The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-25
THE RIO GRANDE.
SENATOR MAxEY ON OUR RELATIONS
WITH MEXICO.

SENATOR MAXEY ON OUR RELATIONS
WITH MEXICO.
How Me xicO is to he United to this C0uE
try by Reciprocity and Rail-
reads, Not by War.
Especial Correspondence of the Democrat
RIGGS HOUSE. WASHINGTON, D. O..
November 20, 1877. J
The recent
MAsTERIY SPEECH OF SENATOR MAxEY
upon the state of affairs along our Mexican
border may fairly be termed the most valu'
able contribution to current knowledge which
this session of Congress has produced. Many
speeches have been made and many articles
printed upon this subject, but none of them
have been SO plain and matter-of-fa in state
ment or so comprehensive in grasp as the re-
marks of Senator Maxey. The trouble with
most of the information that proceeds from
Texan sources is that it is based upon the
hypothesis that war with Mexicoi Is sine qua
non, and consequently takes the form of ap-
peal to American feeling, instead of address
to the intelligence of the United States. Sena-
tor Maxey departs from this established
method, and, with the proverbial sagacity OF
hard Scotch head, treats the subject as a
mass of unfortunate facts, which need only to
be thoroughly understood in order to suggest
their own remedy. 1t is not my purpose to
review the Senator's speech but rather to re-
produce in my own words and in compact
form the views which he has expressed from
time to time on that subject, not only In the
Senate, but in public utterances elsewhere.
and In personal converse.
/ may say at the outset that he is not an
advocate of
WAR POLICY
at all hazards. He says, though that pro-
position does not appear in his speech, that
while the commonwealth of Texas might
derive certain commercial benefits from the
position of base of operations and source of
supplies which she would hold in event OF war;
these advantages might be more than coun-
terbalanced by the decentralization Of her
society which would ensue. He fears that a
war would check the flow of that industrious
and thrifty class of emigration which is now
pouring into Texas and attract in its stead
less desirable influx of population, the evil
effects of which would last long after the
ephemeral wave of that peculiar prosperity
which war brings should have receded. Rea-
soning upon such eminently practical lines of
logic the Senator holds that war should be
avoided If possible as an evil only less vicious
than the present condition of affairs and that
the true policy of our government should be
to exhaust the appliances of peaceful enter
prise, before it embarks in the dernier resort
of invasion.
''RECIPRoCITY AND RAILROADS."
says the Senator, ARE the only permanent
guarantees OF peace
The idea is that liberal reciprocity treaty
should be concluded with Mexico, that the
Iona Ltbre or free zone should be abolished.
building railroad across the Mexican penin-
sula from the Rio Grande to the Pacific. The
adjustment of the free zone" is the first
step. This is a strip OF Mexican territory ex-
some indefinite point about 300 miles up the |
river, and running back about sixty miles. It |
is sample product OF Mexican legislation, |
and, having been originally established on
pretense. OF promoting the development of
Grande, has become, in fact,
THE PARADISE OF SMUGGbERS,
ut-throats, bandits and every variety of |
of all races and climes, with |
headquarters at some half dozen dirty little |
towns, beginning with Bagdad and ending |
suspended the Operation of the customs 1 laws avs
In this district some years ago, and the popu-
lation which that sort of liberality attracted |
with view not to be outdone in |
generosity by the Mexican Congress speed
laws. So long as Mexico pays a premium
upon vice and crime by holding open this |
reservation as an asylum for law
breakers, there can be no peace for the people |
Of the Texas border. The result of my own
in that country Immediately
after the war, was conclusion that our gov
ernment made a mistake in driving out of |
Mexico the only government she ever had
capable OF international responsibility. But |
that is not properly part of the present SUBJ
ject. From 1866 to the present day matters
have been going on from bad to worse, until
the question has become reduced to one of |
method of rectifcation. That
OUR GOVERNMENT MUST ACT
Is clear enough but just how it shall act is
not so clear. War meansa hundred millions of
money, a few thousand lives, a brief triumph,
and then, perhaps, less of permanent benefit
than could be produced in years time by
new treaty and peaceful enterprise. These
are the questions which Congress must de-
termine.
The real root of all our difficulties with
Mexico lies in the fact that
MEXICAN PUBLIC SENTIMENT
needs educating up to standard where the
present blind and fanatical hatred of the
.gringo" will give place to a neighborly SEN
jlment and frank intercourse. This cannot
% done by war alone. That agency would be
more likely to intensity than to cure the bad
state of public sentiment in Mexico The in
elligent "greaser'' is about as much of
mental and moral agent as the intelligent
,ontraband used to be. II you suggest the
Immediately assumes that you want to cut
Mexico in two with a view to annexation of
,he northern half. The notion that the
United States covets more Mexican territory
les at the foundation of all his views upon
THE RELATIONS OF THE TWO COUNTRIES.
And perhaps the longest possible stride to- s
yard perpetual amity would be taken if this
lotion were dispeled from the Mexican mind
We get on well with our Northern neigh
tef, Great Britain, because the colonists of
he Dominion and the people of England do
lot distrust our professions or mistrust our ;
motives. They know that we do not want
heir possessions, and hence they meet us in t
fashion. But Mexico looks upon
limit tod Stofa |