San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-07-09
Welsh and Africans, all talking

tongues, SOME SulOhiuS SlSdlS anu
cigarettes, while not few of them
would haul out a bottle of Ken
lucky hardware or bottle OF mes
cal and drink to memory of George
Washington, father of his country,
and the patriotic priest, Miguel
Hidalgo, the author of the Declare
ton of Independence and the faith
or of the United States of Mexico.
When we reached the Cadereyta
we found large crowd Of men,
women and children with a band
Of music awaiting us, but as the
coaches were already full the con-
ductor only took a few on board,
leaving the rest for the next train.
When we arrived at the park
we fonnd hundreds of people dis
tributed over the grounds and not
few of the men were bathing in
the sparkling waters of the Rio
San Juan.
From early morn until noon, men,
women and children could be seen
coming in from the adjoining
country; some in carriages, wag-
ons, carts, on horseback and on
burros; while many of the farmers
sent in wagon loads of water
melons and tropical fruits.
Some of the natives erected
booths and opened restaurants
where they served chilli con carne,
tOrtillas, frijoles and coffee.
In May 1890 the San Juan park
was established by the Monterey
and Mexican Gulf Railway COM
pany, on the banks of the Rio San
Juan, thirty-four miles southeast
of the city of Monterey. The park
is bounded by the San Juan
river, and there is a large irriga-
ton ditch running through it.
The banks are lined with large
cypress, live oaks, elm, ash, walnut
and pecan trees; peach, orange,
pears, plums, figs, grape vines and
cane brake; wild flowers and rose
bushes, whose sweet aroma per-
fumed, the atmosphere on that
memorable Fourth of July.
Every tree, house, water tank,
cars, the station pavilion and tele-
graph poles, were decorated with
the stars and stripes, and the green,
white and red, and at night the
park and grounds were lit up with
colored lights and Chinese Ian
terms.
There were several speeches de-
Iivered in English and Spanish by
prominent Americans and Next
cans. Each one Of them fired
glowing tribute to the men who
raised the standard of liberty in
the United States and Mexico
threw off the foreign yoke and
made it possible for the citizens of
the two greatest republics on
earth to celebrate the 4th of July
and the 10Th of September under
the stars and stripes. and the
green, white and red in this beau
tiful park. Whenever the speakers
mentioned the names of
George Washington aud Mi
guel Hidalgo an immense cheer
would go up from the five
thousand people that were within
hearing, and at the close of each
speech the band would play the
national hymns of both Nations.
The celebration of the Fourth of
July by the Americans and MeXi-
cans, since the Monterey and MeXi-
can Gulf Railway company opened
the park in May, 1890, has done
more towards promoting good feel
ing between the citizens Of the
two Republics than any one thing
that has been inaugurated since the
war of 1910. They are
INDICATIONS OF FRIENDSHIP,
And it is to be hoped that the
spirit that animated them in those
sections will be as lasting as the
steel bands that now unite the two
nations. 1t is to be hoped that the
only warlike sound that will be
heard in the future will be the mer-
ry whistle of the iron horses as
they cross the border on their mis-
sion of peace and prosperity.
This was the fourth year that
your correspondent has had the
pleasure of joining them in cele-
brating the 18th of July at that
park, and find that they are be-
coming more popular every year.
They vie with the Americans
in celebrating it. They know
that if it had not been for
the 4th of July, if the fathers of the
American republic had not sue
ceeded, Hidalgo and his associates
would not have raised the STAN
dard of liberty, and declared their
Independence from the mother
country. 1t is to the Fourth of