The Wilmingtonian., 1885-03-21
MEXICO.
POLICE REGULATIONS IN
THAT CITY.
The Shameful System of Peonage
In that Country Ex-
planned.

"What about our Broadway Squad, til
'Finest, of New York City P"interjected til
scribe.
"Well, it is usually supposed as you ar
aware that Mexico has nothing very ex
cellent in governmental matters, but th
police systems of New York, London o
Paris are quite inferior" The Mexican polio,
are the most efficient l have seen. Til,
position is life office, in the first place
natives only are eligible. There is yer,
rigid physical, mental, and moral examina
ton to be undergone by the candidate befor,
he qualities, and he then holds the position
during good conduct. There is no political
qualification needed or allowed to be con.
sidered. The pay is one dollar a day,
which in that country is very fair wage.
The streets are divided off rectaugularly as
ours are, ant, at night the policeman sqnats
in the middle of the intersection, a lantern
in hand so that line of lights eau be seen
many blocks down the four streets. A sig
nal patrol is kept up, by each officer in his
turn whistling to the next man. The uni.
form is blue, somewhat like ours, ard they
are armed with pistol and club. The police
men may be seen lying down at his post his
cape pulled over his ears. This is not con-
sdered breach Of duty, as the men are al
ways on The alert and nothing escapes their
attention. There is a strict municipal law
in the City OF Mexico requiring all private
dwellings, windows and doors to be closed
at certain hour. There is fine for any in
fraction of this law.
The peonage system of which we have all
heard so much this gentleman explained
as being Inc leiuit oil the peculiar political
jurisdiction existing previous to the present
government. 1t was really worse than sla-
very. The peasants We're hired by the year,
at 123 cents per day, wages. The propIie-
tor, or master of the Hacienda owned all
the land and everything upon it. Before
the time of Juarez' government the church
owned seyrnth-tenths of the real estate of
Mexico. The proprietors owned the stores
also, whatever the peasantry bought they
had to pay the proprietors prices, and the
latter kept the accounts. Consequently the
peasantry, or poems We're always in de bt.
The common law of the land was that as
long as the peon owed a single cent to his
master he could not leave his service. 1t is
very readily understood how regular slave
system was the result.
The richer classes encourage all kinds of
extravagance among the peasantry who
themselves were only too well inclined to
gayety in dress. A gaudy -brimmed
sombrero, costing up to $40 was the dress
ideal of the Mexican. For this he pawned
himself in years of servitude-and so he
continued slave. The women too, not |
whit behind the men in love of snowy dress. |
want their handsome :ebozos of brilliant |
scarlet. The outcome of this system was |
at one time the whole OF the peasantry of
Mexico were in bondage.
The cathedra! Of Guadalupe, abnut five
miles outside the city of Mexico is a most
structure. Its charcel has a
solid silver railing upon both sides, running
70 feet along the transept The hand rail
md baluster 3ft high is made entirely of the
precious metal no iron whatever being used
n its construction. The side affairs also are
with equally rich ratings. 1t
S said that the valuables in this cathedral
ncluding vessels, chalices, precious stones,
tie, are worth hundreds of thousands of
lollars. During the unfortunate expedition
# Maximilian, the French Marshal Bazaine
'illaged the church and stole an immense
IuahueJ VI JoMSlS anu pldIe.
Outside of the city Of Qu.retaru where
ieneral Scott signali2ed himself years ago.
'as seen the SPOT, called the Hill Of the
'ells, where Macmillan and Milamon were
hot by order of Juarez.
A curious fact in regard to the cemetery
Guadalupe is that there are no iron rail-
ngs surrounding it. Iron is scarce, dearer
llmUst than silver in that locality. Around
he burial lots may be seen solid silver rail
lGs just the same as the iron ratings in
ur cemeteries. The great Mexican General
anita Anna is buried here /
The late President Juarez has the finest $
ltar- tomb in the Republic 1t is "a magnifi.
INT mausoleum, made of the purest Uarara t
Iarbie and executed by Italian artists. 1t q
full length group representing the death q
Juarez as he les reclining in the arms of s
is daughter. a
Frjoles and tottilas, terms which all s
'aders of Mayue Reid's novels must be ia.
liar, are the usual food Of the Mexicaus. !
he first is the common black bean, boiled f