The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-05-10
ABOUT MEXICO.
What General Grant ThiBks Of the
Country and People.
lChicago Inter-0cean. !

WHll6 uc WAS SlNlHS oOliO ldSoo ououV
Mexico; and a representative of the
Inter-Ocean, who was present, availed
himself of the opportunity to make
notes of the conversation, General Grant
cheerfully consenting thereto. The talk
was entirely informal. the General fire.
quently being interrupted by questions,
but many facts were revealed which will
prove interesting to the public.
"There are nine millions Of people in
Mexico" said General Grant, "and seven
millions Of them are industrious, frugal
and willing to work fore pittance,
if afforded the opportunity"
"What opportunity do they needr'
interposed listener.
"Well, what they first require is COM
munication with the outside world. They
ought to build railroad from the frontier
to the interior of the country, and thus
afford means of transporting their
products cheaply and quickly to mar
ket. Vera Cruz has a railroad going up
to Orizaba, Mexico, via Cordova and
Orizaba, otherwise they could not get a
market for anything they produce.
Everybody was formerly idle. Now
they are raising sugar, tobacco, and cof-
fee, and extending the raising Of these
products all the time. Then, there is a
branch road from near Vera Cruz, that
runs to Jalapa. So they have 40 or so
miles across there where they are pro-
ducing these products, and it is mrking
conservative, well.to-do population.
They are making coffee for 6 cents a
pound cost to the purchaser"
"Mexico will soon have new rail
road outlet on this side, suppose-the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe? said one
of the gentlemen.
eyes; and it will go through to the
City of Mexico, as we'll as have line
over the Pacific. 1t will be a wonderful
thing for Mexico. Now, they have par
ty there that is very much opposed to
any connection with the United States,
on the ground that they are afraid of us
afraid that we will want to take terri
tory. They have people among them,
you know, who are little anxious to set
up a separate Government in the North,
with view of turning it over to tine
United States, and, of course, making
something out of it, and they are afraid
of them. I told these people that they
need have no alarm whatever about our
wanting any Of their territory. We didn't.
I told them that their apprehensions
were, at one time, very we'll grounded,
because the time was when we wanted
Southern territory; that We had the in
stitution of slavery in our country, which
was limited to one section of country,
and which WAS always jealous of the
political power of the North, and always
sought more territory in which it could
extend slavery, SO as to give political in
fuence in the Government.
As long as that institution existed
there was strong party here that was
determined to keep possession of the
Government, and was always trying to
get more slave States. But now, re-
minded them, the institution of slavery
was at an end, and the very people who
wanted the territory then would not
have it now; and I believe represented
the sentiments of my countrymen-nine-
tenths of them-when I said that we
would not accept it; that our desire was
to $50 them like ourselves-a stable, pros
porous Government; that we wanted to
see them rival us, as far as they were ca
pabe of becoming rivals"
"How about the Mexican laborers,
General, those who do the work? How do
they liver ... ..
"Well, the working classes, if they can
get Is cents day, are in clover. You
see, their families will raise little patch
of corn, and they will live almost ex-
clusively on the tortilla, which they
make from the corn product. They have
laborers there where they are grading the
railroads that get 25 to 40 cents day in
silver.
"Their families will make tortilla, which
is cooked by their wives at home. 1t is
made of corn which is soaked In lye, anc
then it is worked down into a paste be
tween two stones very thin. They make
cakes OF it, and eight or ten pounds o.
corn in this way will keep man week
They raise that; the luxuries they do no
have. When they work around the hous'
they will raise few tomatoes and 4 few
chickens and beans. But these they hav,
only as luxuries." ...e...
"Do they drink any liquors of an.
kind2" .I ..s.'
"After you get up to an elevation o
$500 feet they make and drink spulka,
produced from the megna plant. The,
drink an enormous sight of it. 1t i
healthy end about the color Of milk, ant
if you are little accustomed to it, it il
quite palatable and very refreshing. Yol
can buy it for about 2 cents gallon
They are a very temperate eating ant
drinking class. There is an enormous
amount Of this preparation drank, be
cause everybody drinks it. 1t is very
profitable to raise at cents gallon. L
is much like cocoanut milk, except il
drinking you can feel very sligh sense
of exhilaration.'
MIR. TILDEN AMONG THE FLOW.