The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-01-24

efn methods. Our regular army is largely
armed with Remington rifles, and we have
national foundry on the edge of Mexico
CITY IN which we make we our guns fol-
the artillery, and our powder and our am
munltlon. Mexico has a fine military
school at ChaDultepec. the site of the sum
mer palace of the Montezumas, and a large
per cent of our officers are graduates OF
this school. The training is much the
same as that Of West Point, and the Next
cans are very PROUD of this Institutions
rs 1t true, Senior Romero that the rank
ana HE OF your army are recruited from
your prisons and that you have many ex-
convicts among your soldiers?"
mo. 1t Is moi" replied Mr.. Romero. s'We
nave many Poems among our soldiers, but
the Indians make splendid fighters and they
have been trained to battle through the
revolutions of the past. They are as free
from crime as any soldiers in the country
and they may be depended upon in battle
as well as any troops in the world. They
are perhaps not so well equipped as your
American troops, but they can undergo
great hardships ana they have shown
themselves TO be brave men in the battles
of Mexican history. With this army Presi
dent Diaz could put down in few weeks
any revolution that might arise The free
boot1ng expeditions Of the north are made
through sparsely settled country, and
through one which has much desert land
and which is rough in the extreme. The
smallness of the number of rebels, Snug
glers and free hooters or whatever you NAV
call them, makes it difficult to catch them
and they are an annoyance, though not al
all dangerous to the general peace of the
country.
'Then the revolution will not affect
American business or the condition of
American capital in Mexicon
INC" replied the Mexican minister, 'it
will not American capital is as safe in
vested in Mexico as it is in the United
States and Americans under any condi-
tious need to have no fear of their invest
ments. 1t is wonderful how rapidly CAPT
tai is coming into the country and it is
estimated that Americans now own silver
mines there to the amount of nearly one
hundred million dollars The mining re-
sources of the country are practically I'M
limited and large number of new mines
are being opened every year. There are
now more than thousand mines bein O
worked IN Mexico and we turn out more
than thirty million dollars worth of silver
every year and it is estimated that two
| hundred thousand men are at work in our
mines. Among the prominent Americans
who are interested in mines are Senator
Stewart, the heirs of the late Senator
Hearst and Governor Shepherd, who led
such career here at Washington There
|
in public life who have investments
in our mineral regions and the Shepherd
mines in Chihuahua have turned out great
amounts of silver. They have been
worked for two hundred and fifty years
and they are, it is said, as rich to-day as
ever. They have turned out something
like three hundred million dollars in the
past and are now said to be producing
| about seventy five thousand dollars a
month. 1t has been said in some of tbs
newspapers that Governor Shepherd was
| furnishing the money for this little rebel
| lion of Garza's. The idea seems to me to
! be preposterous and the little money they
have must come from their raids and the
smugglers.
You speak of the railway development
| OF this country, Mr. Romero said L.
Eyes was the reply. 1.-The railroad of
Mexico have been almost all built since
the first administration of President Diaz,
and number of new roads are in course
of construction. We have more than six
thousand miles of road in operation and
all the large cities are now connected by
good railroads. The Mexican Central has
trunk line of ], 224 miles and the line
which they have recently completed from
the trade centre San Louis Potosi to the
Gulf of Mexico at Tampico, promises to
have great traffic. They also have line
running to the westward to Guadulaiara
which is large city and they will extend
this line on to the Pacific coast, and they
have the surveys for it made. We are
building an immense jetty system at Tam
pico which will make this harbor one of
the finest in the word, and which will
make great port at this point
and will make it railroad
centre. A railroad is being pushed
south from the City of Mexico towards
Guatemala over the same line practically
that General Grant and myself laid out.
and this will open up very rich agricul-
tural anu mineral country. We have lust
completed narrow gauge road from
Mexico City down to Vera Cruz, and this
road will be extended to the Pacific through
very rich country. The era of protita Die
railroadlng in Mexico really began only
about six years ago. and the country is
being opened up in way that is surpris
ing to US and surprising to all foreigners
who visit US. Our government receiDts
are increasing very rapidly, and the coun-
try is going forward right along. The
railroads are paym| q rU,d interest on
their bonds, and ~ were first
started with SUI Inc give n
ment, the ones b. now are mainly
private enterpris SISTED by the gov
eminent, which ly on the wonderful
resources OF the country for their sup
port"
''How ABOUT the chances for American
investment in Mexico, Mr.. Romero?" [
asked.
"They are, 1 believe, practically un-
limited" was the reply, land l don't think
capital can be put in any place il the world
where it will bring forth greater results
than it will if properly invested in Mexico
today. The fields of investment are many.
but farming, mining and manufacturing of
many kinds will yield great results, and
careful study of the country and some CAPT
tai aided by good business brains will make
fortunes. The new railroads are opening
u vast areas of fine agricultural land. and
lands are cheap now in these regions and
can be bought on such terms that they will
pay well. Quite number of Americans
are engaged in manufacturing in Mexico
and paper mills and salt retneries will give
large profits. We have some of the finest
furniture wood in the world, still we i'm
port the greatest part of our house furni
ture, and there are chances for manufac-
lures in almost every line of trade. The
best way for Americans who wish toinyest
in Mexico is togo to the country and ex
anime 1t for themselves. They will find
fairly p00d hotels in tho loruo, oit;o.