New-York tribune., 1868-02-20

THE QUESTION OF FINANCEs-CoMPARIsoN BE-
TWEEN THE IMPERIAL AND LEGITIMATE
DEBT-THE BUDGET UNDER THE EMPIRE
AND THE REPUBLIo-PREsENT EXPENSES OF
THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT = BARBARoUs
FINANCE-THE ALCABALAs-CoSTs OF PRO-
NUNCIADOs
MEXICO, Jan. %, 1868.
With this Republic as with yours, the financial
question is radical and uppermost. Money being the
sinews of war, it may be said of Mexico that her
treasury has been in constant state of siege, its
garrison distracted and decimated. More bunglng
and clogging of business more oppressive collection
and wasteful distribution, and such desperate
proneness to be cheated at bargain, would hardly
be imagined elsewhere. All these sins against potl-
cal economy are referable to state of war and war;
as Gen. Sherman had the good sense to remark at
Atlanta, is in itself barbarism. Some OF its
relics unfortunately remain. For instance: San
Luis Potos in order to fulfill budget of $SOO,OOO,
taxes 700 merchants of that capital $4,000 and the
rest of the State numbered at 399330 people, along
with the country and cityproperty $24o0Oo This IS
practically forced loan; dozen merchants have
been locked up for not paying it, and the excuse Oh
the authorities is that they desire to meet an emer
gency and at the same time abolish the odlous aica
baas or interior custom-hOuses The intention s
tolerabe but the fact is monetary coup Gedt Sup
posing that merchant of San Luis brought
100000 worth of goods to market, he would
$4,000. Whether or not he sold his goods
In one year, and, of course, under such a legal
paddock as this commerce is almost annulled. You
will infer that If the nervous mpecuniosity of Mex
leo needs thing more than money! 1T ls the knOw
edge how TO it, the patience to find the know-
edge and along with il the means TO be Just. To IL
ustrate how Mexico has been dealt with by her bar
Qaners take recent statement of one OF her imam.
cal publicists, Manuel Payne. He figures cost OF
Vera Cruz to Passo del Macho, and of 100000 for
the 30 leagues of rail between Guadalupe and Ap-
zacO each league being shorter than the English
measure. The Government spent ON the road
from Vera Cruz to San Juan $2OCO,OOO; but
the millionaire Escandon bought 1t for 900
OOO The privilege of the Vera Cruz Rall.
roads of which these are links, has run career OF
more than twelve years. has been sold and resod,
conceded and reconceded and the road is not built
yet The MexIcans having reason 70 Dc suspicious OF
concessions are revising the liberal one granted
to the Vera Cruz Company under plenary powers OF
the President, and this at some temporary cost TO
the credit and enterprise oil the road whch u.s. never
theless the chief and most cherished undertaking IN
Mexico The finances of Mexico are not without
hope. Only sustained peace Is wanting TO bring
home to her people the truth in morals that penny
stolen is a penny lost and the truth in economy that
q penny saved Is penny earned. She does not want
a hero, but a fnancier. Her braves are as common
az centavOs but her true capitalists are 1ew-surey
not those molderng fOgies whom fear npels To bury
their money, and 10 turn the graveyard into bank
of deposit Possibly Mexico will yet learn from the
which brave men can engage IN ls 10 hght'
Spite of the blunder III San LUIS there is q true
and rlRhtful tendency throughout the RepuDnc TO
realize the promise of the Constitution concerning
the abolition of lalcabaas Mr.. Jose Marla Mata
whose views are known 10 be progressive has oered
project worth noting for the regulation OF the
finances Of the State of Vera Cruz lie strikes III
rectly at real estate, comparatively the most
neglected Of all sources of revenue In Mexico. Ac-
cordng to this proposition all property IN city or
country together with salaries or payments VIII pay
an equable tax varying from ls TO 8 per cent upon
of contribution, but sufficient, Mr. Mata THINKS, 10
do away with the interior cust0m-houses. At tne
same time tax x-gatherers will be paid a certain per
centage on collections. The same general principles
of revenue applied to every State, with perhaps
more marked emphasis laid upon real estate, especial
y the thousands of which the want OF sumuR-
five taxation keeps in idle hands. might be operative
with good results. II the people of Mexico are taxed
too much her lands and houses pay too little. Out
of all the great values nationally acquired by the
characterization of the church property II is strange
that so little profit accrued TO the Goyernment;
Nationalized property now worth 10000 was sold
four years ago for less than onesxth OF the amount
But IL is wellconended that Italy has earned little
by her transactions IN religious estate, ana that
either country is amply repaid the clergy are effect
ually dispossessed of their landhold There Is the
Obvious danger that if the Government keeps prop
erty Oh its hands for the want OF big bargains III VIII
initiate the evil mOnopoles which with so much
vigil and modification the pddrds have conserved for
many day. -,
Undoubtedly the victory of the Republic has been
n great saving over the intervention and the Empire,
so that as a measure of political economy alone, 1t
must be considered a great good thing for Mexico.
a comparison of the attempted lmpOsltlOns or the
Empire with the foreign debt recognized by the
Constitutional Government ia 1862, will show the
Justice of this remark. Here follows an exhibit OF
the Imperial finances: