IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4445, 22 July 1887, Page 3

IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

Whatever advantages the woolgrowera of the Argentine Republic may have over Australian squatters in the matter of climate, there can be little doubt that the progress of sheepfarming is seriously hampered by the insecurity of life and property prevailing in the former country. The Buenos Ayres Standard of June 6th writes on this question :—“The Montevidean authorities last week put a summary end to a noted ‘ matrero,’ who had long been the terror of Artigas and Oevio Largo. Ho was simply outlawed and the police shot him as they would a tiger. It cannot fail to strike most people in Buenos, Ayres that a similar mode of proceeding is much required in this country. When President Sarmiento was in office he made some of the banditti of Santa Fo feel the weight of his arm. But at present there is practically the most complete impunity fur crime. A few weeks ago a whole family was murdered in Ayacucho by a noted assassin, who had previously killed his stepfather, hut the matter excited so little notice that the murderer is still at large. We cannot expect people of means to come out from Europe and settle in our camps, as they do in New Zealand or South Africa, so long as the lives of every man and the lives of his family are unprotected by law. Not a month passes without one or other horrible murder in the camp,and the only wonder is that the people have not introduced lynoh-law in self-protection. Perhaps because the population is so scattered,there is much difficulty in getting together 20 resolute men to hunt down an assassin like that of Ayacucho. By degrees the camps will be more populous, and then we shall hope to see lynch-law in full, yvery murderer will be removed in 24 hours after his crime, It would be quite Utopian to wish that instead of lynoh-law the legal authorities were to

condemn and execute assassins within 48 hours of committing a minder. I'h bandits know iliat the law is powerless. They murder a' wi'l, and simpiy mount a hoist to go into the next ‘panido.’ Dr Valentin Alsma’s rural code liad laid down severe penalties on those persons who keep bees within three miles of any camp town,lest they should injure fruit and vegetables. But to murder a whole family, such as Senor Ledesma’s at Ayaeucoo, is an • ff 10 which escaped the learned law-giver’s enactment.