San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-01-29
As Regards Mexico.
SAN MAncos, Jan. 10, 1885.


I co few days ago, after an absence
Of little more than three months
and feeling that you have some righ,
: to censure me for not having compli
ed strictly with my avowed in
tentious to correspond with your pa
per, I write this by way Of explana
nation, and may yet give some items
and state some facts, OF interest tc
you and the readers Of your paper
After 1 wrote the last communica'
ton to you from Mexico l received
some letters from my wife and friends
which determined me to return home
After that time 1 seldom had an op'
portunity to write, and when I did, j
would not take the time, knowing
that l would be here soon.
left Jimenez-about one hundred
and seventy-five miles below Mata
moras-about the 18th of December,
having some stock with me 1 travelled
slowly. Leaving Brownsville the
day before Christmas, 1 travelled
from there about three hundred miles
in all the bad weather.
Many that meet me make inquiries
about the country and the state of
affairs there. / have seen much Of
Mexico and know many Of the people
in the portions of the country I have
visited. AS I have before stated to
you, I know many portions OF coun-
that, in many respects, surpass this,
insofar as the country is concerned,
and enterprising, energetic men, can
make money in Mexico. Twelve
months ago, I had great hopes that
the government would be soon in
condition to give ample guarantee of
safety and protection to all, but in
the last few months great changes
have taken place, and there is now
more dissatisfaction and disaffection
among the people generally and the
soldiers, than I have..ever known be-
fore. know officers in the military
service, intelligent, educated men,
who assure ne that the government
has not paid.them for several months,
and that the whole army, both sol
diers and officers, is in absolute want,
and that they have no hope OF any
thing better. They, as well as the
intelligent citizens all seem to know
that the cause of all this trouble is
rottenness in high places. All seem
to know that Ex-President Con
zales and his Cabinet robbed the treas
ury of all the money there was in it
before they vacated their Offices, and
they seem to have no hope of any
thing better from the present ad-
ministration, believing that Mr.. Con
zales, and Mr.. Diaz are virtually the
came, or at least that they under
stood each other perfectly in the
management of their political affairs,
and that they are controlled entirely
in their political career by avarice
instead of patriotism. The soldiers
can not desert, for they have no
chance of bettering their condition,
knowing that all the poor in their
country are held in the most abject
servitude by the wealthy, and are in
o state of penury and want. If any
sensible man will go to Mexico to re.
main long enough to investigate and
look into the real condition of things
politically and socially, he would read
lily understand why 1t is that there is
so little safety for person and prop
erty. I was often cautioned by good
citizens and officers to be on my
guard in travelling, and urged never
to travel alone, and with all the care
and prudence 1 could bring TO bear,
/ was robbed once, and there was an
effort made to rob Of my mules, on
my way TO Matamoras, My impress
sion at the time was, and still think
that if the fellows who made the ef- |
fort to run my mules out Of the road
had succeeded, and / had gone out /
into the brush to get them, they
would have endeavored to kill me
and take my money as well as the
mules. Honest, good citizens in
Tamaulipas never travel alone, they
always have an escort That portion .
Of TamaIilipas and the coast is al
most entirely devoted 10 stockraising, /
and we all know the difference in the
moral and political status Of coun-
try where stocknising is the prevail
ing business and one in which agri- I
cultureprevsils. In the Huastaka cOun-
Try. which is that portion Of the State
,.f w., C-rz hofuc.--, tle r,ours.irs