The inauguration of Dr. José Pardo took place amid the enthusiastic demonstrations of a people who recognized in their chosen leader a statesman of upright character and worthy principles, well equipped to maintain the authority of a just, liberal, and progressive government. There was more than the jubilant celebration of a victorious party in the festivities of that day, the nation exhibiting an affectionate pride in the accession of their young president, who followed in the path opened up by his illustrious father and illuminated by President Candamo, and who thus represented the highest hopes of civil government.

Although only forty years of age at the time of his election, President Pardo was an experienced statesman and diplomatist, having been Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Ministers during the administration of President Candamo, as well as diplomatic representative of the government on a special mission to the Court of Spain in a previous administration. His education, which began in the Lima Institute, a college founded by President Manuel Pardo, was directed in accordance with the liberal ideas that governed his father’s principles, and from the beginning it became evident that the student would develop into the statesman. When he was graduated from the University of San Marcos at the age of twenty-five, he held the degrees of Doctor of Jurisprudence and Doctor of Political and Social Science. During President Candamo’s term, Dr. Pardo successfully advocated the settlement by arbitration of difficult questions between his country and Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil; and, as president of the ministerial council, he was the principal leader in framing important laws for the building of railroads and for fiscal reform which were afterward sanctioned by Congress.

When President Pardo assumed office, he proceeded, with energy and decision, though without any ostentatious display of reform, to carry into effect the policy which he had adopted, and which was declared in his inaugural message. The keynote of his administration is industrial and educational progress, and at no time in the history of Peru have its public institutions and private enterprises been in a more advanced and promising condition. Toleration in religion, justice in legislation, and an earnest endeavor to promote the well-being of the country, morally and materially, have been exemplified in the attitude of President Pardo’s government throughout the four years that he has guided the destinies of the nation. In foreign relations, Peru has attained a more honored position than ever before. The nation was represented with distinction in the Pan-American Conference at Rio de Janeiro in 1906, and at the International Conference of the Hague in 1907. In home government, in military matters, in the departments of justice and public instruction, in finance, and in the development of public works of enormous benefit to the country, the results of a wise and careful direction of executive authority are to be seen. Education has been reformed and established on a uniform and democratic basis, the annual appropriation of funds for this purpose having been increased under the present government to three times the amount formerly set aside for its maintenance; it now amounts to nearly one-tenth of the budget. The postal service has received especial attention, and improvements have been made which render it one of the most efficient branches of public administration. The reconstruction of the national navy has been effected during the present term, the new cruisers, Grau and Bolognesi, which arrived in 1907 from the European shipyards, being handsome modern battleships.

Industrial progress has been fostered and encouraged by the extension of railways, and new lines are under construction in every part of the republic. Commerce has increased every year and the fiscal receipts have nearly doubled within the past four years. Foreign capitalists are constantly making new investments in the country, the statistics showing that twenty-nine mining and agricultural enterprises were established in Peru in 1907, of which a great many were of foreign ownership. The sources of national wealth have increased, partly owing to the discovery of valuable mines of coal and petroleum and to the revival of Peru’s guano industry, which promises to be richer in production than ever before. The interests of agriculture have been promoted by a careful study of its needs in the various regions; hydrographic experts have been employed to solve the problem of irrigation in the dry sections of the coast and artesian wells have been sunk at various points in the northern district. The importation of thoroughbred stock, the employment of foreign specialists in the various branches of husbandry to give lectures on the subject, and the free and liberal distribution of pamphlets, reports, and maps throughout the farming communities have been among the activities of the government in behalf of agricultural reform.

Public health receives greater consideration and attention than formerly, Congress having voted large sums for the purpose of carrying out sanitary works in the centres of population throughout the republic, especially in the ports. Commissions, composed of medical men and engineers, have undertaken the improvement of sanitary and hygienic conditions, and this important reform is now far advanced, many cities already enjoying its benefits.

President Pardo has been ably assisted in his administration by the members of his cabinet, who have carried out the policy of their chief with unfailing judgment. When elected, he selected the following well-known statesmen to form his ministerial council: Dr. Javier Prado y Ugarteche, Foreign Affairs; Dr. Augusto Leguia, Finance; Dr. Eulogio Romero, Government and Home Affairs; General Muñiz, War and Marine; Dr. Jorge Polar, Justice, Public Instruction and Worship; Dr. José Balta, Public Works. The Minister of Public Works is also Minister of Fomento, having in charge the patronage, or promotion, of public enterprises. Under the direction of this cabinet the affairs of the administration were conducted with eminent success, and when it was succeeded by the present executive council, the progressive policy that had been so well interpreted was continued, and still reigns. The members of the cabinet at present are: Dr. Solón Polo, Foreign Affairs; Dr. Carlos Washburn, Justice, Public Instruction and Worship; Dr. German Schreiber, Finance; Dr. German Arenas, Government and Home Affairs; General Juan N. Eléspuru, War and Marine; Dr. Delfin Vidalón, Fomento and Public Works.

Dr. Solón Polo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, enjoys the distinction of being one of the best informed statesmen of Peru regarding diplomatic questions between his country and foreign powers. He has had large experience in the affairs of government, and, added to this advantage, he has the gift of diplomacy, these two factors accounting for the prestige the Foreign Office enjoys under his administration. Since his appointment as Foreign Minister, the question of boundaries,—which constitutes the chief element of discord between South American countries,—has approached nearer its final solution so far as Peru is concerned, and friendly relations exist between that country and her neighbors; though Chile still postpones the settlement of the Tacna and Arica question, the plebiscite which was to have been held some years ago not yet having taken place. The dependencies of the Foreign Office in Europe and America have maintained the utmost concord with the Ministerio, and the foreign diplomatic corps has cordially reciprocated its friendly attitude. The Peruvian Minister to Washington, Dr. Felipe Pardo, has been active in promoting good feeling between his country and the United States; in conveying the invitation from the Foreign Office to Mr. Root to visit Peru, in 1906, he did so in such pleasing language that the great statesman referred to its gracious character more than once, with evident appreciation.

Dr. Carlos Washburn, the Minister of Justice, Public Instruction and Worship, is President of the cabinet. His department supervises the various judicial institutions, the plan of national education, and the ecclesiastical government of the country. Dr. Washburn is a jurist of eminent talent and has had a distinguished career in the administration of justice. He was Judge of the Superior Court of Lima when called to the higher post. During the present term, the department of justice has established a superior court in Iquitos, and has instituted various reforms. The publication of the judicial annals and the adoption of regulations governing judicial statistics have been accomplished to facilitate the public administration. Dr. Cavero, first vice-president of the republic, and magistrate of the supreme court, with the coöperation of a committee on legislative procedure, is occupied in the preparation of a project for the reform of the penal code, a work for which his great experience and superior knowledge particularly qualify this learned statesman. The penitentiary and the boys’ correctional school are conducted under the supervision of the Minister of Justice. Improvements have been effected in both these institutions, the former having been enlarged and modern accommodations added during the present administration, while the latter has extended its beneficent influence more widely than ever, giving to a class of boys most lacking in training the advantages of learning a trade and becoming worthy citizens. The school provides manual work for its inmates, who, as a rule, are apt and diligent; the average “bad boy” is usually possessed of extraordinary energy, and it is the aim of this school to direct it to a worthy purpose. It is one of the most successful reformatories of South America, and the work done in carpentry, tailoring, shoemaking, and other trades is creditable to the intelligence of the boys and to the discipline of the school authorities.

One of the most important charges of the department under Dr. Washburn’s administration is the national education, which has made remarkable progress. In ecclesiastical matters, as pertaining to public worship, this ministry has rendered valuable services to the established church, apostolic prefectures, under instructions from this office, fulfilling the requirements of ecclesiastical authority in the various departments. On the death of Monseñor Tovar, Archbishop of Lima, Archbishop Naranjo was appointed to the metropolitan See. The late archbishop was greatly beloved by the nation and his death was an occasion of mourning throughout the republic. Archbishop Naranjo, the illustrious prelate who governs the archdiocese at present, is revered for his exemplary virtues and highly esteemed for his scholarship.

Dr. German Schreiber, who succeeded Dr. Augusto Leguia as Minister of Finance, is well equipped for the duties of his important office, having had exceptional experience in financial administration previous to his appointment to the post. This department of the government supervises the national budget. Orders issued by the Ministers of State on the national treasury can be paid only with a warrant drawn on the Minister of Finance, this document showing the number of the corresponding item in the budget, or containing the supreme decree authorizing the payment. Each Departamento keeps its own accounts, which assures regularity in the expenses of the different prefectures. The reorganization of the custom house service has received the especial attention of the Finance Minister, with satisfactory results.

Under the head of Government and Home Affairs, Dr. German Arenas supervises legislative matters, public order, political administration, government buildings, etc., and the postal and telegraph service. The development of industry and wealth has naturally given rise to greater ambition among the laboring classes, and the struggle between capital and labor has brought about occasional huelgas, or “strikes,” in the larger cities; but the authorities have been able to avoid any violent attacks on property, and public tranquillity has been easily restored. The police system, reorganized and reinforced by a large number of mounted troops, is better prepared than ever before to maintain respect for the law.

The modern improvements made in the postal service by the present executive have been demanded as the result of a remarkable increase in correspondence passing through the various post offices of the country. During the past year, the general post office has increased its capacity and new branches have been established in numerous districts of all the Departamentos of the republic. Great obstacles have been overcome in placing the post office on the present high plane of efficiency. The vast extent of territory traversed by mountain ranges and cut by immense cañons has made the question of postal delivery an exceptionally hard problem to the government, as the expenses of maintaining the service were formerly far in excess of the receipts. Owing to the expansion of trade, the increase of population, and the careful attention lately given to this branch of the administration, the post office has shown a surplus of receipts over expenditures during the past three years. Peru is a member of the Universal Postal Union, and its relations with the post offices of foreign countries are maintained with great credit to its government. The issue of post office orders and the service of parcels post have been established between Peru and the United States, England, and Bolivia, arrangements being under way to extend these advantages to Italy, Japan, and Chile.

The telegraph service extends from one end of Peru to the other, the capital being united by wire with the most remote departments of the republic. The system covers more than three thousand miles of telegraph wires. The first line in Peru was constructed by private enterprise in 1864 between Lima and Callao, the government assuming the administration of the public telegraphs in 1875. The national wires connect at the boundary line with those of neighboring republics, making a general South American system.

The Minister of War and Marine, General Juan N. Eléspuru, is a distinguished soldier and statesman, universally admired for his military talent and the noble qualities of his character. His administration is devoted especially to those matters which tend to the elevation of the army, and particularly to its education. Civil as well as military instruction is provided in the quartel, and the standard of training in the military schools is higher than it has ever been. The French military commission, engaged in 1896 to reorganize the army, under the direct authority of the War Office, has accomplished an important work, with the entire approval of the government. The head of the commission, Brigadier-general Pablo Clement, is chief of the general staff and is consulted on all matters relating to the instruction and organization of the army. One of the captains of the commission has charge of the Military High School, and another, of the Military Academy, in Chorillos. The latter, created for the technical and practical instruction of commissioned and non-commissioned officers destined to serve in the army, has been most important in increasing the efficiency of the military service. Annexed to the Military Academy is a school of musketry for technical instruction in the use of portable arms. The preparatory school and the school of application afford instruction for beginners.

The army consists of six battalions of infantry; a regiment of mountain artillery, a group of field artillery, and a group of artillery of sappers and miners; and six squadrons of cavalry, including the president’s escort. The various auxiliary corps include the general commissary of the army, the ordnance store, the military health department, and a supreme military and naval council. The infantry arms are Mauser rifles of seventy-five millimeters calibre; the cavalry and mountain artillery carry the carbine of the same model, the artillery having also field batteries formed of the latest Schneider-Canet guns. Military service is obligatory on all Peruvians between nineteen and fifty years of age, excepting directors of public schools, college professors and all who hold a diploma, exercising a liberal profession. The organization of the reserves and their mobilization is regulated by the establishment in each Department of battalions of sappers, consisting of four hundred and forty-eight men, and, in eleven Departments, of cavalry squadrons of one hundred and sixty-nine men. Peruvians from thirty-five to fifty years of age form the national guard. By the well-regulated system of conscription in force, Peru will have in a few years, in addition to its well-drilled army, a host of instructed reserves, requiring only a few drills to transform them into able soldiers. The republic is divided into four military zones, the capitals being Piura in the northern, Lima in the central, Arequipa in the southern, and Iquitos in the eastern zone. These districts are subdivided into eleven commands, composed of twenty-two departments and colonies. Under the direction of the army authorities, troops of mounted police, numbering two thousand two hundred men, serve in each department.

The navy, which, like the army, is a dependency of the War Office, has now three cruisers and three transports, and its reconstruction has been accompanied by the organization of a Naval School, under the direction of an officer of the French Navy. In this institution students are given the professional, theoretical, and military instruction necessary to qualify them as midshipmen, three years’ service qualifying for the rank of sub-lieutenant. On board the training ship Constitucion, civil, professional, naval, and military instruction is provided, after which the practicante passes to the vessels of the squadron, wherein he serves for five years. At present three Peruvian midshipmen are completing their practical instruction on board United States warships, and seven are gaining experience in the Royal Spanish Navy.

The progressive policy of President Pardo’s government is nowhere more conspicuously seen than in the Department of Public Works. The minister, Dr. Delfin Vidalón, last year published the report of his office in a volume of six hundred pages, every line of which bore reference to important industrial, commercial, or benevolent reforms in the numerous sections subject to his administration. In the direction of Fomento, which includes all matters relating to agriculture, mines, immigration, and various industries, as well as benevolent institutions, the amount of labor accomplished is phenomenal. Public works have been carried out on a vast scale, and in accordance with the most modern ideas. Railways, port works, and irrigation have occupied the best engineers of the government. Sanitation and hygiene, an important charge of this office, have received especial attention. The wireless telegraph, or radiograph, has been installed in the Amazon region, and successful experiments have been made in the use of this method of transmitting messages across the virgin forests of the tropics. A German company has successfully established radiographic communication from Puerto Bermudez on the river Pichis to Masisea on the Ucayali, this being the first attempt ever made to cross a territory densely covered by tropical vegetation. Two stations have been built, of three towers, each one hundred and fifty feet in height. The system is now being extended to Iquitos on the Amazon River. The question of public health is recognized by the government as of paramount importance to the well-being of the state, and the Department of Public Health has recently been made a dependency of the Ministry of Fomento. It is divided into two sections, hygiene and demography, and has the supervision of sanitary corps, vaccination, and all lazarettos of the republic. The sanitary corps have charge of the inspection of the ports,—the maritime sanitary defence being governed by regulations of the sanitary police, in accordance with the International Sanitary Convention held in Washington,—and sanitary stations are established at Paita, Ilo, and Callao. By this new organization, the means of guarding the health of the community is greatly simplified. Vaccination is obligatory in Peru. Sanitary inspection governs railway as well as steamboat traffic. The results are better health conditions in all the cities.

The four years during which President Pardo has governed Peru have been marked by events of the greatest significance, not only in the history of that republic but in the annals of South American politics. The visit of Secretary Root of the United States in 1906 and the passing of the great Atlantic Squadron in 1908, are incidents that deserve to be recorded. Especially is this true as regards Peru. The visit of Secretary Root was more than a part of the programme carried out by that distinguished statesman in his tour of South America. It was, as he himself expressed it, when responding to the spontaneous and generous welcome given him by the Peruvian people, the renewal of an old, constant, and cordial friendship between the Peruvian people and their cousins of the United States. He said: “I have come here, not to look for new friends, but to salute the old ones; not to initiate any new policy, but to follow up the old and honored course; and on coming to South America, responding to the invitations from the different countries, going down by the eastern coast and coming up by the western, to pass by Peru without stopping here would make my trip as incomplete as a representation of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ without the appearance of Hamlet on the stage.” This frank expression of friendship was genuinely appreciated, as it showed that the warm sentiments which found voice in President Pardo’s address of welcome were thoroughly reciprocated. Nothing could have been more pleasing to Mr. Root than the following words, from the president’s speech: “These sentiments of sympathy and admiration shone forth at the dawn of Independence, because the founders of the Great Republic pointed out to our ancestors the way that led to freedom; and they have been gaining strength since the first days of our autonomic existence, owing to the bond which the admirable foresight of another great statesman of your country extended over this American land.”

Mr. Root’s visit to Peru was an occasion of great interest to the North American statesman, who had an opportunity to become acquainted with the various important institutions of the country. A special session of the Senate, under the presidency of Dr. Manuel Barrios, was held to receive Mr. Root. On the day preceding his visit to the Senate, Secretary Root was elected an honorary member of the Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences of the University, founded by President Pardo’s father. This impressive ceremony was performed in the presence of the entire University, presided over by its president, Dr. Villarán, and the Deans of the Faculties, and attended by the President of the Republic, the Cabinet Ministers, and the Military Staff of his Excellency. To a statesman and scholar of Mr. Root’s experience and knowledge, it was both a pleasure and a profit to receive the many gracious assurances of appreciation which were extended to him in Peru; and in return, the Peruvian people had the satisfaction of learning the opinion of an eminent foreigner regarding their political and educational advancement. Mr. Root found the evidences of progress most creditable to the nation, and said that the difference between the country to-day and what it was a generation ago was as great as the difference marked by centuries in the history of European countries. The cordial relations existing between the two countries, more firmly united than ever by the visit of Secretary Root, were still further strengthened when the American Squadron arrived at Callao. Its officers and crew were received by the citizens of that port and of the capital with the heartiest demonstrations of welcome. The entertainment of the fleet devolved upon the Foreign Office, and Dr. Polo interpreted the wishes of the president and of the nation by extending to Admiral Evans and his officers every courtesy and attention that an appreciative host could bestow on a welcome guest.

The secret of the sympathy existing between Peru and the United States lies largely in the similarity of the national ideals, which in both countries are centred in liberal principles of civil government. The Civil party which elected President Pardo stands for the most progressive politics of Peru. The illustrious statesman who presides over its councils at present, Dr. Augusto Leguia, has just received the highest proof of the nation’s esteem for his genius and patriotism, in the announcement of his election to succeed Dr. Pardo as President of Peru. The election took place in May, 1908, and the successful candidate is to be inaugurated on the 24th of September, 1908. The president-elect is one of Peru’s greatest men, his name being especially identified, as Finance Minister, with the successful financial operations of the present government during the first three years of Dr. Pardo’s term; his knowledge of all that pertains to this important branch of the government is unequalled by that of any other Peruvian statesman. A gentleman of distinguished family and most attractive personality, as well as a statesman of extraordinary ability, Dr. Leguia is a worthy successor of President Pardo, who by his admirable qualities of mind and heart has endeared himself to all Peruvians and won the respect and esteem of all foreigners in his country.