The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-01
MINISTER |. P. GRAY HERE.
HE REJOICES IN A BRAND NEW
SWELL MUsTACHE.
Talks Interestingly of His Impress
sfOns of Mexico and Its Recent
Rapid Development - What He
Thinks of the Silver Bill.

States minister to the Mexican republic,
has returned home to enjoy his annual
vacation and confer with the authorities
at Washington. With the exception of
a slight indisposition experienced while
en- route home, his health has not only
remained unimpaired during his stay far
down near the equator, but has very
perceptibly improved. This was notice
able in the governors elasticity Of move
ment and his clearness of countenance
when a Sentinel reporter, standing at the
entrance of his room at the Grand hotel
Saturday, received a hearty hand-shake
and was cordially invited to a chair.
The most startling and indeed the one
change in the minister's appearance was
only observed after the reporter had
made rapid study Of his face. 1t final
ly dawned upon the reporter that ex-
Governor Gray had actually grown a
mustache, and that it was. if possible, a
positive measure of Improvement.
IT was in Chicago three days." said
Minister Gray, "but the weather was
unpropitious and I cannot say that
enjoyed my stay there to any large de-
gree"
'Well. governor, what are your i'm
pressions of the Mexican republic, now
that you have visited it and moved
among the people of its metropolis
ST like Mexico very we'll. 1t is quite
an interesting country. The habits and
customs Of the people and the buildings
are so very different from what they are
in the United States that they make
Mexico to an American more foreign,
perhaps, than any other country. Trav-
elers that 1 have met in Mexico think
that Mexico in many respects resembles
Egypt. The business of the legation is
very heavy. The chief Of the diplomatic
| bureau at Washington says that the bus
| mess Of the Mexican mission more than
equals that of any other five missions"
What progress has been accomplished
by the present governments"
Mexico under the liberal and progress
i've policy of President Diaz is develop
ing quite rapidly. Up to 1880 there was
but single line of railroad in the re-
| public, that being the Mexican railroad
from the City Of Mexico to the city Of
Vera Cruz. There are now in operation
over 1000 miles and several lines are in
| course of construction. Mexico has, in
deed, had her railroad building era with
| a resulting great improvement of her re-
| sources. During the last few years quite
| a number of business enterprises of va
| rious kinds have been established in diff
ferent parts Of the republic, among them
several cotton factories. The establish
| ment OF these enterprises has been
mainly procured by what are called gov
eminent concessions, granted by the fed
| eral government, and in some instances
| by states.
"A law of the federal government was
| promulgated last June exempting from
| taxation for ten years the capital Of all
new industries, established within five
! years from the PRONUNCIATION of the law,
| employing capital in starting and devel-
oping the industry of not less than $780,
| 600. Also giving the right to import free
| of duty all material and machinery nee
| essaTy to establish the business. The
| concessionaires are required to give bond
| insuring the proper employment of the
machinery and material imported.
1.-THE state of HiGalgo recently enacted
| a law eXempting from taxation for fif-
teen years all lands thereafter put in
coffee. rubber, tobacco, vanilla, cotton, CO.
Goa, indigo, flax, ramie, grapes and sisal
| hemp.
rs it not true that coffee is becoming
one of the staple products of the 'coun-
| try"
'"The coffee lands of Mexico are at
| states of Vera Cruz and Oaxaca are said
| to possess the best coffee lands Mexico
coffee has very fine flavor and 1t is as
| serted by those experienced in coffee
| growing that there are lands in Mexico
capable of producing as fine coffee as
| can be grown anywhere in the world,
and when we, consider that the United
States consumes $50 900 pounds an
nually, consuming more than any other
nation, and that railway communication
a. ID
| is no doubt left of the continuous de-
| velopment of the coffee interest. Coffee
| in Mexico for table use is prepared after
the French manner being made very
| strong then weakened with hot milk or
| hot water. Coffee lands range in price
| from 81 to IS, and can be bought on easy
| terms"
What about the productiveness of the
| soil and governmental encouragement Of
| land cultivation"
zone peculiar feature of the Mexican
! government so far as public lands are
| concerned, is that it does not do its own
| surveying. 1t let's out the surveying by
contract, giving the party who surveys
one-third of the land as compensation.
| Real estate is not taxed; even lands
which produce income are not taxed, but
| the income is taxed. There are no more
| fertile lands in the world than the val
| leys of Mexico, and no country possesses
| a greater variety of climate. Both
adapted to the growing of almost any
| thing that grows out of the earth. In
| the tropical regions of Mexico grow side
| by side, coffee, bananas, pomegranates,
| oranges, lemons, grapes, corn, mangoes,
| wheat, barley, peaches, melons and many
| other tropical fruits and vegetables.
| Flowers bloom superaDundantly during
| the whole year, while fruits and Vege-
! tables are grown and are upon the mar
! ket every month in the year"
What are the climatic conditions, for
| instance, in and about the Mexican ma
| tional capitalg
''The City of Mexico lies 1900 feet above
| the sea level and it's climate is delightful.
| There is neither hot nor cold weather.
| Fires are not needed in the houses for
| heating purposes, and cooking as a gen.
| eraI rule is done upon "braseres," small
| charcoal furnaces. The same kind of
| clothing can be worn with comfort
| throughout the year, while 1T is always
comfortable to sleep at night under blan-
| kets.
''The City Of Mexico, however, cannot
be designated a healtful city on account
of it's insufficient drainage, which will
be in time remedied. The city, aided by
the federal government, is constructing
a drainage canal that when completed
will be over thirty miles in length, and
seven miles of 1t will be tunneled through
the mountains. 1t is stupendous I'M
dertaking and when finally completed
will drain the entire valley of Mexico and
greatly improve the health of the city.
The city from material point Is inn
proving Real estate has advanced in
value from $104 000, 900 in 1856 (the begin
ming of the era of railway building) to