The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-12-06
A HOLSTERS LETTER.
A Not Too Glorious Description Oh
Mexican Life.
Unfavorable Expressions From Four
Day Resident
or Mexican Frontier T0Wh'
or a Mexican Frontier ToWh'

OF a Mexican Frontier Town.
DALLAS, Dec, 1.-IEditor HERALD.l-The
Chicago Times contains letter from lts
correspondent, claiming to be Hoosier'
dated Chihuahua, Mexico, November l4'h'
He had been in Mexico, for the first nme
in his life, for the period of four days ana
had reached the cid, exposed frontier town
OF Chihuahua, which, for two centuries mas
stood ON the frontier watch tower, al
ways exposed to and menaced by the most
powerful, cunning and relentless savages Oh
modern days in North America, over
thousand miles from any navlgable stream
or available seaport-sn outpost OF a vast
empire, struggling for seVenty-thres
wears to shake off the power OF SPAN
and a debauched political priesthood,
whose Joint exactions and expressions nave
been surpassed in no part OF tne cL Wv ~
world. Though only four days IN that
country and expecting TO be again III Ihe
United States during the following night,
he piunges into a discussion OF mexican
adairs and denouuces the old styles aud
odd WAYS of the Mexican people with a
recklessness of assertion ana polltehess
of condemnation that would cause snuu-
der of horror TO Bancroft or frsscoVt, ut
anv one else capable OF rising above eeiI-
inflated eeotism and considering q subject
in the light of reason and philosophical
ANALYSIS. If home 'blasted," stucK-up
Rritiahers had visited the present site OF
Chicago in 1928 and had written to the
London Times: Here is miserable nam
let of French and half-breeds, liVlpg
in filth and qusgmire, dressed II
The raiment of standardization ara
careless of the morrow-their music, the
buzzIng of mosquitoes; their drink, the
meanest whisky-snd yet for 2l3 years
since the landing at Plymouth the amer.
can, with all their irotby Boosting, nave
allowed this magnificent site tor great
city to remain as nature mace Ia NUS
quito-breeding marsh. Admlraply slt
mated in the heart of North America, rest
ING centrally on Lake Michigan. with
Thousands OF miles of unsurpassed lake
navipatiop. and thence connected with the
Atlantic ocean, in land of unsurpassed
fatness and capacity, almost grasping con-
nection by steamboat Navigation Win the
Mississippi, and its 1900 miles OF navlg'
able waters, yet these vain-glorlous peer,
eating, whisky drinking Americans nave
lacked the enterprise and Intelligence to
strike one blow towards its development:
III an Englishman had SO writ
ten in 1928 of Chicago his
assumptions, justly and philosophieaily,
would have rested upon as GOOD ana as
lust foundation as do many OF the as
sumptions of this correspondent Oh tne
Chicago Times. To such logic, sent forth
in the press and returned to Mexico for
translation in their own papers, Is que
much OF the prejudice, mingled with DIS
gnst. among the educated classes OF the
Mexican people against the Americans.
Commenting on Mexican society, OF which
he could have seen little saving the peasan-
try on the streets, he says OF the IemaIss'
"a 8 to legs and feet-Apolio bless us! Inc
stocking of en- average hoosier girl would
90 twice around for Chihuahua belle" q
dubious compliment to his own fair sex.
Desnite his apparent determination TO see
no good thing in this frontier Hozoyeth, ne
10 corqtrained 20 say there are sixteen pub
lie schools supported by The CITY: Con
slider that there was no such thing known
TIL liberty triumphed in the free constitu-
lion that only went into effect in 1853,
and men of sense will see the
difference between no school at all Tor the
cannon people and sixteen lublic SCHOOLS
| in one town of fifteen thousand inhabit-
ants: and SO far as Chihuahua is concerned
this progress has been made since the
| triumph of the liberals over foreign In
vaders in 1867, though in the interior cities
III
The evils of which the correspondent
iustIv speaks-the evils of onerous taxa
ton in numerous forms-are remnants oil
the curses fastened on the country by
snain and a politico priesthood-out In
every step towards relief the friends OF re-
form have fought precisely from the same
selfish motives that now confront the
friends OF honest government in the United
States in their desires for revenue, tariff and
oficial reform. No American OF modest
cheek can throw approbrium on the Mex
leans on this question.
In most OF the cities and states these in
berited exactions have been swept aw,y,
and the struggle will continue I'LL even
frontier towns like Chihuahua shall De
forced from them. To characterize the
Mexicans a. inherently opposed TO progress
seems at war with facts patent 70 all who
read the current events OF the day, lts
/ retutation l. found in the most liberal
! bonuaes 10 thousands Of miles OF railway
and telegraphs, built and being built, IN
harbor improvements, in splendid roads
over mountains, barraDcos, valleys and
pleips. IN tremendous strides towards pop
| Mar edncatioD, in the recivilization oil vast
estates held BY the chucb, and the uproot.
/ ine of its political power, the decay Of
| military and vast growth OF civil power
and in the ascending Of popular feeling IN
favor OF foreign immigration A recent
evidence Of this cnhnfeo ado
more klenlighteDed feeling wss made
manifest some months ago, Nnen some
| indiV1dusls Of an excursion party OF Amer
icsn ministers visited Monterey aud be
hsved with an iDdecorum bordering on
vaudelism-even committing boortsh ecu
/ in the churches Of the clty-scts which
tbirtv vesrs ago would have been resented
Nv q p1puisr upbesvsl, physical In its man
ifesfafions. but which IN the changed chsr
ecfer Of the people wss only regarded oj
then a. uroof Of what most OF them hsc
been taught 10 believe, thst TIE ms1ority Q
Americans were not Oristlanos, Do
ssIrfeies . and therefore 20 Be pltisd.
Fverv impulse Of enlightened patrlotisn
dernsnds anity and good feeling oetEeet
lnsricnn people, and especially those o
Tsrss. and the liberal. progressiys ana nov
controlling party Of ke1ioo. $40, Ior one. !
IN unwilling IN silence - see unneoess.ry
ol-rterIes thrown in the waT o. tnei
.r.tI@vprrerf ard psrpefustl1n-