The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-11-27
MEXICO AS 1T is.
A Land for Which Nature Has Done Very
Much and Man Very Little.

Much and Man Very Little.
A late volume of reports from United
States Consuls is mostly devoted to
Mexico. 1t includes general descrip-
ton OF the state of the various industries
OF the country; its agricultural, mining
and manufacturing possibilities; tenure
and value of land; prices of food, live
stock, ETC., and prospects for American
enterprise. These reports vary in ac-
cordanee with local conditions, but
they are all ofehe same generalpurport.
With an area Of 100000 square miles,
and population of nearly 100000,
the total real estate valuation of MeXi-
co is only $685., 100000, and the value
of its agricultural products is less than
5000, 100000 annually. The other in
dustries OF the country, aside from min
ing, are insignificant. This is due to no
lack of natural resources. The soil IS
rich and the climate favorable for farm
ing operations, but there is no develop
ment of the advantages OF the country,
and ignorance, Incidence and poverty
form the burden of the reports regard
ing the people The most fertile soils
remain I'M Productive for want of arte-
sian wells kad irrigating bitches. There
is a varet NOf products which require
little or nooultivat.on, but there are no
roads for their transportation, no ma
chinery for handling them, and no
bank ng system to facilitate exchanges.
Land is literally dirt cheap" yet it
is difficult OF purchase because owners
are too conservative and inert TO
either sell or work their holdings,
and there is no established trade in real
estate. The peasantry, mostly of Indian
blood are virtually held in bondage by
the system of perpetual Indebtedness
and the transferring of accounts from
one employer to another, and they are
80 lazy and shiftless that they scarcely
earn the twenty-five cents dar which
is their average wage. What they pet
for their labor after satisfying their
primitive living necessities, Is spent ia
cheap fnery and merry-making.
The whole teaching of these reports
is that Mexico is grand field for Ameri-
can enterprise, in all natural advan-
tages, but that new race, or a radical
Transformation of the present inhabi-
tants, is necessary to make the field
profitable. For instance, the use of
American agricultural machinery
would be a great boon to the country,
but there is little or no sale for it fol
several reasons. Except in the immedi-
ate vicinity of the railroads the cost and
difficulty of transportation virtually
prohibits its use. Few of the farm
Iaborers or their employers are compe
tent to use it, if procured. The native
mechanics are not smart enough tC
make repairs, and any breakage mean,
disuse for months. To make market
for such goods, dealers must establish
depots at centers of population, with
provision fCRmaking repairs at heavy
expense and considerable risk. So in
other departments of industry. Alto
gether these consular reports tell thu
same story of Mexico which has beer
told by private observers. 1t is a lane
for which nature has done much anC
man little. There are some signs o
progress along main lines of commune
cation. but it will be necessarily SLOW
San Francisco Bulletin.