the government, the Assembly convoked by him ratifying his appointment as president of Peru and approving the Treaty of Ancón. But a great part of the nation refused to recognize his authority and could not be induced to lay down their arms; General Cáceres, who with General Canevaro and others had sustained the honor of their country through four years of incessant struggle against heavy odds, continued the bitter fight to the last.

On the 2d of December, 1885, General Cáceres occupied Lima and was installed as constitutional president of the republic on August 10, 1886, seven years after the declaration of war by Chile. He was the unanimous choice of the nation and was elected amid the acclamations of the people, without regard to political parties, his election signifying the final restoration of peace. President Cáceres devoted his chief attention to reorganizing the various departments of the administration. The consolidation of the public debt was effected, the foreign debt contracted by the loans of 1869, 1870, and 1872 being cancelled by a contract with the corporation which represented the bondholders. By this contract, Peru ceded, in payment of its debt, the usufruct, for sixty-six years, of all the state railways and the guano in Peru, not, however, in excess of three million tons, and furthermore obligated itself to pay eighty thousand pounds a year for thirty-three years in consideration of the construction of one hundred and sixty kilometres of railway in addition to the mileage already built.

When General Cáceres retired from the presidency in 1890 he was succeeded by Colonel Remigio Morales Bermudez, who died just before the expiration of his term in 1894. The second vice-president, General Borgoño, assumed the presidency, disregarding the right of the first vice-president, Dr. Alejandrino del Solar. The disturbances threatened by this irregular proceeding culminated when General Cáceres assumed command of the government for the second time, though his attitude brought about the coalition of the Civil and Constitutional parties, formerly antagonistic but henceforth proving a powerful combination for political peace and progress. General Cáceres resigned from the presidency in March, 1895, and a governmental committee took charge of the administration, presided over by Don Manuel Candamo, its first act being to convoke Congress for a general election.

SCENE ON BOARD A PERUVIAN WARSHIP.

General Don Andrés Avelino Cáceres stands among the foremost leaders of Peruvian politics, combining, with extraordinary success, the gifts of a soldier and a statesman, fearless and unyielding on the battlefield, clear-headed and resolute in the cabinet. Born in Ayacucho on the 11th of November, 1838, the hero of many combats has passed his three score and ten years with the same disdain of fatigue in his march with Time that he used to display when outgeneralling the enemy of his country. When only sixteen years of age he solicited and received the appointment of sub-lieutenant in the Ayacucho battalion. He fought with credit under General Castilla, who afterward sent the handsome young soldier to Paris as military attaché to the Peruvian Legation. During the administration of the dictator Prado he was prefect of Cuzco, and when the war of the Pacific began, he was among the first to march to Tarapacá with his famous battalion, “Zepita,” which he commanded as Lieutenant Colonel; his bravery at Tarapacá, Tacna, Chorillos, Miraflores, Pucará, and Huamachuco, made his name renowned in war, as his efforts to establish reform and progress in the government, which he twice directed as chief executive, have brought him fame in the victories of peace.

The result of the elections of 1895 was the choice of Don Nicolás de Pierola, a well-known statesman, whose government was one of order and improvement in financial and industrial affairs. During his administration the gold standard was adopted in Peru, the monetary unit being the Peruvian pound, equal in weight and fineness to the English pound sterling. This reform has greatly stimulated the investment of foreign capital in Peru, the stability of exchange being an important factor in attracting all kinds of enterprises. Among other noted reforms, President Pierola secured the reorganization of the army, obtaining from the French government the appointment of a military mission to direct this work; a military school, under the direction of French officers, was established, which has proved eminently satisfactory. To President Pierola is also due the inauguration of the national general postoffice, and projects for the construction of a state prison, an insane asylum, and other edifices. His government was marked by peace and order, and the country made rapid progress in recuperating from the effects of the war of the Pacific. President Pierola was succeeded by President Eduardo Lopez de Romaña, who continued the work of peaceful development, retiring from office at the end of his term to give place to President Manuel Candamo, who was elected in 1903.

President Candamo was a statesman of progressive ideas and lofty principles, and a leader of the Civil party, founded by Don Manuel Pardo; his programme of government included many important measures for the national well-being. A law was passed devoting the product of the tobacco tax to the construction of new railways, and taxes were decreed which doubled the fiscal revenue of the state. Every effort was made to turn the people away from a bitter contemplation of the past, with its terrible experiences, and to direct them toward a brighter future. The remembrance of suffering and loss, under peculiarly unfortunate circumstances, was resolutely stifled, to give place to the nobler sentiments of aspiration and hope, under the guiding genius of a leader who believed in looking forward, not backward; in overcoming hard conditions, not in bewailing them. And the people were ready to follow the wise direction of a chief executive who stimulated them to make their best endeavors and who encouraged education, industrial development, and commercial activity by every possible means. The administration of President Candamo marked the inauguration of a new era for Peru. The strife that had followed the period of war was buried away never to be resurrected. The sentiment of the nation was shown to be in accord with all that contributed to the peaceful progress of the country. The principles of industry and prudence which had been so earnestly upheld by his illustrious political teacher, Don Manuel Pardo, were sustained and made more popular than they had ever been, by the example of the new leader, who was the second president elected by the Civil party. But his patriotic efforts were cut short by his death only seven months after being elected to office, and the nation was called to mourn the loss of one of its most illustrious sons. The demonstration of grief with which the sad news of President Candamo’s death was greeted in every town and hamlet of the republic afforded a touching evidence of the esteem and affection he had won from all classes, the rich and the poor, the proud and the humble, by his high principle and sterling patriotism. The funeral ceremonies were attended with every honor that a sorrowing nation could bestow in recognition of the dignity and glory with which their lamented president had served his country. On the death of President Candamo, the second vice-president, Señor Serapio Calderon, succeeded to the office of chief executive. He governed with prudence and success during the months that intervened between the death of President Candamo and the inauguration of his successor, a period that was marked by the unsettled conditions which are usual during the year of the presidential election in all republican countries. By his authority a general election was called which resulted in the choice of Dr. José Pardo as president of the republic. The proclamation of his election was attended by demonstrations of the national enthusiasm in a series of banquets and speeches in all the cities of the republic, which afforded opportunity for the expression of the spontaneous and sincere admiration of his devoted supporters. His youthful appearance and distinguished presence added to the interest which a recognition of his well-proved ability and energy gained from the applauding multitude, and the vivas carried a note of affection as well as esteem as they were repeated in every street and alley of the capital. On the 24th of September, 1904, he was inaugurated by the sovereign will of the nation, in accordance with the principles of the Civil party, founded by his illustrious father. The record of his administration affords ample proof of the good judgment of the people who elected him their chief executive.