Page:A history of Chile.djvu/471

CHILE OF TO-DAY 421 He is assisted by a council of state, composed of eleven members, five chosen by himself and six elected by the congress ; his cabinet consists of six ministers: Interior, Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization, Justice and Public Instruction, Finance, Departments of War and Navy, Industry and Public Works. The president appoints and removes the intendentes of provinces and the gobernadores of departments. Were Chile a true federation this power would not be lodged in the hands of the chief, and intendentes and gobernadores would be elected by the people. The governors of departments appoint the subdelegates who preside over the sublegations, and these in time ap- point the inspectors of districts. Municipal authority is lodged in city councils and they are elected every third year. The judicial author- ity is vested in a supreme court, which has jurisdic- tion over the whole republic. Below the supreme court are five courts of appeal, and other subordinate tribunals in the provinces, courts of first instance in the departmental capitals, and subordinate courts in the districts. The judges are appointed by the presi- dent under certain rules, and the commissions can only be revoked after a legal trial for cause. The national congress is composed of an upper and lower house ; the senate is elected by the provinces for six years, one senatdr being allowed to three depu- ties and every fraction of two deputies ; the chamber of deputies is elected by the departments in the pro- portion of one deputy for every 30,000 inhabitants, or a fraction greater than 15,000. Deputies are elected every three years and the senate renews one-half the number of senators every three years. Both deputies and senators must have property qualifications. There are twenty-three provinces and one territory,