Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-02


laws from all people who are not citizens
of the United States or Mexico. Down
here In the capital, and scattered all over
the republic, are colonies OF Engiishmen.
Germans French. Italians and other Euro
peans. most of whom are business men and
do large trade. The Germans aud French
are moropolizing the retail business OF
Mexico; Italians are coming IN quite rap
Idly. They are farming. keeping restaurants
and hotels. fancy grocery stores and other
retail shops while the English do large
commission business control valuable min
Ing properties. manage railroads and are
concerned In other large transactions, We
want their trade In the United States, but
this head -money tax at the border is re-
garded indgnity. and makes them 50
angry that they prefer to so to Europe 70
buy goods rather than to St Louis, Chicago
or rev York That paragraph OF the Inn
migration law has cost the merchants ara
manufacturers of the United States millions
of dollars In trade year after year, ana YET
Congress will not repeal it. The American
ambassador to Mexico, the Mexican ampas-
sador at Washington, our conSuls on Inc
border the railway officials and others have
brought the facts to the attention OF our
government repeatedly. but Congress has
never even considered proposition 10
amend the law
A year or two ago a distinguished British
statesman attracted public attention to the
subject by refusing to pay the head-moneS
tax. and 1t was hoped at that time that ms
experience would accomplish something, out
1t did not.
The Dry Season.
This is not good time of year to see the
farms along the railway. 1t Is the dry sea-
son, and the world wears somber robe
The farmers are beginning to piow, now
ever. and vast areas as far as the eye can
see are now being prepared for seed There
has been very little change in the methoos
of farming. The Mexicans still insist upon
using a crooked stick with the point slloa
with iron instead of a modern ptoW- II
answers every purpose. however ana L
do not see that their crops are any smaller
or any less valuable for that reason. Here
and there is found progressive haciendaao
who uses labor saving machinery III cul-
tivating the ground and gathering the
harvest but he always has great difhculty
in persuading his native iaborers to ADOPT
new-fangled notions They prefer the means
and the measures of their fathers lhere
are no Americans farming on the me OF the
National Railroad, but on the ROAD between
Monterey and Tampico are seVerai tarS
and prosperous colonies from our north
western states.
The curse of Mexico is the NONRESIDENT
land owner, and he Is quite numerous. "a
large proportion of the territory between
the Rio Grande and the City of Mexico Is
held in enormous estates BY spanish anu
Mexican owners who live in Paris or ma
drid and spend their incomes abroad 1he3
seldom come to this country They never
make any improvements. They exact from
their administrators every centavo that they
can get out of the ground and keep thell
employees and tenants in a condition OF ser
yitude Some of these estates comprise
millions of acres. Our train over the Ma
tional road ran sixty-five miles without
leaving the estate OF one very Ilch ioi'-
resident
Land Tax Discussed.
Measures have frequently been discussed
for bringing these people to time and every
few years a land tax of a few cents an
acre is agitated, but the government does
not want to stir up trouble for Itself. II
does not consider it polite to antagonlze
these wealthy aristocrats President DlaZ
and his advisers believe that matters Will
adjust themselves sooner or later, and II
is true that the large estates. particularly
in the hot zone along the guif coast ana III
the southern part of the republic, are
breaking up and are being sold Tor coloiii-
cation purposes. The feudal system sun
survives to considerable extent In Mexico.
Some Of these absentee landlords have
thousands of tenants upon their estates VINO
regard them with reverence and loyalty ana
might make serious disturbances If they
were so influenced. Then, again the land
lords are very influential with the church
They contribute literally TO its funds Many
of them actually own the churches on their
estates, and even In the cities, and controi
the disposition we'll as the action of the
padres who, Notwithstanding the reform
laws, are sun the most 4lIlLciltIol tIN4SSl''
OF Mexico.
1t is the policy of the government TO cuI-
tivate the aTistocracy and reconcile them
to the republic, which is being done very
RAPIDLY President DiaZ has practically
broken up the clerical or conservative par
ty in that way, and has appointed to office
and as members Of his staff the represen-
tatives of some of the most reactionary
and violent imperialists who are now recon
ciled to the republic
hi
There is a great deal of mining all along
the Mexican National lines. You can see
piles Of ore lying on the ground awaiting
shipment to the smelters. Some of 1t has
been brought out OF the mountains on the
backs of burros, and it must be very valu-
able to endure that sort of transportation
There have been no sensational discoveries
In eastern Mexico lately, but We frequently
hear of them on the Pacific coast
The rancheros are breeding up their
horses, cattle and sheep almost without
exception. They have come to realize that
there Is more money in good cattle than
poor stock. and hence they import hlgb-
grade bulls from the United States, They
are taking not only registered Herefords
and shorthorns. but many Holsteins also
and Jerseys for milk and butter. They are
also importing high-bred stations and rams
from Kentucky Mexico has been the
source of supply of beef cattle for the
United States when there is a shortage H.
the home market, but the lean, tough long
horned animals from this side of the Dor
der are no longer salable at any price.
The ranchmen have learned that they must
grade up their steers to sell them in the
United States. For that reason the i'm
ports of cattle from Mexico into the United
States have fallen from 81 coo COO or more
annually to 100000 or $4,000 worth, while
the shipments from the United States to
Mexico are increasing in value, although
they are still limited in number. For ex-
ample last year more than GOO head of
registered bulls and cows were brought