Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, February 09, 1913, EDITORIAL SOCIETY, Page 5-B, Image 17

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    THE OMATTA SUNDAY BRE: FEBTUTAJ?Y 0, 191,1.
5-B
Our Sister Republic, Now in Revolution
(fopyrlRht. 1913, by Frank O. Carpenta.)
ONTBItBV. Mexlco.-Stand with
yV me on one of Monterey's
J I three-atory skyscrapers And
lane a iook at tne Pittsburgh
of the Mexican repubtlo. That
might stack off at thft rlrht
belongs to the bluest stcof plant south
of the United 8tntes boundnry. It has a
capital of $10,00(1,000 and lo how turning
out ateel rails for the new-roads which
are building;, in another direction are tho
huge smelters, controlled by the Outfiren.
helms, which represent a capital of mil
lions, and still farther over Is a. (Treat
brewerr which looks as though it might
have been lifted bodily up from Milwau
kee or St. iuls and dropped down hero
on this Mexican plateau.
Monterey lies in a rich mineral country.
The mountains about it yield silver and
sold and Its railroad facilities aro such
that It hag coal and Iron. The most of
Its Industrie are highly protected, and
the steel it makes costs almost double
what the price would be if no duty wero
paid.
Metropolis of Northern Mexico.
Now take a look at the city Itself.
Monterey is the metropolis of northern
Mexico, and It Is a fair samplo of an up-to-date
city this side of 'the line. It lies
lx houra by train from tho United States
boundary. In a beautiful valley, which Is
ns hluh above the sea as the top of the
Hlue1 Ridge.
The valley is surrounded by mountains
b ragged as those of tho tlockloa, which
now shine In opalescent hues under the
rays of the semi-tropical sun. One of
tho peaks looks Just like the hump of a
tngnntJe camel and another haa a head
like a bishop's miter. The Sierra Madre,
or Mother range, in this clear air, seems
to be a great etching cut by the stencils
it the gods.
Tne slopes of these mountains are
thirsty and dr, but the valley is green
nnd the Santa Catarlna river, which runs
through It, gives it Irrigated fields. It
also brings floods which, at times, carry
away buildings and drown hundreds' of
people. This river flows right through
the town. On)y about three years ago
It swept away hundreds of houses and
destroyed over 5,000 people,
Monterey lies on both sides of the river.
It is a flat city "of perhaps 90,000, mostly
maae up of one or two-story buildings,
built close to the streets, the rooms run
ning around courts or patios. In which are
nil sorts of vegetation. A little American
boy here, in writing back homo about
Mexico's buildings, said:
"In Uie United States we put a yard
iround the house. Here in Monterey the
people build the house around the yard."
This well expresses the sight we have
from the house top. Every building in-
f lot-ns a. yard, and we can see banana
recs, bushfcs and other vegetation grow
ing out of the houses. The roofs are ail
riat. and the city is more like one of the
orient than of the North American con
tinent. At first sight it reminds one of
tho Spain of 100 years affo, 'but this Im
pression fades as you see not far from the
principal plara. a $1,000,000 hotel of rein
forced concrete and soma big business"
blocks of the same material, while further
out are many new villas of American
ityle.
Now turn your eyes to the streets. They
ire narrow and they cross each other at
right. angles, with plaias or parks here
and there. The town Is paved with brick,
nd it has a brick factory which Is turn
ing out tens of millions of brick every
years. In somo sections American buMd
tugs are going up mode of brick, and the
lge of brick and concrete seems to be
crowding that of adobe and stucco. The
concrete construction Is largely the work
of an American architectural engineer,
J. P. Woodyard, who has been installing
Mich buildings all over Mexico.
Put Investments for Canadians..
As we look at the streets we can see tho
electric cars flying through them, anil
this reminds me df the fat contract which
McKenzIe & Mann, the Toronto capital
ists, have gotten out of this town. They
came here four or five years ago and
obtained a concession for putting in water
works, sewers, electric lights and tho
itreet railways, and In payment made a
contract with the government for bonds
niual to the amount Invested at 10 per
cent Interest for ninety-nine years. The
contract was so worded that the more
money they spent tho bettor the bargain,
ind 1 am told that the Improvements
svere made regardless of Jdst. The mone
was borrowed In England at low' rates
it Interest, and remittance men and other
i can invasion as soon as tho country it
stable
lie also estimates that there are some
thing like 200,000 Mexicans In tho United
States, and that there are perhaps 130,000
in Texas. There ore many in Arizona
and New Mexico. The sons and daugh
ters of the better Mexican families of
the republlo aro now being sent to our
country for their education, and there is
scarcely an American college which has
not Its Mexican students. Many of the
boys are taking engineering and agricul
tural courses, and at the same time many
agricultural experts are being brought
hero from the United States to give ad
vice to the farmers and to show how to
make the big estate pay. Some of theso
arc ex-clerks of our agricultural depart
ment, who are paid double the salaries
they have beon getting at home, nnd
others have come from our state agri
cultural colleges.
Mexico In 101 a.
I am surprised how little the average
citizen of the United, States knows about
Mexico. We send lM.OOO Americans to
Europe overy year, and they Bpcnd an
average of $1,000 apiece, or a total of
$1G0,000,000. Thoy tramp themselves tired
In the galleries, and scratch Holland,
France, Germany and Italy as with a
fine tooth comb for strange customs an!
costumes. They do not find them. The
truth Is the Kurope of today Is all one.
It is practically the samo as the United
States, and if one would see the big
things of travel he had better go to the
lower port of our own continent.
This Mexico Is a world In itself, and It
Is a world of strange sights and strange
people. It has a population of more than
15,000,000, and of theso at least 12,000,000 aro
Indians, the descendants of the Artec's.
They cannot read or write, nnd In manv
respects are about the same as the Axteos
of the Montezuma. The other' 8,000,000
Mexicans ore the descendants of the
Spaniards or of those with a large ad
mixture of Indian blood. They also have
their queer costumes, and as one rides
through the country ho 'sees avnew pic
ture at every turn of the eye.
iletnreaqnft Scenes.
Coming here frotn tho Rio Grande, I
saw lusty, brigandlike men wearing great
sombreros, the crowns of which rose a
foot above their heads and whoso brim
wero a foot wide all tho way around.
Some of these hats had hoops of silver
about them rb thick as your wrist and
gorgeous In trimmings of silver and gold.
Not a fow wore conts or short Jackets,
ornamonted with bright sliver buttons.
The trousers of some of the men wero
striped with silver braid, while not a few
had silver-mounted revolvers hung to
their hips. At some-of the stations men
so dressed galloped up on horses, also
gnyly appareled, and, looking across tho
country, wo now and then saw troops of
cavalry dashing over the fields.
The lower classes were even more pic
turesque. Tha Indians wore high hats of
straw and blankets or serupes of all col-
me some pcppi rmlnls 1 ftfl awfully :
faint I
A change of tenors had been made In
the church choir. I'pon little tola's n-tttrn
from morning services she exclaimed, Oh,
miimma. they've got n new terror In tho
choir!"
"What does it menu to oust your bred
upon the waters'" asked the Sunday
school teacher.
"It mean that the fishes has to be
fed. ' replied small Hadlr.
lo you ever see the president?" aikrd
Willie of his uncle, who lived In Wash
ington
1 'Yes. nearly every day," was the
1 reply.
I "And does ho ever ste you?" queried the
little fellow.
"Don't mind, Wlflle. don't mind." mid a
sympathetic Utile sclrl to her small
brother, who Ind been chastised by their
father.
"I d-dldn't," sobbed the little fellow.
"That's w-why 1 got 1-llcked.'
Small Edgar happened to see thetiow
moon. "lUmnn." ho queried, "did (ltd
make thai moon?"
"What did he do with the old one."
queried th youthful Inquisitor. "Did he
cut it up Into'staraT"
.Mother (entering hedro6m)-Why, chll
drrn, what are you crilng for?
Hobby 1 wanna dink.
Motller-Welt. I'll get you u drink. Klsle,
what are you crying for?
i:int You didn't hear Bobby, mrtminn,
po I was helping him cry.
I nrflt f in falnhnn and flirt urnmitn lmrl
ecpnd sons of the lenders were sent over ! dark blue cotton shawls over their heads,
nnd given fat Jobs. Not a "few of these ko draped that only the upper half of the
hired men lived In state, having their fnco showed. Not a few had bright red
own saddle horses, and among the crowd, ! fcklrts and bright waists and some were
promenading the plaza at night could b? barefooted, showing a little more-of the
seen these men stride about in their rid
ing clothes and puttees,
McKenzIe & Mann also planned tho
building of a big hotel at the Topo Chlco
Springs, ncr here, and they have also u
farm of over a thousand acres which they
are fertilizing with the city sewage. I
understand that they are experimenting
with Egyptian cotton, andMhat the estate
jromlees to be a valuable one.
As to the debt Incurred for these public
works, Monterey will be loaded with this
Interest for a lorjg time to come, and
whether It will be able to pay the prin
cipal remains to ba seen.
Americans In Mexico.
ankle than the prudes of America allow.
World of Mexico.
This Is one of the human phases of this
world of Mexico, a world which was born
when the Spaniards begun to marry the
Aztecs in the days of the Alontczumas.
Physically there is no fairer world in
this universe. of matter, and In natural
resources there Is none richer. Let me
give you some idea of its extent. There
are only" four other republics on this
hemisphere which have as much land.
Mexico Is equal to the whole United
Stutts' east of the Mississippi river and
Itn coast line, on the Atlantic and tho
Pacific Is ro great that If It could be
lhere are several thousand Americans olsfo t0 ,ndon and ,eave .ome t0 8pare.
here , m Monterey They are Interested u woUll, moro mll rench from
In the .tores, in plantations and In other I Amiel,8 to Mlinla in the Philippine Is-
nhJ i" n v, ZuT "eW"P"P'r 'I'"" lands. The country Is about a. long as
llshed In English and Spanish and a ,rom New Yt)rk t0 gaU Ijlke cll.t amJ
number of our citizens have bought land ; It8 1)reudth at the top la s Great the
.long the road from here -to Tamplco.. I distance between Philadelphia and In-
inn VT 2 ""I' L0""aeneal!,Jla"a'ol" Th land Is shaped like a
Philip C. i Manna who has had charge of Lrm hortli the rootg of wlllch aro f.
r foreign bus ness In northWn Mexico tonpd t0 , UnlU(J stat ,
for the las thirteen years, jj, has his ! of whlcn , Vucau. u from . u
office I. this c y and he- twelve copsuls ; 1(iaB t0 tne t nnd are rdEe w,
muter h m, stationed in different parts of . Rrrat lnountalh, uphoIdln(- a vast ro,HnB
the northern half of the republic, from tabIeIund tlie moM of whcn a ,
whom he receives frequent reports. He abov Ulp xeai Tle mounalng comprlr.
Id s me that Mexico was on the edge of samt. of 10 ,l(.llellt of , Roc, moul.
om th; me "volution brpke,tnln ,em M t 0rlzaba M oyer
. i ? !6 reP"? M then at " h,K, an1 Popocatepetl only a
:enst &0.O-0 Americans who were engaged ; f.w, hundred ret lower. Mexico has vol-
" , Tln.d r "nu,her Tl,ere I ano$s as high . Pike's Peak, tho names
were M OW to 30,0ft) In northern Mexico ! of ulcn w hardly kn0Wi and
and little colony In every city of size . more than tnIrteen whlcn range from two
Mnce the revolution some of these people t0 three and one.haIf mUn , al.
have left, but the exodus was composed tltude
chiefly of the wives and children of ' . A) the Ycnr
.trZTf 7f V0';-' The land Is one of many" climates, and
ay districts and of Americans who have of a,ln0,t evtry orop dtIrtd , man ,
tone away on account ot tile depressed tnH )o,,v ,.0u8t UnAs arn aI1 tlle fruIta of
" ' . v ' ' . ". con- the tropu.B, ulld American companlwi ale
Greece can furnish no more beautiful
skins.
Where I am now writing Is only about
1,600 feet above, sea levol, but III the past
I have traveled over the wholo of this
Mexican plateu, nnd I doubt whether
there Is a more healthful country any
where upon earth. TJie air Is so rare
that one can seo 'many miles farther than
In tho eastern parts of the United States,
and It Is so filled with ozone that you
seem to bo breathing champagne. The
skies seem closer to the earth than at
home, tho moon shines with a greater
brilliancy, and tho dlamond-llko stars re
mlnd me of the luminous heavens which
hang low at night over the Amazon on
the Gulf of Slam.
This high plateau grows all tho crops
of tho temporato. zone. It has Irrigated
regions which produce) largo quantities of
cotton, a fiber which was used by tho
Aztecs when Cortez first came. It yields
Indian corn, whloh is tho Btaplo food of
the people, and It Is claimed that Mexico
Is tho original home of this plant. I have
seen soil which produces two crops of
wheat in one year, and where tho
grain Is pulled root and all from the
ground. There Is no manure; and the
sun, the nlr and the ground furnish all
.the plant food. As to fruits, we have all
those of the tropics and temperate zones,
nnd that every month. I have had straw
borrles In Mexico at Christmas, and even
now they are brought to the trains by
peddlers and sold nt a few cents a basket.
Sugar enno Is grown farther south and
tobacco is a favorite crop with the na
tives. Altogether the soil and meat prod
ucts which Mexico is now producing an
nually amount to something llko $200,
000,000. This is more than comes from the
mines. I am toldthat the live stock in
dustry Is growing, and that Mexico Is
nbout our only hope for cheap meats In
these days of high prices.
Everyone knows of the Mexican mines.
They have been producing millions ever
since Cortez robbed the treasures of the
Montezumas, and they are now turning
out nearly $80,000,000 worth of minerals
every twelve months. In this I include,
only gold, Bllver, copper and lead. But
The Niagara. oPZ&tiCO
Mexico also has mountains of iron. It
has coal fields which have hardly been
touched, and It has the greatest oil fields
now being operated In nny part of the
world. Of all of tlnwo things I will write
In the future.
Itnllroiiiln nnd Klertrle I'lnntu,
The Mexico of 1913, although now In
the turmoil of n revolution, Is Inclosed
In a network of modern civilization. It
Is ono of the chief railroad countries of
tho earth, and its trunk lines If stretched
end to end would reach moro than halt
way around the globe. It has about
16,000 miles in operation and thoro nro
over a thousand miles more under con
struction. It has been said that the dis
order which has reigned during the last
two years has stopped the building of
railroads. This Is true only of certain
sections. The National railways havo
considerable track under construction
and 1 saw. men excavating all along the
lino for new trucks on my way to
Monterey. v
As to electric plants ,thc water powers
of tho country nro being gradually har
nessed, nnd with others tho falls of
Juanacatlau, tho Niagara of Mexico, are
generating electricity, ltidlng south over
tho pluteau I saw the uteel posts of
high-power transportation lines running
for miles through tho desort; and I am
told that this branch of Industry Is on
the edge of its beginning.
In this connection como the new fac
tories which are springing up over the
republic. The steel plant here is now
paying dividends, and there are other
steel works of smaller size. Cotton
mills havo been constructed In many
partB of tho republlo, and there are ,now
142 such factories In operation. There arc
many1 large smelters In the chief, mining
districts, and oil roflnertes will be erectod
In the new petroleum fields along the
gulf const.
I am told that almost all the cities are
growing, and I find that the country Is n
far different Mexico from that which I
first visited, now more than twenty years
ago.
Just now foreign investment Is at a
standstill on account of the revolutionary
troubles, but before they broke, out. Con
sul General Hanna tolls me. the trains
passing through Monterey were full of
Americans on their way south to the va
rious sections. Many of them expected to
raise coffee, cacao, fruit and other things
along the gulf coast, nnd others were ta
engage In the oil development that Is
going on between Tamptco and Vera
Cruz. (
The peoplo hore are sanguine that the
conditions will Improve within a very
short time, and they prodlct that a largo
immigration from our country will fol
low. FRANK G. CAHPENTKR.
Pointed I'rirnitrnph.
Tho only way to avoid trouble In this
old world Is to avoid being born.
Here's the fir's! guide ot on the road
to success; Mind yoilr own business.
A mother Is lwy surprised t6 learn
that her daughters of old as thoy are.
nnr .1 it.n- nuniiicn on to mink It
i over and you will b surprised at the
nimiunt of time, you devote to foolishness
I Hileago Nwi. ,
"HE itching, burning, suf
fering and loss of sleep of
eczemas, rashes and irri
tations of the skin and scalp are
at once relieved and permanent
skin health restored in most
cases by warm baths witi
CuticuraSoap
followed by gentle applications
of Cuticura Ointment when all
else fails. To know this and
not to send postal immediately
for Free Samples and 32-p. Skin
Book is to fail in your duty to
yourself and family.
AAlress "Cuticura.r Dept. 16, Boston. Cuticura Soap and Ofa.
xbcmX ara sold throughout the world. DepoU in all world centers.
PRATTLE OF THE YOUNGSTERS.
"Effle, III you runto tho door und cull
Fido, please?"
. "I can't mamma, 'cos I aren't speaklu'
to Hdo since ho broko my doll."
One dny Stella accompanied her mother
on a shopping tour. They sighted 'the
cendy department In a large store, Hijd
Stella said: v
"Mamma, I'm afraid you'll have to buy
Jltlou have caused. Thurc are ptlll
liuny American business men scattered
ill over Mexico. General Hanna thinks
lie number is perhaps W per cent of that
jpfore the revolution began. He tells
.n that the opportunities here are great
now letting out banana plantations nm
far from the Mexican gjlf. A little higher
up coffee grows, and In other sections
rubber can be profitably raised.
Here on the plateau the climate Is like
an Ohio June all the yt ar roUnd. The air
for the investment of American capital, J Is pur as the winter winds which sweep
and predicts that there will be an Ameil- over Egypt from the Libyan desert, and
aA
2
LT3n
11
as
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Wesr!
iTSSM
IT
bV
Now is Your Chance!
Only
Thirty
Days
' na' wit
Why
Pay
More?
4
are making this special price to get
T t vmi tiffin cnntiH with nnr n fnr lrotinn
and dur fair way of dealing.
V
. our minimum prices:
Gold Orowna (22-K. gold) $2.50 Gold" Fillings $1.50 UP 2
Bridge Work $2.50 Silver Fillings , $1.00
Set of Teeth f $5.00 Teeth extracted without pain 50c
4
4
The above prices for 30 days so -get busy. All work guaranteed.
4-
4
4
nn uiiTuene . bushrtian block :
; um If I I n Eh r ""Room 3 16th and Douglas
, rtnnn Wf1 .vin-a tst Q Til. n A T" . . 1 nnnj
4
f
You can make
your business grow
through the proper use 1 of news
" paper space. The small merchant
may find display -space too ex
pensive, but he always can use the
classified columns of The Bee to
gret advantage, - The expense is
ohly a few cents a day and the
results are amazing.
The Bee classified pages
offer you a large circulation
among people with large and small
incomes, They reach the people
who buy most willingly.
Use a Bee ad for a while. Phone it to
r-
Tyler 1000