Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-12-10
MExICo's NEW TERRITORY.
Conquest of Portion of Yucatan VIII
open Up Rich Country to Inn
migration.

Qulntana Roo is the odd name of
new territory which the federal gov
eminent of Mexico proposes to carve
out of the long unconquered portion
Of Southeastern Yucatan, says Thorn
as r. Dawley. Jr., in the Outlook.
For many years the independent
Mayas of this region not only have
bid defiance to the Mexican arms,
but at one time they carried the war
to the vary walls of Merida, the cap
ital of the country. Last year the
MeMcans established a landing upon
the coast just above British Hon
duras, in the Chetumal bay, and took
possession of the abandoned town
Of Bacarla, the inha bitants of which
had been massacred by the Indians
on one fatal night some so years ago.
With Bacarla as a. base, the troops
column from the opposite direction
and succeeded in taking the mythical
city of Chan Santa Cruz, the Indian
stronghold. The city proved to be
an old mission town of the Francis
cans which had been, abandoned by
them years before the Mayas rose in
rebellion, and which had been forgot
ten in the legendary history of the
natives. With the taking of this
stronghold the power of the rebels
was broken; since that time the fed
eral government has been studying
various plans to open up the coun-
try to immigration and foreign in
vestments.
1t is now proposed to give it ter
ritorial government, separating it
from the state of Yucatan. Presi-
dent Diaz, according to the provi-
sion established by law, has fixed
the price of land at two dollars per
hectare, and a large colonization
company has already obtained con-
cession of $4,000 hectares, which it
intends to exploit Immediately for
the rich cabinet woods, dyewoods
and gum chicle.
Some idea of the size of this new
territory may be formed by compar-
ing the peninsula of Yucatan with
England, which it nearly equals in
area. Although the bounds of the
proposed territory are as yet unde-
dering the Caribbean sea and the
River Hondo. which separates it from
British Honduras, it will probably
take in one-third of the peninsula,
or 10000 square miles of territory.
all of which is to be opened up to the
immigrant and venturesome capital
list. This country is covered with
great forests of logwood, mahogany,
gum chicle and cedar trees, and in
the interior, beyond the forests. are
great savannas, or plains, covered
with luxuriant grass, suitable for
cattle raising. The soil of this coun-
try is so rich that the Indian who
Inhabited it never required the use
of a pillow, not even a hoe, to raise
his much-needed corn, which is his
chief food. He simply cut down the
trees. let them dry through the sea-
son. and then, setting fire to them,
the ground was ready for the corn,
which he planted with a sharpened
stake, simply making hole in the
soil, dropping the corn in, and COW
cring it up with his foot.
All that this rich territory now re-
quires for it's development is pop
ula ton, and that the Mexican gov
eminent is seeking to the best of its
ability. Criminals and many of the
undesirable residents of Mexico are
being sent there. as are also the
wives and children of the Yauui
braves who are carrying on a war
against the federal government of
Sonora. Once in the territory, they
are kept under surveillance, accord
ing to the degree of their crimes
or made to work out a sentence ac-
cordingly. Plans have been submit
ted to the government for dredging
out canal at Bacarla Chico into
Chetumal bay, to enable vessels
drawing Is feet to enter from the
sea, thus avoiding the necessity of
going further down into British wa
tiers around Albergris Key. The es-
tablishment of port in this vicinity
is. already looked upon by the mer-
chants of Belize as a great injury to
their fast disappearing trade. But
what will be the greatest achieve
ment of the Mexican is the estab-
lishment of a port and the building
of a future city on Ascension bay,
further up the coast. While Pro-
.greso, the only port of Yucatan, is
merely an open roadstead on the
| north coast, Ascension bay is a tran
quill sheet of water, furnishing a safe