The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-07

COW, for feminine like, she always
keeps her eyes open. Six bulls killed
completes the entertainment, Most
people who go from this country to
Mexico probably attend one bull fight,
and n is enough. I witnessed the
exhibition at the Bucarelli ring in the
City of Mexico near the Belen Gate.
One Of the novelties to be seen in the
horse racing at night by electric light
at the Indianilla race track near the
City. at some of the theatres they
have a plan of charging a ''real'
Gwelve and one half cents for each
act, and as there r usually five and
the burles que atTerpiece, one who cares
to see it all pays seventy-tive cents.
Thus who does not like the play,
pays for the acts he sees and qlits,
aud those coming IN later only pay for
as many acts as they attend. Where
the seat is more than seventy five
cents, it is at the same rate OF one
sixth OF the whole charges for each act.
While this custom is a convenience to
the audience, it is said that it pays the
management also, as many go who
would not be willing to pay for a whole
evening without knowing that they
would be pleased.
The hearses are run on the street car
track, and not iufrequently r fol
lowed by a long line Of street-cars for
the friends and relatives. Necessarily,
however, they make as good time going
out to a cemetery as in returning, Our
habit of going out slowly and return
ing rapidly is, of course, simply our
custom-that is all.
While Mexico proceeded u5fOrty odd
years in placing the abolition Of slavery
IN its Constitution, and has also anti
cipated US by Incorporated provisions
for the election Of the Federal Sen
ators and Supreme Court judges by
the people, it has only recently adopted
constitutional amendment, which is
to go into eff CT July l, abolishiDg the
~''alcabala," or tariff between the sew
eral States. Repeated eff )rts have
been made in this direction, but I'm
successfully till now, when the in
creased railway traffic has made it &
necessity. O: course the cars have
never stopped to pay duties at State
lines, but the Interstate tariff dues
were added to the freight. Another
bad feature in the NJ, xican economic
is that lard pays a very light
in some States perhaps none, and
in all very much less than It's fair share.
As e rule Unimproved land pays no
tax whatever, with the result that land
in Mexico is held in large tracts, the
number Of landowners in the republic
being only some thirty five thousand.
AS a class they have been powerful
enough to prevent any change so far,
but the prosperity Of the country de.
mands it, and when a fair share Of tax
alton is put upon the land, and especi
when the taxation upon Unim
ICAlGy Is ulI06 LC6NT S1IOOSl,
the ''haciendas' will ~perf0rce be di
aided up, the ownership Of the soil
will pass, as it did in France after the
great Revolution, into the hands of the
people, and Mexico will add the cap
stone to the wise measures which are
building up the country. AT present
few Of the owners Of the great
'~'haciendas" reside upon them, and
the revenues of these estates are spent
in the large cities or abroad, to the
detriment OF the country districts.
The law against carrying concealed
weapons is not a dead letter there as it
is in parts of the United States, but is
strictly enforced; hence q traveller
in Mexico at first is astonished at the
number OF pistols carried buckled
around the waist. The reason is, the
wearers dare not carry them in any
other way. As a rule at the hotels the
maids are men. The bed
steads are generally of iron, and the
and pitchers are very light, be
ing sheet iron enamelled, or something
of the kind, and imported fr> m Ger
many. In each hotel a large black
board is fastened in the wall of the
office, giving the number of
each rooom, after which is always
written in chalk the name of it's tenn
porary occupant, and a glance at this
board saves inquiry Of the clerk. The
old prejudice that Is S an unIucky
number still fingers in Mexico, as is
by thts3 blackboards, on which
mo. 13" never appears, but the space