New Orleans Republican., 1875-11-19
% possess that of Central and South Amer

| INC prUuucD6 LOT eXpOrt8tl0n OF Mexico,
and in great degree of these other coun-
tries, are such as do not compete with our
manufacturing and agricultural interests.
In fact, Mexico is capable of prod ucipg in
unlimited Quantities, and of qualities un-
surpassed on the globe, three articles or
classes OF products for which the United
States are now sending abroad more than
$lo0,O00, 0,0OO, to wit: sugar. coffee and trOp-
ical fruits. Could this enormous and rapid
| ly increasing demand be turned from the
| slave labor producing countries of Cuba
and Brazil to our sister republic, it would
lead to large reciprocal consumption of
| many of our manufactures, and of our raw
products also, and would have powerful
effect, both political and commercial.
While the high rate of the tariffs of the
two countries stands as great obstacle in
the way OF an extensive commerce, es-
pecislly in our manHff ctured articles and
some OF our products; yet the Mexican
'free iIst'' opens to US some avenues of
trade, which have to a limited extent been
improved, but OF which still greater ad-
vantage may be taken. Allow me to men
tion some of the articles on the free list:
Agricultural implements and machinery of
all kinds, plants and seeds. books printing
materials and ink; corn, corn meal oats and
hay; machinery and engines of all kinds of
industry, long and liberal list; mining
materials, machinery, powder, etc; railway
materials, locomotives, cars, etc; vessels of
all kinds and materials therefor; wood and
lumber tor construction, etc.
| have already referred to the grants and
subsidies given to American companies by
the Mexican government for the c0nstruc-
tion of railroads and their direct int crest to
American commerce. Under this third
point OF the lack of corporate and individ-
ual enterprise and effort ID control the Mex
lean trade, may suggest that the present
affords an excellent opportunity for Ameri-
,,Nk,
OF these roads to give } the United States
the complete possession of the commerce of
all the northern and central States of
Mexico. And the effect will be greater
still. The completion of the railroad across
the Rio GraDde, the road across the Sonora
and Arizona frontier, and third road which
| would necessarily follow from Colorado and
New Mexico into chihuahua, Durango and
Iacatecas, will forever put an end to all
lawess border troubles, and link the two re-
publics in lasting peace of iron bands and
commercial interests, which neither border
raiders, revolutionists, tlibusters nor am
bilious politicians can ever break.
/ have, trust, said enough on this sub
ject of lack of enterprise and effort to satisfy
you that we can do more than we have
done to secure the trade of Spanish America,
and enough to confirm the recent statement
of one of our leading manufacturing jour
nails that Americans are strangely negligent
| III lEdut, Wull6 tu6 uh-
tions OF Europe are active and aggressive
| have thus, gentlemen, referred to the
political condition of the country, as far as
it has connection with its commercial rela-
lations and have given you my views of
some of the causes why, up to the present,
our commerce with that country has ploven
| SO unsatisfactory, together with some sug-
gestions as to how il may be improved. en-
iarged and made more profitable. In this
connection have limited at the vast capa-
bil.ties of Mexico for supplying us with GER
tain staple articles OF tropical production,
consumed by us iu large quantities and the
demand for which is annually increasing in
a rapid ratio. If your patience will allow, it
may he Of interest aud possibly of some
value to you to refer more in detail to this
topic,
The cetfee imported into the United States
in 1874 amounted to $55 100000, or to
2SS, 900 pounds. The value Of the coffee
| imported in 1868 amounted to only
$4,000 900, aud the increase has been
steady up to the present, which indicates
the great Importance this trade may assume
within few years. The importation of
sugar and molasses during the same period
amounted in value to SS9, 900, and in
quantity to l,2Ol 800 tons. 1t thus appears
that for these two items the United States
is sending abroad Sl4i, 1000 annually, al
most entirely in specie, as our export trade
with Cuba and Brazil, whence these ar.
ticles mainly come, is comparatively insig-
nifcant.
Our imports from Cuba last year
amounted to $96, ,272, 000 That island
square miles. Mexico has an area OF
about 10000 square miles, and popula-
tion estimated at 100000. Should the
civil war continue in Cuba it may become a
serious question with the United States
whence snail come its supply of sugar.
all the coffee and sugar our country will de-
mand in the next century, and of the best
quality.
The whole of the gulf coast of Mexico
from the level OF the sea up to more than
1000 feet elevation on the slopes of the
Sierra and much of the Pacific coast also
furnish lands of the best qualities for the
cultivation of the sugar cane. In the States
! of Tamaulipas, Vera Cruz, Tabasco, Cam
peche and Yucatan these lands are abun-
dant and cheap, the cane is superior in sac
charine matter, prolific in growth, and the
length of time yielding without renewal is
unsurpassed. The consular agent at Tux.
pan, in the State of Vera Cruz, in his re :
port to the Department of State for 1874,
states that in that vicinity the sugar cane
lasts from fifteen to twenty years without
replanting, grows from eighteen to twenty
feet in height and that it yields, with the
rudest cultivation prachced there, from
1000 to 5000 pounds Of sugar per acre.
In the greater portion of the country to
which have Just referred as adopted to
sugar cultivation, coffee can also be pro-
duced with marked success. Especially is
this the case on the slopes of the whole OF
the mountain range extending along the
Gulf coast. So also on the Pacific slope OF
of the Sierra Madre, along the nearly 1000
miles of the Mexican range; and the coffee
of COlima, is claimed tO be superior in
quality to any other In the world. As yet
it is only cultivated to small extent and
commands a very extravagant price.
Although coffee has been grown in
MexicO for century, it has only
been in very limited quantities and
for local consumption. alone. Within the
made abroad, mainly to New York, and the
venture has proved 60 profitable that a
notable impulse has been given to this in
dustry. The chief locality of its cultiva.
ton up to the present is the State of Vera
Cruz, and having the valley of COrdova az
its centre. Consul General Skilton, in his
commercial report for 1874, estimates
the valve Of the years crop at
81 ,000, 900, and states that "it may be in
creased to $lO0 600, 900 with comparatively
small money capital and larger invest
ment of enterprise"
In my opinion, no Mexican enterprise of
fers greater Inducements to investment
than the cultivation of coffee. In the State
of Vera Cruz, as in many other parts of the
republic, lands can be purchased cheap
rich in soil, and specially adapted for this
cultivation. And, as an additional attrac
tiOn, the elevation above the sea, at which
| coffee ia most successfully grown insures in