The Topeka state journal., 1899-11-23

rise in more imposing grandeur above
the surrounding sea of verdure, all car
peted with the brightest flowers"
Mexico is besides the sanitarium of
the world, and many invalids, especial
ly cOnSumptives, are cured there.
But nature was not cOntented with
all this, she also made Mexico the
worlds treasure house. For 300 years
she has produced one-third of all the
silver that was mined. The production
at present is more than $50, 100000 per
annum. When Lii Hung Chang was in
Washington he asked Senior Romero
how much silver Mexico was mining
and how long she could keep up the
supply. Senor Romero, trying to be
CONSERVATIVES. replied that Mexico was
turning out $50 600, 900 per year and
could keep it up for 200 years. Ii would
not hear of such thing. He insisted
that our minister had been so long
away from his own country that he had
forgotten details and that he must be
mistaken about the abundance ofsilver
Mexico expects to supply the world
with 500, 000 900 of silver per annum
soon.
Not much has been done in, the way
of gold mining in Mexico, and the
Spaniards never found the great de-
Dosits from which MOnteZuma filled his
treasure house. But the gold is there
and the rush and scramble for it may
still come, filling up the country as fast
as California filled up. In Oaxaca there
is known to be a gold belt as rich as
those of South Africa, California and
Alaska combined. What has been
wanting in Mexican mining IS modern
machinery and methods By means Of
these many rich mines that had to be
abandoned because the inrush of water
was too great for the primitive ma
chinery to contend with, will be pumped
out and worked again.
Iron in mounds and mountains and gems
as one might say, by the wagon Ioad'
quicksilver. lead-what you will-Mexco'
mineral treasures are far beyond count.
CaTeleSSueSS and ignorance OF the past
denuded the great central plateau OF the
was used for fuel and the country is now
suffering on account of this action Rail
roads and new Industry are aggraVatng
that situation. For one thing. 1t has so
seriously affected the rainfall as to pro
duce arid lands where were formerly
good farms, and for another thing it has
made fuel so scarce that coal is now sold
is very serious difficulty in the way of
developing industries.
But the fuel problem can easily be soly-
ed by working new coal fields recently
discovered and extending our railroads to
country are alive to the Importance of
doing this In Sonora alone there is a
carboniferous area of several miles IN eX-
tent, with innumerable veins from five
to sixteen feet in thickness Of hard, clean,
centage Of carbon as the best that is fur
nished by Wales. And that IS only one Of
Mexico. -
Humboldt said in 1924 that the -universi-
ties and scientific institutions of Mexico,
were then the best in Ameriea- That;
perhaps is longer true The rapid
growth of the United states in popula-
ton and wealth has enabled the univer-
stiles here to pay the highest prices and
fill their professors chairs with the best
talent With z, ,000.o00 of population, Mex
leo has 900 900 children in primary schools
supported by the federal government and
the states and in addition to these there
are 81. 900 in private schools, and 600 of
both sexes in the one hundred and thirty
six technical schools established and
maintained by the nation and the various
These free technical schools are not al
together an unmixed blessing, as the
young men of all classes attend them,
pursue a literary or professional career
and so, for the time being, the nation is
furnished with many more doctors, law
yers. etc, than can get living with their
! profession; but the rapid development Of