Arizona republican., 1908-08-02
THE REAL MEXICO.

The Saturday Evening Post, a
weekly paper founded by Benjamin
Franklin, and still published in Phila-
! delphia, has acquired a great circula-
ton throughout the United States. Its
editorial articles, crisp and photographic
are widely read and quoted. IN a re-
cent issue, the Saturday Evening Post
remarked.
BY some means the attitude of a
people toward their government must
express itself. A small instruction in
Mexico calls attention to the exceed
ing rarity, in later years, of such
events in a country where they were
I once staple occurrence-publisab
in set form like the baseball scores
and receipts of wheat at Chicago"
The journal founded by Franklin
may well remark on the rarity of dis
turbances in this peaceful and we'll
governed country. During the long
years of the administration of General
Diaz, Mexico has been devoting her
energies to works of peace and pro-
gress. His guiding principle has been
Much administration and little poll
tics" and the results are before the
worlds eyes. Solvency has replaced
bankruptcy, great lines of railways
traverse the country and the national
wealth in thirty years has at the least
quintupled Education has been plant
ed in every town and hamlet, and the
training of teachers has of late kept
pace with the expansion of the public
school system. The exterior trade of
the country, immensely increased, re-
h.. - 1
the busy foreign colonies" large fac
tors in the growth of all the chief in
dustries. The undermining of Mexico
is due primarily to the statesmanlike
genius of Porfirio Diaz who began, in
1878, to place the country in closer
touch with the outside world, The
Saturday Evening Post summarizes a
few facts:
In government revenue and foreign
trade, Mexico now ranks with Sweden.
Her foreign trade is two-thirds that
of Spain. She has more miles of rail-
way and telegraph than Italy
This important industrial position
is almost altogether a creation of
Diaz's government Under his bene-
ficent regime, our merchandise trade
with Mexico has increased elevenfold.
THE United States trade with Mexi-
co is as great as with China and Japan
combined; sixty per cent as great as
with Canada; very nearly as great as
with France; five times as great as
with Spain. Excepting England, Ger
many and France, there is no Euro
pean country with which we have as
large a trade as with Mexico"
nj ,c l.,
of Mexico and the United States the
press of the great northern republic
which for many years has been not
ing its various phases, has today
more intelligent comprehension of
Mexican affairs than, say, fifteen or
twenty years ago, when any wild
story about Mexico had only to be
printed to be believed by American
newspaper readers. 1t has come to be
perceived that this is an orderly coun-
try, else its trade, domestic and foreign
would not grow from year to year;
that a turbulent nation could not en-
joy the high credit of Mexico in the
great money markets of the world is
also evident.
Nor does foreign capital seek in
vestment in a country scourged by
revolutions, and it is safe to estimate
the amount of such capital coming
here since General Diaz became presi-
dent at not less than $1,250O0O. 900
This money has been "nationalized" in
very real sense, for it has been in
vested permanently, and in ways pro-
ductive of new wealth.
Just as the present high position of
the United States among the nations
is due to an enlightened policy to-
wards foreigners and foreign capital. |
so has Mexico made her greatest gains
under the liberal and progressive Diaz
regime.
Foreign commentators. we are pleas
ed to find, dwell nowadays on the solid
lndlsputable proofs of MeXico's pro-
gress and tranquility-The Mexican
Herald.