New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-12

and il must result in very large
commerce with some part OF the world. IL w., We
take advantage Of the time, 1t will accrne 10 l1e
benefit of the United States more than to thaL o.
any other country except Mexico. ana Mexico WI.
be necessarily the most benefited OF any ONE nnr
country. At present. owing to the lack OF lai,,
roads they have very little 10 expect that Will
bear TRANSPORTATION, except their bullion. Iheir
exports now, as learned while | was there,
amount TO about S3J. 900. 900 n year. VI That
sum quite or near $50, 1000 900 year IS ~
bullion, and only aOout %o,ooO,OUSV, 1a a." 81
her soil. Even that is raised somewhere near the
coast, where they easily get transportation
As have said. / have no doubt that with me
binding of railroads they VIII DE aDs 10 eAPolt
5000 900, 000 not dollar of which Will De Duilloh'
DEvrLOPING THE COUNTRY.
Now as to the people, Mexico has a population OF
about nine millions, as | Informed while was
there, Of which probably seven millions are OF
the old Aztec They are people who are welded
to Their homes. They do not like to leave
with their families. their places of birth and the
home of their ancestors. 1hey probably occupy
the same localities that their ancestors ana q
thousand years ago. Bnt they are peac"able
quiet. innocent moflenslve, very religious ana
virtuOus people, and they are willing to work ana
very industrious when they can see the wages
coming in Saturday night. They arc good class
OF labor for developing the country around near
where they live, ana the men are willing to go
leagues from their homes to work
leaving their families back. With this small eX-
mort the land having no special value the revenues
of the country are very limited indeed about
SIS 1000 coo being he maximum reoe pts OF the GOV
eminent for one year-at least that was the NIX
inum when / was there; but Mr.. Romero informs
me that If has now increased TO S21 GOO 900. At
the time looked at II SlS,OOO,OOO was about the
extent of the revenues OF the nation WIN n
very heavy rate of taxation and with
every effort on the part of the Govern
ment to get all the revenue it could.
With this the civil Government INC udng the arPy
there is no navy 10 speak of-has to be nam
tanned. Hence II Is impossible for Mexico no
matter how willing she may be- 10 pay ANYTHING IN
her ureseut state toward the binding of rail
roads and 1t has looked to me az though
people building railroads there with thc
expectation of doing any considerable por-
ton OF the work with the subsidies they re-
ceIve from Mexico Will be very much disappointed
After the railroads are built and the country mas
had time IT, develop as consequence OF thrse
roads then the country VIII m all probability DE
rich. so that she can pay. Bat at present
1t would be Impossible Tor her 10 pay
any considerable amount IN the shane OF sub
sides to be used in the building OF these ro tds.
If there is anything incoming from tnat source II
is something that will have to be waited Tor Inc
money will have to be FURNISHED ny tHe , oI
the road. and they will have to WAT Tor the ue-
velopment of the country TOR their subsequent Ie-
NJ DilIon-WouId il not be more advantageous
10 auv set of capitalists the United States who set
ont to build road to Mexico to build II Tree ana
independent, without loading down the Mexican
people with debt Whlch IL WouIu pe hdiu lo' 'lo"i
General Grant-That IS question that railroad
men can answer mich better than could. nave
had no experience III the management OF iail--
roads except during the war; We USED 70 piud
some then very suddenly, and tore them
mp, and we asked fer no subsidies we
had no subsidies and palu nobody Tor
their work. But then. should think. If ! were
gong to build = railroad myself would rather own
the road and regulate II after II was
built than to receive subsidy and then have the
person or nation subsldlslng me cOntrol me anu
tell me how TT run 1t. l THINK however
t ta much b i@ficGf than a'o" can. Persons
who expect to build railroads in Mexico ana avail
themselves OF the subsidies when the Government
pronises Them are doomed TO disappointment or
else they have got to build the roads very slowly.
Mr.. Houston-llow Is il as to procuring labor
General Grant-Ab0ut that i VIII say tnat these
seven millions of Aztccs furnish as good lahor as
can be found-as industrious and wiling w0TkmrI
As can be found anywhere In the World-and
the men will 60 considerable u'S,anf'
out moving their families however Dut ineh'
as they are scattered all over the country
as Won advanced yOu couid get new set OF work
men. You could not commence nj tue northern
border OF Mexico with st 81 Workmeh anu Keep
them until you got all t9rongh Mexico, put you
could get new sets III the villages = IL
Won went along. Labor Is now very cheap;
Ii will of course enhance III Valne ana
very randy a the country deyelopes visited,
while | was there. some of the mines, aud the
labor il all per .Ouned there by natives. Next
can mining camp is very much pleasanter sight
than one OF our mining camps: Ihere j.
an entire absence of the drinking saloons
and the gamblng-hOuscs and theatres and the ab-
sence of bOWleknVes ana ItNONeIS II NcN
noticeable. $50
Mr. Hou,ton-What would be the cost Of labor as
compared with here
General Grant-As it is now labor would vary
from 80 cents to 80 cents day III silver But
IL will enhance. Them when You come to the
labor in the terTas calIcntas-that Is, IN the 10"
lanG-wherc there l. the yellow fever. labor
wnuld be scarce and il would not do half the
work il does on the tableiauds above. and yon
wouId have 10 pay II a day. 1t would MOI average
30 cents a day-prObably not as much as thct.
Mr DilIon-It wOuld be more desirable for
capitalists here who light be interested In the CON
srucion of roads in Mexico to receive liberal char
ters and legslOtiOn aud build without any expecta-
ton of subsidies -,
General Grant, say that is matter which
railroad men have to be the judges. Bar II they
want 20 build the railroad rapidly, they
would have TO furnish the money to huild
the country enabling it 10 pay the subsidies
They cannot expect to build the road win the
subsidies In getting yOnr Pacific road built, YOU
bult twenty miles of road and turned that right
in. ana that could be used Ill the construc-
tion of another twenty miles. You had
TO furnish the capital only for twenty miles OF
road If | were gong to build road
there | should say get rgnt OF way
without charge, exemption from taxation
the construction of the road free from duty for
a certain number of years, nave the en-
fire control of fixing tariffs, etc, after 1t was Dul
and let the Government come III Only wnen
the road paid more than 10 per cent over cost; ana
say how the surplus OF 10 per cent should be d.
yided bet ween the Government OF Mexico ana the
owners Of the road.
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