No. 45.
Mr. Seay to
Mr. Bayard.
La Paz, December 6, 1886. (Received January 18, 1887.)
Sir: By my dispatch No. 60, dated May 6, 1886, I informed the Department that the Bolivian Government would soon depart for Sucre, the constitutional capital, remain there temporarily, hold the regular session of Congress there, and return to La Paz in the fall. It did depart about May 15.
As the time for the adjournment of Congress approached speculation became rife as to the question whether it would redeem its promise to return to La Paz. It was at first given out that it would pay a visit to Cochabamba and then return to Sucre. But when the President and his cabinet came to decide the question it was determined to remain at Sucre. As the rainy season will prevent travel until April or May it was very natural that such a step should be taken. But not a word was said as to its return to La Paz after that time. Hence a very natural fear among the people of La Paz that it will never return. Sucre is the constitutional capital, but, by Article 41, the President may, for “grave reasons,” call the sessions of Congress elsewhere. It has thus, nearly the whole of the last fifteen years, sat at La Paz. President Pacheco, being a resident of Sucre, it is feared that he will keep the Government there during at least the remaining two years of his term. It will be observed that under the present constitution no one place can be selected as the permanent seat of Government. It may continue to be peripatetic or not, the question depending on the President’s ideas as to what constitute “grave reasons.” My colleagues have instructions to remain here until such selection is made, and so remain.
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In the mean time the Government has not communicated with the diplomatic corps on the subject officially. We know nothing of its intentions except what we gather from the rumors and speculations of the public. We shall be cut off from each other for five or six months by the weather, the communication by the mule post being very precarious. Removal of a legation to Sucre would be troublesome and expensive at any time. As La Paz is even now quite accessible to the outer world by lake and railroad, and bids fair to be more so by the extension of the railroad, one would suppose that it is bound to be the permanent capital at no distant day.
With much respect, etc.,