Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18
The MEXICO OF TO-DAY
Vice President of That Country Makes Some
Interesting Statements.
Our Sister Republic is Marching joy
ou>Iy Forward Along the Path of
Progress and Prosperity.


nou ] Mari,clI in the I7leprnlcnt.
With freedom Of worship. free speech.
compulsory education. universal suffrage
and constitution and form Of government
modelled on those Of the United states,
Mexico Is marching toyously forward along
the path Of progress. and viii he found quite
ready for the twentieth century when 1t
arrives. She is worthy 20 stand beside her
great sister republic - and what prouder
boast than that can nation make?
So far as natural advantages are con-
cerned there Il 70 country in all the world
that compares with Mexico; all the fruits
and plants indigenous to America, between
the tropics and the poles. are to be found
growing in her soil, and her situation,
percheI 50 high between the Pacific ocean
and the Gulf of Mexico. saves her alike
from the extreme heat and cold that are
% be found al any altitude IN the United
States There is little difference between
the temperatures of summer and winter
thrEu-- mt the larger part of her area.
the e. st variation of the thermometer
being caused by day and night.
All that the poets have written about the
beauties Of natural scenery might with en-
tire truth be applied to tae valley in which
the City Of Mexico is situated. 1t is lovely.
and its guardian mountains are infinitely
solemn and grand. But rs Senior Matias
Romero. former Mexican minister al Wash
book, which tells so much atGHt our Coun-
try Each traveller in his urn describes
the valley iuf Mexico In mich he has
tarrisd longest as the lOyeliest in all the
world, nov here else do the snowy CreSts or
volcanic cones rise in more imposing
grandeur above the surrounding sea Of
verdure. ali carpeted with the brightest
flowers"
Mexico is besides the sanitarium of the
world. and many invalids. especially con-
sUmpttVeS, are cured there.
But nature was not Contentcd with all
this, she also made Mexico the worlds
treasure house For $40 years she has pro-
duced oHe-third of all the silver that was
mined. The production at present Is more
than ss.ooO.uD per annum. When Ii Hung
Chang was in Washington he asked Senior
Romero how much silver Mexico was min
Ing and how long she could keep up the
supply Senior Romero, trying to be con-
sentative, replied that Mexico turn
ing out $-D.C'OUS per year and could keep
II up for 2tD years. Ii would not hear of
such thing. He Insisted that our min
lister had been so long away from his own
country that he had forgotten details and
that ne must be mistaken about the abund-
ance Of silver. Mexico expects to supply
The world with S1U0 0po.voD Of silver per an
mum soon.
Not much has been done in the way Of
gold mining in Mexico, and the Spaniards
leveT found the great deposits from which
NOntrzuma filled mis- treasure house But
the gold is there and the rush and sCram-
h!e Tor it may still come Hlling up the
country as fast as California hlled up. IN
Oa&aca there is known to be gold belt
rich as those of South Africa. California
and Alaska combined. What has been
wanting in Mexican mining Is modern ma
-hiueTy and methods BY means Of these
many rich mines that had to be abandoned
b-,su use the thrush of water was too great
fog the primitive machinery to contend
with. viii b. pumped out and worked
again.
Iron in mounds and mountains, and gems.
a- one Nigh. say, by the wagon load, cop
per in the very greatest abundance. quick
silver. I-ad-What YOU wiN-MeXico's min
rrai treasures are far beyond count.
CdreIcsSuesS and ignorance OF the past
Irrudcd the great central plateau of the
forests which grew upon it. The wood
was used for fuel and the country is now
suffering on account Of this action RAN
roads and new industry are aggraVatinS
that situation For one thing, il has 50
seriously affected the rainfall as to pro-
iuca arid lands where were formerly good
farms. and for another Trims II has made
fuel So scarce that coal is now sold at from
SIG to 81 a ton. which, Of course, Is very
serious difficulty in the way OF developing
Industries
But the fuel problem can easily be solved
by working new coal fields recently as
covered and extending our railroads 10 the
old ones and the leading men OF the Coun-
Try are alive TO the Importance Of doing
this In Sonora alone there Il "A caboHll-
DrGlIS area several miles in extent, WIN
fDnurnerable veins from five to sixteen feet
Ia thickness. Of hard. clean anthracite coal
containing as high a perez ntase OF carbon
as the best that is furnished by Wa-es-
And that Is only one of many large coal
fields to bt. found in Mexico.
Humboldt said in 1894 that the universities
and scientific institutions OF Mexico were
then the best in America. That. perhaps,
Is no longer true. The rapid growth OF the
-nited States in population ana wealth has
GRABBED the universities here 10 pay the
highest prices and I'LL their professors
chairs with the best talent. With 12.opbc'p
Of population, Mexico has 1.pDOUO children
in primary schools supported by the fed
eTal government and the states. and in ad-
citiuu To these there are 81 90 in private
SchupS. and iS'sn IF both sexes in the one
hundred and thirty-six technical schools es-
tJhiiShrd and maintained by the nation
and the various states
Th-Sr free technical schools are not alto
geJE,r aH uUmiXe1 blessing. as the young
men of all social classes attend them. and
after taking their courses set out to pur-
sue literary or professional career and
So for The time being. the nation is fur
r.~hed With many more doctors LAWYERS
etc. than can get living with their pro-
'rssior. ltIt tho rapid development OF the
country vii give them reruunrrative work
50 far as the development of the urrss
i concerned. Mexico is much behind the
nit-d States. Stin she IS not sufflriug
from any lack Of newspapers as she has
-FOUR hundred. Of which fortv-foIIr are daf-
lies, IN re ara twelve papers published in
E'SilSh. and several in other Languages