Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-13
IN L MExlCO.
The Land of the Lotus-Manana-
American Interests.

American interests.
FL Paso, n city old and yet new, once
an important trading post, since the
pass offered the best communication
between Mexico aud the country north
of the Rio Grande. We found here an
International street car line, afrording
easy and cheap passage between Amer
ican Eel Paso and the old Mexican city,
Paso del Norte. On our trip through
New Mexico we nave made the %acquain-
lance of the primitive adobe houses and
their swarthy occupants; yet, after we
have crossed the Rio Grande, we feel
that we are in alien country; alien, not
only because we have left the stars and
stripes behind us and see the Mexican
tricolor waving over public buildings;
but because the language, manners,
customs, all are distinctly foreign. The
depot of the Mexican Central railroad,
though built of adobe, and the cars are
the only objects reminding us that We
are still in the nineteenth century; but
take II look around at objects animate or
inanimate, ana they will remind you OF
bygonc centuries. Look at that print
tive oXcart; its rude two wheels would
seem to fall apart ut the first motion;
the yoke, too, is such as We nave read of
in the middle ages. The driver standing
listlessly by his sleepy teams, seems
StllSlltu W wall lOE WOEh, eNcu tllOuPu
it should never come. The emblem of
stupidity, which should be rather the
emblem of patience and frugality, the
donkey. is well represented. Here car
rylng a load of wood, there some bun
dies of charcoal and occasionally munch-
ing some offal with which the
streets are plentifully sprinkled, these
animals are in reality the best friends
the poorer class of Mexicans have.
Not much is needed, it SEEMS, to make
q living. There is II stalwart fellow, in
the prime of life, squatting down be-
hind a uiminutive table on which is his
stock in trade, five buns, representing "a
value of perhaps ten cents. Instead of
employing his time he is satisfied if he
a make his daily tortillas, without ex-
eXerting himself. The hood of the
women, the wrapper with which they
hide their features, it is all foreign, all
alien to is.
1t cannot be the air, for that is bracing
enough, it must be something in the
the race itself, which accounts for the
Indifference to progress, the quieta o
ruovere, which is apparent everywhere.
1t cannot be called l%aziness for that is
more al acquired habit; it seems almost
as if the whole Mexican race had been
fed on the lotus plant. Order some
work done and the answer will be:
Manana from mah-nyah-nah) to-mor-
row. The old saying seems to read in
Mexican, lever do to-day what you can
| do tomorrow. Throughout Mexico we
will find ample evidence that our south
ern neighbors fully believe that.
We are the same that our fathers
have been. Mexico is u rich country.
It's natural resources, agricultural as
we'll as mineral, cannot be surpassed.
| Not ~ / IA ctn pIinr fln m :, II, Sn a. "A, -
| of precious metals taken from its mines
for hundreds of years, the states Of
Sinalon, chihuahua and Durango yield
still vast quantities. With all this the
people are poor, or what W. would con-
slider wretchedly poor. Their houses.
of the simplest material, are almost en-
! tirely without furniture; their food is
of the simplest, beans or the flour of
beans forming the staple: but in the
simplicity of their wants they know no
better and ask no more.
There is a great influx of Americans
into Mexico, and the government of
President Diaz seems to encourage
American enterprise. But now, the
question arises, if the extreme liberal
ity with which our capitalists are
treated will not give rise to political
complications of which it is difficult to
foresee the end. We refer especially TO
the immense concessions of land granted
to Americans. Take, for instance, the
International company, of Hartford
Conn. This corporation obtained a
grant of Is, zoo, 900 acres in Lower Cali
fornia and another large grant in Las
Palomas, in the northern part of Mex
leo, south of Deming. As these i'm
mense territories are obtained without
any or at the merest nomina considera-
ton, the new owners offer great induce
ments to settlers, but this immigration
upon which the native looks now with
apathy, is likely to drive him to the
wall and produce feelings of aversion,
which may find their expression in
deeds rasher han words.