The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-28
IN THE CITY OF MEXICO
A COMPANY OF INDIANIANS ON A
VISIT TO THE SUMNER LAND.
Under President Diax Mexico Is a
WelI-GOverned COuntry-Law and
Order Firmly Established.

Ill Of MEAlCO, jan Z3.-tgudrteFeQ
in the former palace OF Emperor Iturbide,
looking from its windows at new civiIiza-
ton arising from the ruins of an old one,
and mingling with soft-voiced, courteous
people in strange garb. who have long ago
become accustomed to the idosyncrasies Of
the traveller and are now striving TO give
him what he has been accustomed to, the
change that made June OF January does
not seem so marvellous.
AT the bull fight Sunday afternoon II was
surprising to note the extent Of American
fashions. The Mexican woman has seized
upon the ideas of the American dressmaker
and the native modiste brightens the
streets with her marvellous arrangements
in colors so brilliant they would be regard
ed loud" at home. Taking the sugar.
loafed hats from the men, the narrow
streets, with their boarded-up windows,
doors opening directly on the sidewalks,
residences with only one door through
which carriages and visitors afoot alike
find ingress. the City of Mexico reminds
one of the outlying streets of Paris or of
an Italian town. Everyone is walking
slowly and talking rapidly. The men meet
and exchange caresses, "beso soplade," or
blowing the kiss is seen on every hand,
there is courteous word on every lip for
friend or stranger alike-an air of satisfied
good-felowship that is a relief after the
hurrying, pessimistic, distrustful crowds of
the cities Of the United States.
The party Of investors and investigators
that left indianapolis Jan. II was composed
OF II E. Rose and family Frank Sloan,
DR.. N. ID. Woodland and Bruce Maxwell,
or Indianapolis; w. d. Owen and B. f.
Keesling. of Logansport: Carroll C. Kent,
of Kentland; p. J. OBrien, of Elwood, and
A r. Keesling. of Cincinnati. At Terre
Haute a party was found at the station
preparing to travel over another road via
Ell Paso, to the City Of Mexico. there to
unite with the Indianapolis party on the
trip to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec 1t was
composed OF Willard Kidder, A. Condit, ].
w. Landrum. ]. s. Madison. w. C. Doak,
w. H. Allbrecht and W.. I. Overstreet of
Terre Haute, Nat u. Hill of Bloomington,
and G. A. Danielson of Hamlet.
DR.. Woodland had been selected at a meet
ing Of the stockholders in the Ubero Plan
tation Company to make an impartial re-
port of conditions as he found them. The
Indianapolis party left st. Louis over the
Texas & Pacific and Iron Mountain, trav-
cling by the most direct route, through
Little Rock, Texarkana, Palestine and San
Antonio to Loredo. the frontier. where the
Rio Grande was crossed to the nation of
mystery. Former Secretary of State Owen
had made the trip many times and personal
acquaintance with officers of the road Sc
cured Unusual courtesies. A special car was
at the disposal of the company to Loredo.
There another special car. on the Mexican
National Railroad, was in readiness.
A SUMMER LAND.
The second morning out the train stop
ped long enough at San Antonio for the
party to realize the progress south that
had been made. Roses were blooming in
the public parks, barefooted children play
in the streets-little semblance of January
in the air. The days in Mexico City are the
days Riley likes, with weather ''knee-deep
in June in January. Overcoats comfort
able until Loredo was reached were dis
carded to be resumed late in the evening
of the first day in Diaz's capital. Straw
hats, left at home, were not missed. The
Mexican wears his sombrero. sugar-loafed
and many colored straw tilted over his
but his friendly Isl senor,' accompanied by
grin, showed no intent to commit personal
assault. was harbored by the heavy black
eyebrows. Charles f. Lummis, a self-de-
clared authority on the subject, says Mex
leo is "the safest country in North Amer
ica." In some respects provisions are made
for safety that are pattern to the United
States. There are no professional jurymen
in Mexico. To serve on a jury a Mexican
must have a diploma in medicine, law or
the like. an income of 500 month, or be
a member of a family whose head has an
income of $1,000 year. The jury consists
of nine men. If these nine are unanimous
there is no appeal.
The Mexican bandit has been wiped out
President Diaz accomplished this after pre-
decessors had failed. He had a practical
way of giving orders to kill them as fast
as caught-and following this up with
catching them. No one ever heard of
burning at the stake, such as the torture
20 which Coleman, the Maysville colored
murderer, was subjected by the Ken
lucky mob, with Mexican men as the
"avenging angels" Mexico is an absolute
republic with citizens as free as our own
And yet the ends of justice are attained
without hangings. There are no hangings
in Mexico and, except in the army and
when brigands are captured, no capital
punishment. AT Pueblo is a state prison
that would be a pattern for many of the
institutions of the United States. The
credit system, introduced recently in our
penal institutions. has prevailed in almost
the same form for many years among the
Mexicans-in fact since Diaz assumed the
presidency the country has been made safe
by humane laws, humanely and wisely
ecuted, making for the tourist and the
investor alike a protection to life and prop
erty that stay-at-homes would not dream.
A COUNTRY OF CHURCHES.
The number Of churches that Mexico has
had first impresses itself. The traveller
cannot try hostelries without sooner or
later finding himself lodged in an ex-con-
vent or a cathedral on the retired list. He
orders an equipage from the livery stable
around the corner, which was once a
church, and drives about to see the prisons,
schools and other public buildings, only to
find that they have descended from ecclesi-
astical uses into worldly institutions. Mex
leo is Catholic country, but the Catholic
Church has less freedom than is accorded
ii in the United States or abroad. No
-fst L. ell