Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-16
MEXICO AND HER WAYS.
WHAT ROSWELL p. FLOWER OBJ
SERVED DURING A RECENT VISIT.

Advantages of the Mexican Pacific Road.
Mining and Machincry-Country and
Ciimate-Twenty Great Cities-How the
Natives Work-Trayel.
We ought to have Mexico for our neighbor
and business friend, with perfected inter
course. The Mexican Pacific road gives us a
wonderful opportunity to reach out into this
country and develop it. Our people have no
idea what it is. Tho great bulk of the people
are still in as primitive state as those along
the Nile. You may see them in sandals
half-naked, bearing burdens on their heads,
laboring in the old primitive ways of which
we read. Why at Zacatecas there is mine
that has been operated for $50 years. 1t was
bought by an English company and put in
charge Of Gen. Howard. The finest mining
machinery was bought and sent to him He
couldn't use it in competition with cheap
native labor, and to-day the descendants Of
the Indians who opened the mine go years
ago are carrying out the ore On their backs
just as thor ancestors did. They get twenty
five cents day. Machinery can't compete
with that
FINE COUNTRY AND CLIMATE
There are 700 miles of the Mexican Pacific
road running through as fine a country as the
world ever saw, at an elevation Of about
1000 feet abOvo tho sea. In these fields l saw
twenty yoke OF oxen hitched to single one
pointed plow You see doIkeys on the streets
with dressed mutton, lamb or beef hanging
from the saddle, while the master pebbles it
out. The air is so dry that the meat does not
spoil in IL. They carry trunks around on
their backs. AT the most q wo-vkeeled don
Key cart Is used A wagon man went down
there to sell wagons, and could do nothing at
all, until one day in the plaza he unhtched
six pairs Of mules from one OF their carts,
put them on wagon and demonstrated that
he could pull with tho mules four times as
much in wagon as they had drawn in a
cart. He sold 100 wagons right away.
They use litters for a great many burdens. |
You win see two Aaen stuck between the han |
dies of litter in the City Of Mexico, carry
ing coffin and q dead man out beyond the |
limits There they dig hole in the ground |
about two and one-half feet deep, throw in |
the CORPSE, cover it up and return the coffin. |
funeral costs about fifty cents When the
Mexican Pacific road was being built, those !
in charge gave the men shovels with long
handles They had been using shovels with |
handles about two feet long, which made
them stoop down to the ground They said
the long shoyels We're no good, and proceeded
to break Off the handles and continue their
back-breaking method. After time they
got accustomed to the shovelS. Now here are
people among WHOM wonderful trade can
be developed. 1t only needs commercial
treaty TO assure manufacturers that prices
ore 10 be steady to make Mexico a most yalu-
able neiGhbor and ally.
TWENTY GREAT CITIES.
The cities are extremely populouS From
FL Paso to Mexico City there must be twenty
great cities with populations ranging from
5000 up to 10000. Except in Mexico there
Is little or no civilization. In one Of these
cities saw great camphene torches suspended
at the street corners for lighting In the City
of Mexico you viii find electric light, gas.
telephones and everything Of that kind. In
the most Of the cities you will find kerosene
Ii they could have the lanips and other ar
tlcies which VIC manufacture at something
like our rates it would mako a wonderful mar
ket. a great many Germans and English
have gone into Mexico recently and bought
farming lands. which they are working with
modern plows and machinery They will ,
soon force the natives TO use the Same imple- I
men;s and we might supply them all. We
can get from them coffee. sugar hides and
many things that 90 rot interfere with our
OWN productions 10 airy extent
was the travelling companion for a tine Of
Senator Hearst and Joaquin Miller. They ;
were down there to investigate the mining :
possibilities. Senator Hearst tod ma that.
although Mexico WAS for many decades tha !
principal source of the worlds supply OF Sill
-er and much Of its gold. and although some
# her rich mines have been worked for cen
,,ries the richest mines have never hrep 7
,pened at ali. They lie back in the country {
nd have been wholly Inaccessible. They re Y
uire spurs OF railroad 10 reach ard develop l
hem even now. q
Travel there is unaccornpanioj by any dan F
err The railroad system will soon do fer
Iexico and the United States what the open
az of railroads to Savannah, Atlanta and
Jew Orleans did for the south. The railroad q
makes Mexico feel opor. 4 new railroad al =
Iost always irpoverishes its projectors aid
A.,sn N,xi,>o lbs 4