Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-09-13
MEXICO.
A Memphian's Views Of the Land
of the Aztec and the 6rsaseF.
Rapid Development Of this Old and
Romantic Country.
Manners and Customs CT the
PeOpIe-A Fund Of Nalua-
BILE and Interesting
Information.

CUSTOMS ana Jaws OF 0utcMN~A.
republics, and particularly Is this the
case where Mexico Is concerned. De
cupying. as il does. a large ares Of our
" continent. and separsted iron Us
by an imaginary boundary. its inter
ests may be said to be in 3 measure
identical with those Of the United
States. snd On account Of the rapid
strides which commerce and the arts
and sciences are making, the interest
with which We regard the progress CT
cur sister republic must constantly
increase The steam engine, that
powerful aEeney which has plOEed ;
furruv fron the Atl2ntie On the
cas- 10 the Pacific On the vest
soxirg the seeis Of civilization IN
al that broad ard tsF6lersgioa. pants
and chat. nader the restraint put
upoa II b the 6esp waters Of the Pa
eise aud tnr7s resoluseT toward the
Sezsk determined to unite the North
ara Sczth a Ii has the hast and
Wsss. VITA q bazS Ct i'm SlCEyi
bit szrsE The iroz hors has steamed
his VIZ onward toward the eoa,
shrc1th the fertile valley Of the Ms
SUps a1i tie boan1leSS pralrlas Of
tks Lo1s Ss1- State, and ls1pins the
hlo1n3aries Ct Me~xic3d2Shes triumph
srtly through that romantic region.
battling It's uy throzsh Its noun
aius and thr0agh the 2lnost inpas-
sable prsiuiioesi o. the people to the
very gates OF the capital itself.
Recognizing the fact that anything
zboat this cid but Undeveloped c0un-
try would be Of interest 70 the public,
= representative Of this Journal yes
terday called upon Mr.. c. 0. john
son, gentleman Of cnltare. refine
nent and broad ideas, who has re-
Gently returned from Mexico, and
solicited his views.
Beginning with the railroads, Mr..
johnson stated that the Mexican Cen
tral is now finished from FL Paso
south, q distance Of about 80
miles, and from the City Of
Mexico north about 300 miles,
leaving a gap set to be filed of about
$50 miles. The work Of construction
is being pushed from both ends, and
it is expected that the road viii be
completed the entire distance from FL
Paso to Mexico, ITO miles, within
twelve months. The government
grants the company about $4,000 for
each mile of railway. which amount
very nearly pays for its construction.
When a division is completed it is
customary for the company to invite
the government officers to inspect it,
for which purpose the most extensive
arrangements are made. A special
train card is issued giving the special
train which conveys the officials pre-
eedenee over sll others, This train
usually consists of six coaches and a
quantity Of the most expensive dehca-
cies. Wines, fruits, confections are
provided for the party. Au the sta.
tons are decorated with evergreens
and flowers, and the nation takes a
holiday. The principal places through
which the road so far passes are lula,
with a population Of 1900; San Juan
del Rio, 1900; Queretaro, 5000;
Celaya, Salamanca and Leon, the last
having a population Of 100000.
The rails are of steel and therolling
stock all of the latest patterns. A
new road is being completed from
Tampico to San Luis Potosi. The
Vera Cruz railroad, from that city to
Mexico, is 8 monument of engineer
ing skill. The distance is 267 miles.
and as Mexico is 5000 feet above the
level Of Vera Cruz, some idea may
be formed of the steep grades. a
traveller from Vera Cruz to Mexico
will have q queer experience in the
way OF climate. The first hundred
miles OF the distance lies through a
fertile valley, adorned with luxuriaut
vegetation, and beaming with the
warmth Of a tropical sun. Then the
mountains are reached, and the land
OF flowers is replaced BY a ~glitterine
landscape Of snow and ice which rests
upon the mountain tops all the veal
round.
For that part Of the roads leading
through the mountains a consolidated
engine is requiTed-that is, a double
one, having a smoke stack at each end.
It's only necessary to remember that
/. the Mexican Central, unlike other
roads, threads a country already dot.
ted with large cities, which furnish II
At once With all the business it can
transact, and thus make it unnec.
essary for il, to wait until the coun
try is built up. As an instance
OF the vast amount Of traffic already
done by this road, it may be mentioned
that a large stock raiser desired "a
contract for twenty cars a day for two
years for the purpose of Transporting
hogs and was refused by the company
on the ground that they need all theiI
rolling stock for grain, which paid
better price. Freight rates are ex
8 tfemely high.
The government ~interposes obstacle
in the way of the railroadsinthe matte
of unreasonable laws. For the slight
est otfense, real or fancied, a r%ailroa,
official is thrown into prison. and Is
teens himself fortunateifh he is brougb
to trial within six months. The rul
ings of the judges are arbitrary an
always unjust to foreigners, upon whol
the natives look with u~ndisguised ms
Lightly.
So much las been written about tn
city Of Mexico that it is unnecessar
TO say a great deal of it here; but it
impossible to pass it over withor
dwelling briefly upon the beauty of Ii
grand plaza as now seen by the ligl
Of electric lamps. II covers a spaC
about four times as large as Coul
Square, paved as smoothly as a foo
with a raised circle in the cente
upon which has been erecte
an ornamental building for Ii
use Of a band of forty fne musician
who nightly discourse the sweeteI
mnslc for the amusement Of hundred
of -pr0menadersf all at govenmeI
expense. Smaller bands arc similar
engaged at the plaza D'Aalameda an
another. On one side Of the gran
square rises the Cathedral, ON anoth,
the police headquarters, on a thir
business houses, and on the fourth Ii
palace Of the President, Gonzale
In the palace is a grand %reoaptio
saloon, 1900 feet long by 40 feet wild
with a raised dais, oyerhung by a car