The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-10-13
NEWS FROM MENICo.

office never resigns Though he often dlesl
it is hard TO understand why the press of this
city should have entertained the rumor
that Sr. Laudero, the secretary O
the treasury, was going to resign
Such rumor under any circumstan.
ces would be absurd but il is still
more absurd when the only ground for his
resignation is alleged TO be his conviction
of failure in passing an unpopular tax law,
known as the law of the 18th of August.
Stamp.taxes always have been, and always
ought to be, unpopular, and any minister
who inyents a new one ought to be sent TO
prison. But it will not do to Judge Mexico
by the standards Of other countries, and
Mr.. Laudero's new stamp Law was not
worse than u great deal that we put up
with under our now abandoned internal
revenue system.
In fast, Mexico, in point of taxation, is
about in the experimental stage which we.
in the United States, have lust passed
through, Her tariff is as multilarious,
complicated, YeNatious and self-deieating as
ours was, and her stamp tax, which Is next
to her tariff as source of revenue, is
worthy of our worst efforts in that direction.
Before
THE LAW OF AUGUST FOURTH"
everything that was worth dollar, had to
have stamp on it, Ifyou bought suit of
clothes for $50 the bill was $50 Of. The
railroad fare to Vera Cruz was SIG OF, and
your baggage check had a one cent stamp
on it, Even documents issued by govern
ment officers had stamps ON them, which
had to be cancelled in the most formal man
ner. There were some stamps aShigh as s.,
but the l-ccnt stamp was the prevail
ing Nuisance. BY way of exception.
a ticket to u theatre or bull-fight was only
% cents, and the gravity with which the
ticket-seller would hand out one cent in
change with each ticket was quite sufficient
compensation for the loss of revenue to the
government
The stamp system and the tax on bust
ness transactions of l-2 per cont has gone
about as far as any one could wish, but in
the estimate for an increased revenue there
had to be some new taxation, and the gov
eminent very unwisely extended its petty
taxes. The one cent stamp passed over the
dollar line, and the one-half per cent tax
on sales was extended to the small re-
tail trades which had been previously ex-
empt. The law went into effect August 4,
and, of course, everybody was mad. Every
body had reason to be mad and ii the min
isters depended on popular support, Signor
Laudero would have q very good pretext
for resigning. But cabinet here is no
more amenable to public sentiment than
in the United States, and it is safe to say
that the secretary of the treasury
WILL NOT RESIGN.
1t would be very foolish in him to do so.
One of his laws is an undoubted mistake,
but this is the only point on which his adj
ministration of the treasury has not been
highly satisfactory. He is looked on as a
IN Of ttnnnnctippnI ,,,tn l. L
great deal of that Mexican patriotism which
much resembles the loyalty" by which we
used to set SO much store, and when
he took office, he took it with the
understanding that he was to devote him
self for four years to the task of equalizing
the budget of the country. If he succeeds,
he will have rendered his country the
greatest service since the achievement of its
independence.
Among the changes which are not 'rumors
is the announcement that on the completion
or Nallartas term of Office as vice-prcsident
and chief justice of the supreme court, the
position will be filed by
DON MANUEL ROMERO RUBIo,
at present senator from Tabasco. There is
to be an election, but nomination by the
government is equivalent to the nomination
of q democratic state convention in Mis-
nOulls iNOlhtlp lNuDlO 10 Sulu w Ut llt DtSb
lawyer in Mexico and to have the largest
income from his practice Of any member of
the bar. He was minister of foreign af-
fairs under Lerdo, and when Lerdo left the
country Romero Rubio went with him, and
lived for some time in New York. Diaz,
however thought that so capable a
man could serve his country better
in office at home than in the discomfort of u
selt-imposed exile, and he was induced to
return, The administrations of Diaz and
Gonzales have had no more judicious adj
wiser than Senator Romero Rubio, and his
elevation to the second Office in the repub-
licis deserved recognition Of his unques-
toned ability To us il seems u little bit
out of the way that the judicial department
of the government should overlap the OK
ecutivc in this way, but they seem to get
along very well here on that plan.
The whole business of banking in the
hands of Mexicans is pure experiment,
and 1t is impossible to tell how II is going TO
pan out. If there is any such thing i'm
pending as wildcat initiation speculation
and exaggerated values the banks are GO
ing to get bitten, Just as they do in other
countries in wildcat times, but 100000 900
or $12, 100000 ought net to be a dangerous
imitation of the currency for Mexico, and
there ought to be enough new business here
to use that amount of currency in legiti-
mate discount and to circulate It in the or
binary transactions of trade.
In Sonora a bank has been started with q
capital of 500 900, with Mr., Robert X. Sy-
mon, of the Mexican Central road, at the
head of it,
In spite of the rainy season the work of
RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION
is going on with great activity. The Mex
lean Central is pushing on its way to Que
rctaro, and work on the Pacific branch is
UNANIMOUSLY. At its last report
the road had in its employ 1900 men, and
in any other country such force would
construct two or three milesha day.
should judge though that the peon was not
as efficient as the lrishman, from the cir
cumstance that his pay is so much less. At
Qucrctaro, where 5000 poems are employed,
the pay has been y reals or 3ll cents, but
the company has recently cut it down to 9
reals or - cents. There was q good deal of
kicking and complaint, but the company
finds no difficulty in getting all the labor il
wants at that rate.
Poor ut such pay looks, % cents a day
with steady employment is God-send to
these poor people who are half starving In
the interior of the country. Ny barber
was talking 10 me this morning as he
shaved me, and he told me that he was
from Zacatecas where they were miserahly
poor why, Senor,n he said, ain my
town, although they sell tortillas at twelve
for olaco q cents), there are many who
are suffering for want of food. We want to
see the American railway come thnt way
because then We expect TO Eot good work
and wages" Take them all round It is
AL. l.tl. la lal la.