The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-05-28
MEXICO.
ITS WONDERFUL RESOURCES.
Importance to Louisiane~of Establishing Friendly
Commercial Relations.

The bill introduced by Mr.. Gibson, OF
Louisiana, into the House, looking to re
ciprocity treaty with Mexico, may strike
the inconsiderate as inopportune, In view
present Presidential canvass In Mexico.
But those who best know the condition Of
Mexico are most sure that this confusion
will ere long result in order again and
there can be no question that the estab-
lishment of friendly commercial relations
with Mexico is of the gravest Importance
not only to Louisiana but to the whole
country.
Mexico is one of the very richest coun-
tries upon the globe in natural resources
in minerals, forest products, and the fer
tility and versatility of it's soil. 1t has
been estimated that 1t is easily capable of
supporting population as dense as that of
China. which, in the eastern portions, is
supposed to exceed 800 to the square mile.
Yet the actual population of Mexico is only
275 600 in a superfcies of 725, 200 square
miles, OF less than 10 to the square mile,
and it would be infinitely more prosperous
were it's population ten times as dense. The
State of Tamaulipas, which borders on
Southern Texas, has only about 1000
people, or less than to the mile, while in
Sonora there are under2 persons to the
mile. In Vera Cruz there are about 25 to
70, in Hidalgo go, and in Tlascala 90.
Mexico is waking up to the necessity of
encouraging immigration, and book is
just now going through the Mexican Gov
eminent press, from the pen of Don
Manuel Azpiroz, in which the Mexican
laws relating to immigration are explain
ed, and the attractions and inducements to
settlers fully set forth.
In good many other respects our sis
ter republic has been considerably shaken
up since the French occupation, and in
spite Of the chronic diseases of revelation
and poverty, can point to substantial evil
dences of progress. There are already 10,-
600 kilometers Is 200 miles) Of telegraph
lines in Mexico, with l94 stations and
Offices, three eighths belonging to the state
and the remainder to private enterprises.
The railroads have 375 miles operating,
and much more under contract. In the
way of coasting trade Mexico has quite q
little navy of her own, her domestic ton
mage c,earances and entrances for 1873 "a
approaching half million tons. Railroads
will doubtless bring wealth to the country
by developing the resources of the interior
and enabling the people to buy foreign
commodities, and the Government to re-
model the tariff. AS that law now stands,
Mexico collects 100000 900 import duties
taxes exports very heavily besides. In
some respects, however, the Mexican tariff
is far more rational than ours, and never
knew Senior Morrill, nor Don Dawes.
Live stock, steel bars, ship masts and an
chors, agricultural implements, machinery,
rails, coal, shocks, vessels, fruit, guano,
maps, seeds and plants, salt, etc, are ad-
mitted free of duty, and the Mexican tariff
now tries to strangle the nascent industry
by first numbering its raw material with
vexatiOus duties and then extending
"protection" to its manufactured product.
The United States take little over
one third of the entire exports of Mexico,
hr1k call honl 1noa has -f0rIp Of rhnk
Mexico imports. France, on the contrary,
sells more to Mexico than che buys, and
Germany sells Ave times as much as she
buys. In the year 1879 ~, Mexico's ex-
ports included $25. Zoo, 600 of bullion, ST.
500, 900 of hides, 81 900 900 each of hemp
and fine woods, $500 600 of coffee, $780,
600 of vanilla, S20O, 900 of live animals, and
leo, however. are nothing in comparison
with what they should be. A large pro-
potion of the tierras oalientes is peculiarly
adapted to the production of coffee and
sugar, of which the world demands more
and more every year, as the circle Of
cious metals would probably be able to
quadruple their present yield if worked to
full capacity and with approved methods.
The tobacco crop is capable of being indie
fnitely increased, and the hemp crop like
wise, the latter growing wild. AS for the
peculiarly indigenous products of Mexico,
the commerce of the world would eagerly
take much more than it now can get of
such precious commodities as logwood,
cochiaeal, vanilla, sareaparilla, jalap- root,
cocoa, caoutchouc, gutta percha, indigo,
anise. seed, pepper, tortoise shell, resin,
and the precious cabinet woods. Cam
peche mahogany, once 80 famous, scarcely
comes to market now, but the tree must
exist in the interior still The green turtle
canning business of Gusymas might be
made to yield as much wealth as the oys-
ter canning of the Chesapeake, and there
are millions in the pineapple crop and the
vanilla culture. The rich coffee of Urua-
pam fetches dollar pound from con-
noisseurs, yet none is in the market I; the
cinchona tree could be planted with great
profit in Mazatlap, native staple of cot
ton lie produced and sold for 3 to cents
per pound the frjoles crop is limited only
by the demand, and cheese and mescsl can
be made in quantities. A cargo of sugar
from Tlslcotalpam is on it's way, as we
write, to New York. Tuxpan has coal,
and here, besides, the sugar cane produces