Bisbee daily review., 1908-10-15
PRESENT AFFAIRS
 HN OLD MEXICO

Mines and through the columns of leading paper. that usually is exceed ingly circUmspect in its comments on Mexican affairs. The discussion did not turn on any alleged injustice or Oppression that the new law would cause, for no such objections could
 be urged against it. Unnecessary land 'inexpedient" indicate the line of argument. and the points were well taken.
 Mexico is not yet strong enough to undertake unaided its own develop ment Foreign capital, particularly
 American and English. looks favor ably on it as a field for investment.
 It is a fact that much English capital prefers Mexico to the United States, partly for the very reason that would
 be abolished by the passage of this
 law. It has not yet passed and prob ably it will not The harm it has done so far has been due to more or
 less vague apprehension aroused .n the minds of investors not perfectly informed about the situation. It is impossible to estimate the actual dam. age done by the fear of it's passage Undoubtedly 1t has scared off some in. yestors, but it is probable that it's ef. | feet so far has been over-estimate5.
 'fInexpedient" is the worst that can te said of it; if passed, it will iniure
 mining in that it will tend to bar out capital of a certain temperament, but | if it is passed it will not constitute a
 valid reason for advising against in vestment in Mexican mines.
 Every hard times has it's influence,
 both constructive and destructive. On constructive lines. every advance in Imetallugy means a lower cost of pro
 luction: every company forced by CIV prieea to realize that intensive methods nave their place in mining no less than in agriculture and manufac- ! ture, adds little to tine stable founda- tion of prosperity On the other side, many of the deserving. but veal. vii. suffer. but every wildcat down and done for means so much jess rowling from the advertising chimney t.sps Of an unenlightened press, and for this boon our not-small thanks.
 The advance in mstallurgical prac- tice, particularly in the cyanidatiGr of
 silver enabling more mines to treat | thei product on the ground has in sery great measure increased the f earning power of mines in good times
 and their endurance in bad. The low price of silver, while sorely felt by many individual properties, has not | the prostrating effect on the industry 1t would have had if there had been
 no improvement in method during the past five years.
 The government IS stable and win continue so. Labor IS chesp, ard Iwher under proper management. judging by cost of resd;-s tduiiar for
 dollar, not man for man1, is n;Yrs eff
 cient than American labor Peon temperament and econom.c conditions nlake it improbable that powerful and
 orerent labor ml.uLs will ever be | ormed. It is dangerous policy foi
 a foreign company to place in charg, | of its work a man ignorant of the Ian guage, laws and customs of the coun. l try. Whether or not this leads to dis l steT depends on the man himself. and as much on temperament and per
 sonality as on ability One not infre-
 quently hears that readiness to scratch
 the itching palm is prime requisite for doing business iii Mexico. It is a
 woful mistake. Dishonest officials lexist. of course, but with the great
 majority courtesy will gain its ends bet, CT than corruption. and frankngss 1 than fraud
 General conditions are improving. despite a depressed market. There
 a reasonable profit for legitimats