Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-12-11
FL PASO.
The Nucleus Of a Great City The Rip Van Win kls Across the Bio Gra1ds-How the Courts
 Administer Justice-The Fiesta de GuadaluP7.

EDITOR CITIZEN: This place IS rapidly coming to the front as a competitor for the title of the Future Great and as railroad center it already deserves the title. The town is growing rapidly fine blocks of business houses, many of them substantially built of brick, are going up on all sides, and the bustlng activity of the streets indicates business prosperity. No complaint of dullness is heard, as is the case in most Western towns at the present time. Every one Is confident that Fl PasO has brilliant future. Certainly everything at present iustifes the belief A street railroad to the depOts and the old Mexican town of Fl Paso del NOrte, across the Rio Grande, has almost been commenced. Nothing Is now lacking to complete this enter prise but energy and capital, neither of which are at present very largely en- gagged in it. Water works and gas are also talked of pretty extensively, but un- tll some one taxes hold in dead earnest these important matters will probably get no further than they have in your own ancient pueblo It is not very surprising that such enterprises are of slow growth here, when it Is remembered that only the Rio Graude separates us from that ancient and mOuldy fOssil-El PasO del NOrte, in old Mexico. There everything Is nearly as 1t was when the waters of the flood subsided. Flows of wood, cart wheels of wood (sOlidl and many of the residents with heads of the same material. 1 must in justice say this much, however, that this quality is more characteristic of the foreign pOpu- latiOn than of the Mexicans themselves. but whether foreigners who have long resided in the country, or natives to the manor born, they are not progressive people, and regard any innovation on old established custom with lively dlStavOr. The ways of two hun dred years ago are cherished by them as legacies left them by their fOrefathers ! The marked contrast between our live ly clty on the east side of the river and | our '" ancient on the west Is remarked | and commented upon frequently by strangers. Rents here are very high Tn fact every building k occupied and |
 
 completed In the old town rents are | hardly an item Co be considered and the | question IS often asked, why do not ! Americans engage m business on the | Mexican side, when rents and license | are so cheap? The reply Is, neither | American capital or Americans can have the assurance Oi protection. The Amer ! jeans and other foreigners doing busi- | rts.a a dents m the country. many of them are citizens, and nearly all are intermarried | with the natives, with whose interests | their own are bound Up. This class ! particularly regard new corners with ! great JealOusly. They are regarded as l " poachers on their preserves 20 and have every possible obstacle thrown in ther way. lt k a fact well understood here thatno American can with tue slightest hope Of success appeal to a Mexican court for his rights as opposed to a na- tive or one of these mixed foreigners. The American k invariably saddled with the costs (nOt an iusiguicaut iteml and Is fortunate if the sequel is not more se- riOUs. One of these foreigners across the rivera merchant doing business there-iufOrmed the writer that he could 
 number of witnesses who would swear to anything and everything and whose evidence would be accepted without question. He furthermore volunteered the information that he had been ire quently approached by these interesting people with the offer to " remove " Wide Guiteau individuals whom they be- heved to be " objectionable to him. Is 1t singular that Americans should hesi- tate to Intrust their money or them selves among this delectable community of saints2
 To-day inaugurates the Fiesta de Guadalupe" the patron saint or saintess of Chihuahua, and of which I will send you full account. The programme includes cOck-fghting bull-hghts and fireworks, to say nothing of drinking. which will Of course be the distinctive features There won't be much of bull-hght, If some specimens the writer saw yesterday brought in for the occasion, are far samples; tbey were Of the Old-ancieut, whose trembling limbs had scarce brought them in from the rancho. Their battling fronts bore no evidence of grim visaged war and 1 am sure that If their own inclinatiOns were consulted they would prefer to be allowed to chew the cUd of even sweet and bitter fancy than to seek bubble glory at the stern of Mexican, where there Is, as matter of fact, nothing of the kind to be found.
 The weather here Is simply magnifi- cent This climate, during the Winter cannot be equalled anywhere.
 OCCASIOSAL-