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The Commoner,
S- . . r-.,Tk .- r- ..'X'
V.T.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3. , '
38
'march from tho seashore to tho' table-land, tho
Intrigues with joalotm tribes, tho .hair-breadth
escapes, tho explorations and tho .advanced Ind
ian civilization found-all those mako Prescott's
volumes intonsoly interesting. Sonor Romero has
brought tho history down to dato In two volumes
Issued by Putnam & Co., of New York, books
that ought to bo studied by ovcry American.
Nearly a hundred years ago tho people of
Moxlco, part Spanish and part Indian, took up tho
fight for independence and, unaided, secured a
noparato political existence. This ended Spain's
rolgn of three centuries beginning with tho Con
quest, during which timo that mother country had
glvon to Moxlco a languago and a religion, and
had taken from Moxlco about everything valua
ble that could bo extracted from soil or people
Following indopondonco came an era of frequent
revolutions, although tboy were for the most part
accompanied by but llttlo bloodsUcd.
Among tho political leaders whose careers il
lustrate tho ups and downs of political ambition,
Santa Ana was conspicuous.
Santa Aim Sometimes ho was iti authority;
and' sometimes ho was fleeing from a
His Log successful opponent. At one time
ho lost a limb in battle, and
as It was during ono of his periods of victory
tho sovorod'limb was buried with great pomp and
ceromony. Whon ho again suffored defeat and
his opponont camo into possession of tho gov
ernment tho burlod limb was resurrected, it is
said, and dospltofully kicked through tho streets
'of tho city. (I havo sympathized with Santa
Ana sometimes whon I havo boon buried by tho
republicans and then exhumed for purposes of
" criticism.)
Tho Moxlcan war brought tho peoplo of tho
'United States and tho peoplo of Mexico into sharp
antagonism for a llttlo whilo, but tho animosities
'' engendered at that timo havo passed away, and
"''thoro is now tho most cordial feeling botwoeli tho
Mohicans and tho Americans. This is partially
duo to tho fact that tho United States was Jargo-
ly instrumental in helping to rescue Mexico from
European domination whon, undor tho pretense of
collecting a dobt, Maximillian camo over from
Austria and doclared himself oinporor. Ho camo
whilo our civil war was in progress, and at a
' timo whon our government was not in position to
onforco tho Monroe doctrine As soon, however, as
peaco was declared at Appoinatox our government
began to intorost itself again In tho protection of
American soil, and as a result of its protests
tho European nations that had encouraged Maxi-
nillllon wlthdrow from his support and left him
to bo dealt with by tho oxican peoplo, who exo-
cuted him as a solomn warning to othor ambitious
European monarchs.
Juares, who was tho Mexican leader at that
timo, became president, and Is regarded as tha
second great Moxlcan Hidalgo, who was tho first
loader in tho war for indopendenco, being con
sldorod tho first. Hidalgo is often called tho
"Moxlcan Washington."
Tho museum at tho City of Moxlco exhibits tho
state carrlago of Maximillian, ornamented with
silk and gold, and costing, it is said, $G0,000.
Near by is tho very modest carriage of Juares.
Tho visitor marks tho contrast between tho splen
dor of an ompiro and tho simplicity of a republic
Looking at tho omporor's carriage and remem
bering his tragic end ono recalls tho lines of
Gray's Elegy
"Tho paths of glory lead but to tho grave."
Botweon tho Moxlcan war with tho United
Statos and tho usurpation of Maximillian camo
uio contest botweon tho clergy
and the laity In which the lat
tor were successful and separ
ated church and stntn ,
v, bum
plotely that while practically all
of tho peoplo aro members of ono church the work
11
Lessons From
History
Worth Study
Business
Investments
In-Mexico
of the church and tho work of the state are not
allowed to conflict. Tho experience of Mexico
shows that if you will implant in people the idea
of self-government and teach them tho inalienable
rights of the individual they will apply that doc
trine to all questions, and without being less de
voted to their religion will obey tho injunction,
"Render unto Caesar tho things that are Caesar's
and unto God tho things that aro God's."
Tho third great man produced by the Mexi
can republic is tho present president. With tho
exception of ono term ho has been president since
187G, during which timo ho has shown wonderful
ability, and it is doubtful if there is in tho world
today a chief executive of greater capacity, or de
votion to his people. Certainly no peoplo havo
made greater relative progre33 than tho Mexican
peoplo havo made undor the administration of
Porflrio Diaz. 'Education has been promoted,
law and order established, agriculture developed,
commerce stimulated, and nearly every section of
tho country connected by railroad with the capi
tal. While there are many able and strong men
upon whom the mantle of president might worthily
fall, ho has been so remarkably successful and has
such a hold upon all classes of people that he will
doubtless remain at tho head of the government
as long as he lives the people would hardly con
sent to his withdrawal even if he desired -tq lay
down the responsibilities of the position.
- I am sometimes asked whether I would ad-
viso people to invest in Mexico. The conditions
that govern an investment aro
so dependent upon circumstances
that no general advice can be
given. In a report recently
: ; made to tho American govern
ment, Consul General Barlow of the City of. Mex
ico gave detailed' statistics tb show that up to
tho present timo American money tb the amount
of about $511,0QPJOOQhas.,beQnrjQy.ested.,in the
republic of Mexico. His report jgiyes the, amount
invested in each town and tho names of Ameri
can firms doing business in. Mexico. This very
valuablo report when published can probably be
secured from members of congress if not .by di
rect application to tho state department.
Tho investments may bo divided, generally,
into five classes: railroad investments, mining in
vestments, agricultural investments, manufactur
ing investments, and investments in, city
realty. In addition to these there have been in
vestments in municipal lighting and water plants
and there has been considerable made by Ameri
cans in contracting for the construction ofrail
roads and tho erection of public buildings..;
Tho Mexican railroads employ Americans for
conductors and engineers almost to the exclusion
of tho natives. The reason given me by ono of
the conductors was that there is. not so large a
middle class to draw from there as in the United
States. In Mexico the peons are not yet com
petent to fill these positions and the well-to-do
Mexicans prefer tho professions. With the in
crease in education, however, it is probable that
the Americans will not long bo able to monopolize
this branch of tho service.
Quite a number of Americans are interested
in gold, silver and copper mines in Mexico, that
country coming second as a
producer of silver and having
an increased output (now about
$10,000000 annually) of gold.
A largo amount of American
money has' been invested in agricultural lands,
coffee, sugar and grazing lands having tho pref
erence. The grazing lands aro to be found both
In the mountains, where tho conditions are sim
ilar to those that prevail on the slopes of tho
Rockies, or in the lowlands, where there is a
prolific growth of nutritious grass.
The coffee lands aro on the slopes of the moun
tains where tho warm air from the lowlands
Mines
And
Minerals
. flaking
Wonderful
Progress
meets the cooler air from, the plateau and .where
there is an abundant rainfall. The .sugar landslio
as a rule, a little lower than. ,the coffee lands.
There is somo cotton in .Mexico, but not a great
deal as compared with states like Texas.
Mr. J. A. Robertson of Monterey is one of, tho
enterprising Americans"who has had experience, in
the development of agricultural lands, besides? be
ing connected with brick-making and other manu
facturing enterprises. ' ...-.
Judge Y. Sepulvida, formerly of California, has .
shown that an American can .succeed- there in tho
law, as has also Mr. will Crittenden, formerly,-of
Missouri. '
There has been a large and constant growth
in the- manufacturing-industry of Mexico, especial
ly in the manufacture of cotton. There aro somo
very large plants, one of which is located- at
Orizaba and others are scattered throughout -the
country. . v
Toluca, thecapital of the state of Mexico, -is
making rapid- progress in the development of -
manufactures in metal, fabrics
ancj cereals. Governor Villada,
the chief executive of this state,
is one of the ablest, most ener
getic and generous of the public -men
of Mexico, and has had much to do with,
stimulating the progress so apparent in his state.
He is preparing an exhibit to be shown at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition next year and al
ready has a state exposition at Toluca whi,ch is
well worth visiting. We spent a day, there,, and
were surprised at the diversity of industry and, at
the superior workmanship manifested... Besides
the industries mentioned they have fine pottery
plants and paper mills, one of. the mills making
an excellent quality of writing .paper frpmthe
leaves of. the maguey plant. Hero, as ,(elsewbere
in .Mexico, there is an, abundance of wood carv
ing, drawn, .work and. fcathoruw9Tk-.-, ,.. ,u
. Considerable, money has been made by Anteri
cans by subdividing and platting acre property,
near the growing cities. There are many oppor
tunities in Mexico for the man who goes there
with capital and with knowledge of an industry
to bring out the latent possibilities of soil and
climate. There are also opportunities for those
who go as skilled laborers to oversee industries
in the process of development, although these op
portunities lessen with the increase of education
among the Mexicans, but in going one must con
sider the change of climate. Emigration is seldom
from zone to zono, and it is not likely that any
large number of Ame leans- will care to make a
permanent residence in what is known as tho hot
country, that is, the lowlands in the torrid zone.
On the plateau the altitude (about 7,000 feet) is
such that our people can live there without suf
fering inconvenience. It is hardly worth one's
while to go there to look for ordinary day's work,
and if any one is contemplating an investment' ho
ought to visit the country first and acquaint
himself with all the circumstances that surround
the industry in which he is going to invest. The
cost of a trip to Mexico is socman compared with
an, investment of any considerable sum that a
person would be foolish to send his money with
out first looking over tho ground himself.
One has no difficulty in traveling in' Mexico'
because he finds English spoken on the railroads
and in all the leading . hotels
and stores. I may add a word
of caution. The venders kt the
depots do not always foiw
. . the "ne prIce" plan- Tlie'price
when the train first stops is sometimes consid
erably higher than the price of the se aS
ust as the train is leaving. We heard"toriea of
the deceptions occasionally practiced in the pre
paration of merchandise for the market. In ?act
mn ll , haViDg bUght a Pair of very preuy
little birds, was somewhat disturbed byThe sug
Traveling
Is Pleasant In
Mexico
' n
' a
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11
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Vijiii i-'fflMlliiu.iflC