Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-28

MEXICO AS IT IS.

MEXICO AS IT IS.
 Clear Views and Interesting state-
 ments of MT. Deckray in the Inter-
 est of Connecticut Manufacturers- A ACommercial Treaty the only Thing
 Wanted by the United States-The
 Mexican Editors Delighted With
 Their Visit to New Haven.
 MT. F. A. Dockray is at the New Haven
 House on his return from Mexico, after pro
 longed and careful investigation of the trade
 and finances of that country. MT. Dockray l went to Mexico in December last in the in
 terest of large number of manufacturers in
 Connecticut and the West, since which time
 he has repeated visited all the important cities and towns of Central Mexico and a
 number of the great cattle, grain and sugar haciendas He also made careful study
 of the industries of Mexico and the effect | of the railroads on European competition 1 and trade development generally, and is
 now preparing what ought to be one of the
 most interesting and valuable reports thus far made of our commercial relations with Mexico. Mir. Dockray made large acquaint- ance and established influential business connections, and he says that, after con
 scientious investigation and against precon- ceived impressions, the matter of mercan- 1 tile credit in Mexico bears very favorable l comparison with that of our home trade. I Dealers in the interior, while accustomed to give and ask long credits and are slow in payments, in the end pay their bills, make I few compromise settlements, and still fewer ! business failures. Credits, however, are ! shortening and profits also, and he looks to gradual assimilation of business methods in Mexico to the American system. MT. Dock ray brings pair of leather sandals, such as | are still worn by eight millions of the popu- | lation in Mexico, a counterpart of the scrip I tu ral pattern of those worn in ancient Egypt, also sample collection of one hundred va | rieties of Mexican woods, many of them en- | tirely new to this country. MT. Dockray | thinks that Prescott's historical estimate of | the Aztec civilization is greatly overdrawn ! and that the superior capacity of the ancient l race over other aboriginal people is not evi- ! denced by any remains that exist in Mexico, I except the capacity to drink pulque, which | is the fermented juice of the century plant, and is consumed to the extent of SIS, ,000. 900 | per annum.
 The Mexican editors in Philadelphia were 1 loud in their praise of the attention shown | them in New Haven. Senor Paz, Anda and Clark, sured MT. Dockray that their visit to New Haven was of two three receptions which were more gratifying to | them than all others.
 Mr. Dockray is now concluding arrange ments for establishing large commercial | house in the City of Mexico, representing about forty manufacturers in New England ! and the West. In reply to the inquiries of representative of the COURIER respecting | trade with Mexico, MT. Dockray says
 The fact is that if it was not for the great depression in the domestic trade of this country you would hear very little about | trade with Mexico. There would be com paratively little interest felt about Mexico if l it was not for the eagerness of our manu- lecturers to get rid of the great surplus product of our mills and foundries which is far ahead of what trade demands and far be- hind our full capacity to produce Chicago and St. Louis are crazy on Mexico. Although they have only recently become the impor- tant manufacturing centers, they neverthe less occupy commanding position as to trade between the United StaGes and Mexico. Eastern manufacturers have had old ex- perience at export trade, and don't enthuse 1 as readily as the West. Yet there is great deal of misconception here as to Mexico and an exaggerated sense of the value of the
 
 | that this country which is so near to us phy sicaliy and bound to us by splendid rail road system, is farther off than China and ! Japan in point of trade or in respect to any l immediate prospect of a large and profitable commerce Mexico is peopled by 0,0O0, GOO of the most stubborn population on the face of the globe and with as little ability 1 or desire to make the most of the rich natural resources of the country. can conceive of l no more astonishing departure from the ! usually conservative good sense of New Eng land capitalists than the investment of $2O,- COG, ,OOO of Boston money in building the Mex ican Central railroad under the conditions of | it's concession. As missionary enterprise it has great claims on the gratitude of | Mexico, but railroads are not apt to be ! built foi their moral results. In practi- cal railroad point of view I think that this great undertaking is a failure. It is built | and is now operated under a concession from Mexico which subjects it's manage ment in all respects to Mexican super7i- sion, it's employees are considered Mexican subjects and even liable to draft into the army, and it's charter expressly provides plomatic intervention in case of disagreement between the Mexican au- | thorities and the railroad company. Its freight rates subject to arbitrary dicta- ! tion of incompetent Mexican officials, and | while in Mexico I know that four months
  | tariff with the Mexican government. There are about 0,O00, 900 of American capital \ in Mexico thus placed under the supreme | and unappealable control of government | that is irresponsible and whose officials have l neither commercial or financial intelligence ! or capacity to meet important questions of | railroad management. The manager of this road told me that two years of administra | tion of it's affairs in face of the harassing ob stacles to be encountered was enough to | shorten mans life ten years. Those who | know the details of the operation of the | how such 8 large investment of American ! capital was ever put into Mexico under such l restrictions. It was believed that these rail road enterprises would bring about the same | successful results railroad building in the | Northwest. I have had occasion to examine ! carefully into this question, and I do not hesitate to say that railroad construction in | Mexico has failed to develop larger wants or | excite any better ambition among the great body of the population. Mexico has an old ! and complex civilization. It is an old coun- | try where customs and prejudiees are deeply 1 rooted The Mexicans are not a commercial | people, nor is the language fitted for the uses | and progress of commercial nation. Hence l it was no difficult thing to commercially con quer and hold it as the Germans have done. Able bodied, industrious, thrifty immigra- | tion, which follows the track of every mile | of railroad built in the Northwest, is stopped at the threshold of Mexican territory. It | finds obstacles in the laws, language, customs and manners of the Mexican people which railroads and electric lights fail to overcome The large increase of imports into Mexico by I way of the railroads has been at the cost of corresponding falling off of ocean freights by way of Vera Cruz. The actual gain in 1 trade by reason of the railroads is very small There was great boom in Mexico 1 two or three years ago when the railroads were being completed. Both the Central and the National distributed large amour. of money for labor. Imports have since fal- len off and the present depression in Mexico is caused as much by the reaction into its former condition as by the enormous steal of