1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Costa Rica

COSTA RICA (see 7.219). The internal history of Costa Rica is almost continuously concerned with the transmission of the presidential office. In 1889 the first comparatively free election seated José Juaquín Rodríguez, a clerical Conservative. He ruled practically without assistance from the legislature until he made use of it to seat Rafael Yglesias as his successor. Yglesias was reelected in 1898, but gave over the power in 1902 to Asuncion Esquivel, after which time serious political revolts were infrequent. Fair liberty of the press was enjoyed, and elections were not abnormally corrupt. Cleto González Víquez was chosen president in 1906, and Ricardo Jimenez in 1910, both by popular vote. Alfredo González was named in 1914 by the legislature after the popular vote had failed to indicate a choice. The radical programme of González led to his forced removal by Federico Tinoco, who was elected to the presidency after his coup in 1917. Tinoco 's power was minimized by his failure to obtain recognition from the U.S. Government. He was obliged to put down revolts in 1918; in 1919 a popular movement led by Julio Acosta drove him out of the country. Acosta, at first provisional president, was elected and inaugurated in May 1920. Costa Rica prospered under its recent rulers, who promoted public improvements, effected desirable sanitary measures, and promoted education. The landowners, professional men, and habitual politicians controlled the country, their politics being animated by clique and family considerations rather than by genuine differences in policy.

After 1913, the president, members of Congress, and the city officials were popularly elected. The president had large political patronage, dominating Congress. The judiciary was practically independent; its head was the Supreme Court, chosen by Congress. The central Government had more control over local affairs than was usual in Central America. Manhood suffrage was legalized in 1920, and the suffrage was extended to women also. During the World War Costa Rica was among the first of the Hispanic-American countries to evince sympathy with the Allied cause, although the German colony and German influence were strong. On Sept. 21 1917 the Government severed relations with Germany, and on May 23 1918 declared war on Germany. The pact for the Central American Union was signed in Jan. 1921 by Costa Rica, but was later rejected by the National Assembly. For boundary dispute, see Panama.

Finance and Economics.—During the period 191020 Costa Rican coffee was high-priced and a source of national prosperity. There was not, however, a large class of rich native landowners. On the plateau the small peasantry was prosperous and industrious. Foreigners controlled the mines, banks and commerce. The United Fruit Co. settled numbers of English-speaking people along the E. shore in the banana lands. From 1911 to 1918 the coffee crop ranged from 248,000 to 385,000 sacks, valued at from 8,221,000 to 14,789,000 colones (the colon equals $0.4653). In 1922 the coffee export was valued at 4,744,000. In 1918 the banana exportation was worth 7,129,655 colones. The exportation of the principal variety, musa sapientium, is about 11,000,000 bunches per annum. In 1912 the foreign trade was $20,043,311. In 1917 the imports were $5,595,240 and the exports $11,382,166. In 1917 the national debt was $20,254,000. The national budget, approved by the President Jan. 7 for the fiscal year 1920, estimated the expenditure at 12,866,553 colones and the revenues at 13,006,000 colones, leaving a probable surplus of 139,447 colones. The estimated pop. in 1919 was 454,995; the area of the republic being about 23,000 sq. miles.

(H. I. P.)