The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-05
DIAZ TO COOPERATE.
VIII Try to Have Tax Placed
on UnOccupied Land.
This VIII Force the Owners to
Sell to Company.

The Rock Island now has q colonial
Efen plan on foot which rivals the i'm
mense work OF this kind which has
been undertaken by the Santa F'e
While the Santa Fe Is sending hun
dreds of Dunkards and Mennonites to
the sugar beet country of Colorado,
and starting the tide Of foreign inml-
grafton in the direction of the San Juan
valley and southern California, the
Rock Island is perfecttng plans to
colonice the vast unoccupied tracts OF
land in old Mexico.
In this work the Rock Island will re-
ceive the cooperation of the Mexican
government, and also of the Mexican
Central railway, OF which a A. HoDlh-
son is president
AS soon as the Rock Islands extern
sion from Liberal to FL Paso is com
plsted it is the purpose OF the company
to begin running a series OF homeseek-
ers' excursions into Mexico, ana II Is
expected that these viii result in many
seking permanent residence there
The first move in this direction was
made when the passenger department
Of the CON any sent an agent to the
CITY of Mexico with a view to engag-
ing the attention of a large land COM
pany and paving the way to place the
lands in question on the market some
time ago General Passenger agent
John Sebastian visited all the import
ant cities OF Mexico and appointed
Rock Island agents with instructions
that the colonization features were TO
be constantly placed before the pubic
Before extensive colonization can be
done it will be necessary to have the
laws OF Mexico changed, and it is un-
derstood that President Diaz is in SYM
pathy with the movement in TINS dlrec-
ton Under the present land laws no
tax can be collected for unoccupied
and unused lands. Owing to this fact
many thousand acres of fertile lands
in Mexico are lying idle and the own
ers are not anxious To do anything
with them, for the reason that they
cost nothing to maintain
Mr. Sebastian said in regard to this
that he had reason to believe President
Diaz was heartily in favor of placing
a tax upon unused lands. and if this
is done IL win have the effect of plac-
ing many thousand acres of fertile
Mexican lands on the market at once
When such time arrives there are
several capitalists who stand ready to
invest large sums in these lands with
a view to cooperating with the Rock
Island IN the effort to colonize them
Mr.. Sebastian said:
our colonization pkns are not per-
fected. but we intend to do a large
work in that direction as soon as con-
ditiOns are favorable. Few people re-
alfze the possibilities of Mexico from a
comm ercia1 standpoint There are
countless acres of land of the most
fertile character lying idle within
easy reach of TRANSPORTATION facilities.
These lands are adapted to raising all
kinds Of tropical fruits. to farming. to
the rubber tree industry. and to a
dozen other industries. The people who
own these lands have not the enter
prise nor money to develop them, and
see no reason why they should not be
colonized with industrious people from
the states The government of Mexico
IS heartily in favor of the plan, and if
the laws are changed so as to place a
tax on these lands it viii greatly aid
the undertaking.