El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-14

TOMORROW president Porfirio Diaz
of Mexico and president William
Howard Taft of the United
States will celebrate their birthdays
General Diaz will then become an oc-
tegenarian, while president Taft will
attain to his fifty-third year. 1t is
singular coincidence that General Diaz,
who has done so much to perpetuate
the liberty of Mexico should have been
born on the very eve of the Mexican
Fourth of July. He was born on the
day preceding the passing of the sec
ond decade of Mexican independence,
for it was on the sixteenth of Septem
Der, 1910, that General Hidalgo took
the steps that were destined to become
the equivalent of the American declara-
ton of independence. Although for
eleven years the heads of Hidalgo and
three of his fellow patriots remained
affixed on the spikes and exposed
above the walls of the fortress at
Gu2najuata, the spirit that led them
to proclaim Mexico's freedom from the
Castilian yoke remained with their fol-
lowers until the Yorktown of Mexico
was fought in 1921, nine years before
the birth of General Diaz
Many Mexican Holidays.
The celebration in Mexico City will
cover practically the entire month of
September, but their climax will come
on Friday, when every Mexican will
join in the fiesta of Centennial Day
When the Mexicans have a holiday
they do things up to the queens taste,
for they are an experienced people
in the matter of holiday giving. There
are 131 holidays in the Mexican cal
endar, including Sundays and il ~usu-
ally takes one day to get sobered down
for business after each holiday. The
United States will be represented by
special embassy at the Centennial Day
celebrations, and thousands of Ameri-
cans will be in Mexico City for that
occasion
American Trade There.
The people of the United States well
may feel a deep interest in the affairs
of our sister republic below the Rio
Grande, since it is there that Ameri-
can trade reaches its high water mark
of supremacy. The Mexicans get 66
percent of all their imports from the
United States, and send so percent Of
their exports TO this country. England
and Germany both have come to realize
that American interests are supreme in
Mexican trade circles and practically
are conceding that field to the United
States. That the United States is TAX
ing advantage Of this concession is
shown by the fact that nearly $1,000
600, 600 of American capital is invested
IN Mexican enterprises. The rod of
wealth north of the Rio Grande is smit-
ing the rock of undeveloped resources
in Mexico and making a stream of
golden treasure TO flow from it. There
are more than 10000 Americans in
Mexico today and the Mexican govern
ment, seeing that they are doing so
much toward making that country a
land of present opportunity, is extend
ing them hearty welcome.
Temperate Climate.
Few people realize that nearly one
half of the entire territory of Mexico
lies north of the sOUthernmost point
of the United States, and fewer still
know that practically half of this ter
ritory is on tablelands. so high that the
climate is as cool as the most> temper
ate part of the United States. The
country has a eoastline almost as long
as that Of the United tSates, although
its area is only about ,one-third as
great Its population amounts to ap-