The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-14

ital In about 1880, Ino available transporta-
ton for the interchange OF commerce or
personal com1 Ah.cation had been had.
AS there was nd treat river system, there
was no navigaa IN. Thus it happened
that thousands OF people living in one of
the states, composing the Mexican nation,
were as completely isolated from the in
habitants OF another state, as they were
from Europe itself.
The history of Mexico Is one Of the
most intensely interesting to the student,
and may be pursued with pleasure and
prof1t. Five hundred years ago the entire
country was in the possession of the Aztecs
"a people which had accomplished as
much in its peculiar way in the progress
OF civilization as almost any other nation
OF contemporaneous period.
When Cortes received his commission
from the Captain General Of Spain to con-
quer Mexico, and landed upon the Mex
lean coast, not far from where the city of
Vera Cruz now stands-nearly four hun
dred years ago-he found nation con-
sisting OF people remarkable for its IN
dustry, peacefulness and religious wor-
ship.
AS Cortes progressed into the interior
the temples of Montezuma burst upon his
| startled vision, as it demonstrated to the
| Spanish conqueror that he was among
civilized people, where he had expected to
| find only barbaric tribes and wandering
| herds.
| AS Cortes approached the City of Mex
leo and beheld the wonders and the beau
ties Of that great valley, the historian re-
marks 1T Is little wonder that even Cortes
should nave halted in admiration and as
constituent before this stupendous oval of
the Mexican valley,-with the glorious
city in the center, surrounded by it's float
| ing islands and its magnificent beauty.
THE six lakes were there as they are
today. The floating islands from which
| comes the products that fill the market
| pavilion of iron and glass were there The
| old Aztec city, built about 1415 upon one
| of the largest Of the islands, was there as
| now"
Referring to the chief products of Mex
| leo, in recent years, we find the staples to
| be maize, barley, wheat and beans. The
! product of these respectively in 1892 were
| as follows: Maize 135,0OO00O bushels;
barley 5,730,000 bushels; wheat II ,O74 900
| bushel, and beans almost beyond the capa-
! city of measure.
| The cotton crop reached $500, 900 bales;
sugar cane sold for $6,S57 00O coffee for
| $2,511 900, and tobacco realized about
| 100000. incidentally good crop of
| proper latitude.
The cattle ranches of Mexico exceed
| Il 900 in number, and are valued at $405,-
| 100000. Upon these ranches over two
million head of cattle are grazed, together
with 100000 goats, 100000 horses and
100000 sheep. Speaking of the hot lands
| and their possibility in the line of prod
ucts, writer says
1.-The productive capacity Of the Repub-
| lie as a whole is absolutely unmeasured.
| The same energy and skill which has de-
| veloped Kansas, Nebraska and the North
west in the United States would produce
| a sufficient amount of sugar and coffee
| to supply the world"
The manufactures of Mexico are rapidly
increasing, and owing almost entirely to
| the fact that Mexico is upon "a silver
| basis" having no gold money, although
she produces about five millions a year,
| and as 1t requires two dollars in silver to
buy gold dollars worth of goods in for
| eign countries, the Mexican people are
compelled to manufacture their own goods.
! Among the leading articles of mandatory
| are cotton, wooden and leather goods.
Last year twenty-s.x millions pounds of
| cotton were woven into capes and shawls
| alone. The value of the product in this
| rekard exceeded ten millions of dollars.
The chief articles of export consist Of
chemicals, drugs, dyes, coffee, fax, hemp,
| jute and other vegetable products as we'll
| as hides and skins.
Mexico has been a silver country for
| four hundred years." and chiefly because
she is the richest silver country according
| to her area to be found on earth. The cap
| ital invested in her mines exceeds four
| hundred millions Of dollars, and the out
| put from 1921 to 1890 inclusive reached
| thirteen hundred millions of dollars. This
| silver was largely coined and exported to
| China, Farther India and the Malayan
| Islands twenty-ive millions per annum
| being the ordinary export at the present
| time. Valuable copper and lead mines
| are to be found in almost every portion of
| her mountainous regions.
| Mexico boasts of her ruins, her monu
ments and the tombs of the Aztecs, the
| grandest of which are found at Yucca
| tan, Chiapas and Oaxaca. These con-
| sist of great temples of hewn stone, Or
namented cornices, built upon huge py-
| ramids of stone.
Concerning the wages paid to her peo-
| pie, recent article in this paper gave
| the average above that of the Latin In
| ion, as we'll as the average of almost all
| the gold standard nations of the world.
Speaking specifically of exports and
| imports during the first quarter of the
| year 1895, it is interesting to note that
| the total imports for the first three
months of 1894 amounted to $7,O32, PIG,
as against $S,52S 1886 for the first quarter
| of 1895. The exports for the same time
in 1894 amounted to $21, 1853 ,235 as
against $685., 263, 566 in 1S95-thus show
ing an increase in exports over 1894 of
$4.60O,331, and an excess of exports over
imports to III, 635,211.
The progress made by the Mexican
people in the last quarter of a century
and especially in the last eight years
has been most remarkable. Minister
Romero says in his article in the North
American Review for June that the ex-
ports in 1890 amounted to 100000. 900,
and had increased in 1893 to $87 200, 900
It will be noted from the foregoing
that the expectations for the year 1895
will exceed an hundred millions of dol
lars Let him who thinks the Mexican
nation has not the resources of wealth.
energy Of people, and the internal oppor-
tunities to produce great nation study
these figures.
POINTS TO CHANGE IN CHICAGO.