New-York tribune., 1901-02-03
MEXICO REVISITED.
DISSERTATIONS OF 4 Z. s. Ey.
SECRETARY OF STATE
SAYS MEXICo's ADVANCEMENT IN LAST
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS UNEoCALLEn
BY ANY OTHER NATION
City of Mexico. January

N'tS VI N4s@lCu. January n
In 1915 7 made my first visit to Mexico Afs-
residence Of seven years left the country .,
1880. The twenty years which have intervensS
up TO my present visit have been momentum,
ones for this republic II has not been a his,o--
OF martial achievements which are geuerauv
thought TO make the life Of a nation glor,or.
for they have been years of unbroken even mo
notonous. peace But in this period the count-
has experienced development in its resources
industries, commerce. wealth. social and poitcaI
order. education and general intelligence nm
equsIled by any ether country On the globe
Believing that could do nv own countrvms,
a service by making public the observations ana
impressions my present visit Of this develor
rlent Of our next door neighbor. I have agreed
to write for The Tribune a series Of letters cov-
ering the most important features cf this won
dsrful advancement in Mexico.
The first thing which strikes visitor to-s.,,
who knew Mexico quarter Of a century ago
is the facility and comfort with which tSo
journey to the City of Mexico is now made When
l set about the preparations for my Journey =,
1878 1 found that the only means Of reeuIar
communication was by a steamer from New
York, departing from that port every tbras
weeks, and which occupied usually twelve days
in reaching Vera Cruz, stopping at a number Of
ports en- route. From that port to the City Of
Mexico railroad had been finished that year.
which had been nineteen years in construction. a
distance Of 264 miles. To-day four lines OF rail-
road enter the Mexican Republic from the
United States. and one can make the journey in
five days from New-York to the City Of Mexico
in Pullman car on the regular trains. with
only one change. either at Kansas City or New
Orleans
PEACE AND SECURITY.
visitor 70 Mexico is the everywhere prevailing
evidence Of peace and security TO persons and
property. Books of travel on Mexico written
twenty-five years and more ago are full OF hair
breadth escapes from bandits. assaults upon the
diligences. Kidnapping OF the rich for ransom
and the depredations OF robbers and revoIu-
tionists. The passenger train between the City
Of Mexico and Vera Cruz. the only railroad IN
the country. carried car full Of soldiers as an
armed guard. and even with that precaution the
male passengers usually wore side arms and a
guard Of soldiers was kept at every station. No
man OF business or Of Importance ventured on
journeys outside Of the cities. large towns or
haciendas plantation houses surrounded by a
high stone walD without a number Of friends
heavily armed or a regular escort To-day
trains running daily in almost every State
Of the republic without any guards assaults
mapping is thing Of the past. robberies on the
highways are almost unknown. travellers armed
with pistols. rifles and swords "a common prac-
tice in the pasD a~s rarely seen. and only in the
remote and mountainous districts The use Of
large bodies OF soldiers TO preserve peace and
order has been sUpplanted by individual gems
darTnes. or policemen. Besides the visitors own
observation Of security and peace. the old resi-
dents Of Mexico will tell him that in this re-
spect the country has undergone a completes
transformation
On my trip to this city last month. IN the
FIVE days after leaving Washington made a
note Of the events Of outlawry and public vio-
lence occurring in the United States which
read OF in the daily papers en- route. emitting
individual murders and ordinary personal crimes.
The catalogue was as follows: The details Of the
two Rockport Ond) lynchins affairs were still
being published A dispatch from New-Mexico
reported that faro and gambling houses were
wide open, that street fights were OF common
occurrence. that three men had Just been killed
in saloon. and that the authorities seemed to
regard all these as matters Of course. A car
nival of bank rohbing and safe blowing appeared
to be prevailing all over the Union. as incidents
OF this character were teiegraphed from two
places in Illinois two In louisiana. one each IN
Indiana. Ohio. Tennessee and Texas. and in most
cases il was reported the outlaws got away
safely with their booty. The successful kdnap-
ping OF young Cudahy at Omaha occupied COL
umns Of the newspapers. The workmen IN the
Southern Pacific Railroad yards at Algiers. Just
opposite New w-Orleans, it was reported had 10
be protected at night by armed guards from
assassins And. finally, another OF the chronic
vendettas of Kentucky was published Win sN
killed and twelve wounded
oUTLAwRY OF RARE OCCURRENCE
The foregoing is not an unusual record Of out
Iawry for the United States. but II Is one when
can find no parallel in Mexico to-day. 1t Wouio
be idle to say that murder. robbery and disorder
do not occur here for that would be to assert
that the passions of men have changed; but IL
is perfectly correct TO say that to-day outlaWry
is Of rare occurrence in Mexico. and that IN rev
countries of the world is better protection anoro
cd 20 persons and property In the last twenty
years the telegraph lines have more than tre0'eu
in extent and in number OF Offices. and now al
midnight there comes UP TO the National PaIaee
in the City OF Mexico from every near and re-
mote town in the republic the message. NO nay
uovedad" Ii is like the cry Of the medieval
watchman at midnight. "All's wsll!' that as
sured the citizen Of peace and security
The primary cause Of this state OF civil order
has been the maintenance Of governlhsh' %
peace and OF a continuous constitutional regime
Since the advent Of General Porhrlo DAaz "
power in 1876, there has been no roreisn wal
and no serious disturbance OF an internai enai
acter the only exception being the outoreaA -
certain neutrality-suspicious. Indian tribes. /" '"'
previous ffty years Of the existence Of the re-
public there had been as many presidents tie
majority Of whom owed their existence 10 rsVO,
Mexican history of that period is 700 familiar