The Portland daily press., 1899-07-22
MEXICO AND IT'S SURROUNDINGS.
New York Times. }

NOW 1Ofk Aim6sb
The successful administration of the
pacificator. Gen. Porfirio Diaz, president
OF Mexico, is inviting the attention of
scientists, investors. and settlers the world
over.
For the Mexico of today is complete
transform alton from the old, whose con-
dition beggared description. Within the
last twenty years o vast reform has
dawned upon the country. As writer
recently said ''She is no longer old
Mexico."
wond erful as our material progress has
been, the political and social progress of
Mexico has been as great Thirty years
ago the country was In a state of anapchy,
and brigands were rampant. Nowhere
was travel more unsafe. The brlgands
even invaded the clties. and robberies
and murders were nowhere regarded as
anything unusual or remarkable. There
were not ten miles Of railroad or telegraph
wires in the country. 1t is almost i'm
possible for anyone who did not know
Mexico in the old days to conceive the
change which has taken place. Nowadays
Mexico is as safe as any state In this
country, and to President Diaz must be
given the credit fer Its remarkable
advancement.
Mexico had sixty 1.-TWO viceroys in ESQ
years, and in ffty-nine years of this CEN
tury has had fifty-t presidents, emper-
ors, and other rulers. And yet for the
last twenty years there has been Lut one
president. This shows more clearly than
anything else the couniry's changed con-
dition. In that time forty sailroads have
been built. with nearly 1000 miles sot
track, The country is netted with tele-
graph wires, and remarkable thing
about the telegraph service is that the
tariff is less than in this country. Post
Offices and schools have been built where
such things were never known before and
every person, no matter how humble, has
the utmost freedom of spesch.
Few people, comparatively, are aware
that Mexico has produced over one-third
of the silver in existence. 1t may be In.
tsresting to know that silver to the value
I, of.no less than $40, ,000, coo was mined In
the year 1896. Those who followed the
campaign speeches OF 1896 will not need
TO be told that Mexico is on silver basis
f. Alo AtuoEloaH 0ptAhE 40 thAQ0u tkiCi6 ~ ~
in Mexican currency, and yet one Of
Mexico's dollars will buy as much thert
as one of our dollars here.
For dollar silver. in the city of Mexi'
CO, any one can eat in the best hotels as
good dinner as one could get here In
some of the best appointed restaurants
and in some OF the interior states living
is still more reasonable.
= Mexico's reputation as an unhealthy
country has long since been dispelled. In
deed, the country has number OF b ealtt
reAorts patronized to a considerable ex,
tent by foreigners. Hot and cold water
springs abound in the country, and th,
land rises to ell degrees Of altitude, from
sea-level to 1900 feet The climate during
the summer months seldom averag es
above 63 degrees Earenheit.
The Mexican peon or day laborer, IL bl
Is lucky. can earn % to 30 cents day.
Yet sc How is the cost of living that b,
is generally oontented with his lot. Car
penters. masons and machinists get 81 o.
so o q day, and some OF them get $l.s5
job printers usually earn " day.
The reason for such low wages Is easily
found in the way the natives work ant
live. Enormous quantities OF natoxa
produce, such as mahogany, pine, bam
boo, aud cotton surround them on all
sides within days travel, and the COS
of the transportation of the raw meteris
Is thus reduced to a minimum. and ther,
is no iopg winter TO prlng narusnip 20 tni
laborer. so that he works in the oper
country tee year round.
Thus it is that Mexico has become vel
launched on the road to prosperit,
through the direct results of the govern
ment liberal policy toward foreign capi
talists and immigrants, the suppression
of disorder, the means of communication
and the extension of Its railroads.
It is an Interesting commentary thai
at the time when Mexican dollars begal
to depreciate in yalue,a rise In the pric
of all imported articles began in the re
public. From this era dates the develop
Inent OF the country's wool and eott0i
Industries.
The Constitution of Mexico and that o
the several states Is very much like tina
of the United states. The courts are Oh
ganizsd on the plan Of ours, although til
practice tends more to the Roman tina
s6 the English common law