The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-01
MEXICO AND HER WAYS.
WHAT ROSWELL p. FLOWER OBJ
SERVED DURING A RECENT VISIT.

Advantages OF the Mexican Pacific Road.
Mining and 5Inchinery-Country and
CIimatc-Twenty Great Citics-IIow the
Natives Woril-Travel.
We ought 70 have Mexico for our ncighbor
and business friend, with perfected inter-
course. Tho Mexican Pacific road gives us q
wonderful opportunity TO reach out into this
country and develop it. Our people have no
idea what il IS. The great bulk of the people
are still in rs primitive a state rs those along
the Nile. You may see them in sandals,
half-.iai.al, 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 go 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 arc carrying ont the ore on their backs
just as their ancestors did. They get twenty
five cents a day. Machinery can't compete
with that.
FINE COUNTRY AND CLIMATE.
There arc eco miles of the Mexican Pacific
road running through as fine country as the
world ever saw, at an elevation of about
1000 feet above the sea. In these fields saw
twenty yoke of oxen hitched to a single one
pointed plow. You see donlleys on the streets
with dressed mutton, lamb or beef hanging
from the saddle, while the master peddles it
out. The air is so dry that the meat does not
spoil in it. They carry trunks around on
their backs. At the most q two-wheeled don
key cart is used. y wagon man went down
there to sell wagons, and could do nothing at
ell, until one day in the plaza lie unhitched
six pairs OF mules from one of their carts,
put them on n wagon and demonstrated that
he could pull with the mules four times rs
much in n wagon as they had drawn in
cart. He sold 100 wagons right away.
They use ittcrs for a great many burdens.
You viii see two men stuck between the han
dies of n litter in the City of Mexico, carry
ing coffin and a dead man out beyond the
limits. There they dig hole in the ground
about two and onc-half feet deep, throw il
the corpse, cover it up and return the coffin.
y 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 tho ground. They said
the long shovels were no good, and proceeded
to break off tho handles and continue their
back breaking method. After n time they
got accustomed TO the shovels. Now here are
n people among whom n wonderful trade can
be developed. It only needs n commercial
treaty to assure manufacturers that prices
are to lie steady to make Mexico most valu-
able neishbor and ally.
TWENTY GREAT CITIES.
The cities are extremely populous. From
FL PasO % Mexico City there must be twenty
great cities with populations ranging from
10000 up 10 10000. Except in Mexico there
is little or no civilization. In one of these
cities L saw great camphene torches suspended
at the street corners for lighting. In the City
of Mexico you will find electric light, gas,
telephones and everything of that kind. III
the most of the cities you viii find kerosene.
Ii they could have the lamps and other ar
ticles which we manufacture at something
like our rates It would make a wonderful mar
l;et. y great many Germans and English
have gone into Mexico recently and bought
farming lands which they arr working with
modern plows and machinery. They VIII
soon force the natives TO uso the same imple-
ments and We might supply them ALL We
can get from them coffee, sugar, hides and
many things that do not interfere with our
own productions TO any extent.
was the travelling companion for q time OF
Senator Hearst and joaquin Miller. They
were down there to investigate the mining
possibilities Senator Hearst told me that,
although Mexico was for many decades the
principal source of the worlds supply of sill
Yer and much of its gold, and although some
of her rich mines have been worked for cen
turies, the richest mines have never been
opened 81 all. They lie back in the country
and have been wholly inaccessible They re
quire spurs of railroad to reach and develop
them even now.
Travel there is uuaccompanied by any dan
ger. The railroad system viii soon do for
Mexico and the United States what the open
ing OF railroads 70 Savannah, Atlanta and
New Orleans did for the south. The railroad
makes Mexico feel opor. y now railroad al
most always impoverishes its projectors and
the people along the line. Mexico hes an in
come Of 81, OO0, 900 a year, with So, GOO, 900
of expenses. 1t is unable to meet the grants
to the railroad. But l found President Diaz
hopeful and sensible Of the future. He sees
that the railroad, by enabling him 10 mass
trooJs anywhere in the country, has made
revolutions impossible, and viii give the
country permanent peace, under which it viii
speedily thrive. The government feels so
strongly on this point that robber along the
line of the road meets with severe punish
ment. This is making travel more secure
every day.--New York Tribune Interview.