Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
A UNION OF REPUBLICS
MINISTER ROMERO on ANNEX
ALTON.
The Wiping Out Of the Boundary Line
Between the States and Mexico
Remote P0sSibility-Infiu-
ence of the GermanSin
That Republic.


That Republic.
WAsHINGToN-"The possibility of q
union between Mexico and the United
States will not present itself TO the con-
sideration of the two countries in hun
dreds of years from nov, if as ALL" said
Senor Romero, the Mexican Minister, to-
day. MANY thinkers question the
stability of the United States Govern
ment in its far future. You have so
many conflicting interests, such as those
OF the PaciEc slope and the Atlantic, those
of the East and West and OF the North
and South. You have such antagonistic
elements IN your population, as, for in
stance, the negro and the white man, that
1T is impossible to tell what may become
| OF Them after another century of your
national existances has gone by. If the
government of the United States we're to
last for several hundred years TO come
and [ were at that time one of its states
man and should be called upon to decide
as to whether the United States should
make war upon Mexico to seize it or to
otherwise unite with 1t, I cannot say at
what conclusion | might arrive, and in
my present state of mind / do not thin K
would favor annexation. But at g
! glance 1t would seem to me that 1t would
not bo wise, because l should be afraid
that the incorporation of another people
| of several millions of 2 different race,
| language and habits OF thought and life,
would rather weaken than strengthen
! this country. So far as the Mexicans are
concerned, and judging by their present
temper, they would be a unity against
such union. They feel proud Of their
nationality and would not willingly give it
up. Besides, they believe that annexation
to the United States means subjugation
and determination, and with such belief
| they would resist in self defence.
"'The population Of Mexico at present
is about 100000, and the country is in
creasing i'll population both by immigra-
ton and otherwise. In 1882, II 600 emf
grants entered the ports of Vera Cruz,
and many of these were Italians and
| Spaniards. We offer lands to emigrants
at very low prices and give them exemp-
| tion from taxation for a number of years.
Public lands in Mexico are very cheap.
! Only ten years ago they ranged from
to % cents an acre, and their price is not
much higher now, but thay are not sold
| in larger blocks than 5000 acres to any
one person. | do not know that the Ger
mans have bought large tracts of lands
| in Mexico, though we have many Ger
mans who do business and make money
in our country. TIE trouble with the
| Americans who come 20 this country is
that they do not un0erstsn I'D the Spanish
| language, and they do not often adapt
| themselves to the country. The Germans,
on the other hand, send young men from
| Germany to Mexico, and these learn the
| habits of the people. By such methods
| they IN AXE more money and do better
| than Americans. Americans have a great
deal of money in Mexican railroads, and
| they are largely interested in Mexican
mines as well. Many of them are now
buying lands there, and there is some
| trade done by them.
| "Our chief factories are cotton factories,
| and we have nearly hundred of these,
which employ between 10000 and $4,000
| people, and they have d ca pital of more
than $1O,0O0,OO0. The mines are, how
eqer, the great thing in Mexico and there
are more than 100000 men employed in
them. We kaVe, you know, produced an
| immense amount of the silver of the
world, and between 1921, and 1880 our
|
silver, and about one-tenth rs much gold.
During the past few years we have coin
| ed minerals to the extent of about $685.
| 600 year, and our mineral products
are practically inexhaustiole. We have
| the best climate in the world, and we are
| the Switzerland of America. Our climate
| is in many respects better than that of
| Switzerland, and within the last few years
/ A no
scene of their vacation tours. 1 have
seen as many as twenty private cars
standing at the depot of the City of
Mexico, and these excursion com paniee
bring in tourists by the hundreds. The
increase of railroad facilities will increase
| this travel, ana the two countries are fast
becoming very much better acquainted
| through this means.
"Mexico has $4,000 square miles, and
| il is fifteen times as bg as tie State Of
New York, more than ninety times as big
as New jersey, more thru 600 times the
size of Rhode Island, and more than six
times the size of Great Britain and Ire
land. 1t has more size than it gets credit
! for, and it is a Central American as well
as North American power. The Isthmus
! of Panama divides the New World into
/
continent, properly speaking Is composed
of two fractions, North and Central
America. Mexico has sovereignty, as in
! tegral parties of her territory, over a con
! siderable part of Central America, and
! these parts are greater than the territory Of
any one of the other nations constituting
| it, and represents more than one-third of
the whole territorial area of Central Amer
| lea. Mexico here has ali area of $4,000
square miles in Central America, and in
| this territory there are more thar 1,00O,-
| 600 people. The remainder of Central
| America coz tains only about 3 1000, 900, and
| its territory is not twice as large as that
| part governed by Mexico. This makes US a
| Central American power, and we are con
| sequently interested in all matters that
pertain 80 that count try.
Il have taken no stock in the fights
and iealousies over the American isthmus,
because I believe that these questions
have to be decided by its natural geo
gre phical and commercial bearings.
There are three American isthmuses over
which canals or ship railways have been
projected Tehuantec, Nicaragua and
Panama If the needs of the commerce
of the world in its wonderful develop
m INT require that the three should be
epen. and If this is at all practicable,
they ali will be built, whatever may be
the wishes of the nation through whose
territory such canal should pass. Be-
sides, the opening of one canal will neces-
sarily benefit the neighboring countries,
and in this respect, whatever may be the
issue of this question, all American
nations will profit by the completion OF