The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-04-29
Why The Southwest
COVetS Bal ia California

fetal dispatches, namely to suppress
all trade in contraband of war. This |
task is the more difficult one of keep
ing the land-hungry from entering up
on the attractive wilderness that OPP
ems invitingly before them across the
border of Lower California.
If President Taft would prevent the
peaceful invasion of the peninsula,
which after nearly one hundred years
of Mexican control has increased
neither in population nor wealth, he
will have to give Gen. Bliss more
troops than the few squadrons with
which the border is patrolled today.
Lower California is certainly the
least known and most unsettled Sec
ton of Mexico, and yet it was here,
at La Paz, that Cortez attempted a
settlement seventy years before
jamestown was founded. Many times
the conquering American flag has
been unfurled over these arid plains,
and it is one of the few places from
which, once raised, the Stars and
Stripes have been withdrawn.
This province is governed from
the City of Mexico as a territory di
vided into two districts, each in
charge of chief executive and a mill
tary officer. 1t is over 700 miles in
length, while in breadth it varies
from 35 to 40. It's population is esti-
mated at 5000, and is probably less.
Taking on the coastwise settlements,
it is said that 5000 persons, largely
of Indian blood, are scattered over
10000, 900 acres of land.
Undoubtedly large sections of the
, country are anything but promising to
/ wouldbe settlers. Much of the coun-
try is mountainous, and there are ex'
2 tensive deserts of hot, barren plains
: almost waterless. The Valley of Quad
: aloupe, above the northern town o
: Ensenada in the frontier province, i:
. an exception, and presents the same
S attractions as do the great farming
: valleys of Upper California.
Scattered here and there in La
Frontera are excellent tracts o.
= farming land, such as the Valley o
: San Telmo and Rosario, and along
the Hardy and Colorado Rivers there
9 are hundreds of thousands of acres o
t level and fertile land, which by recla
nation could be made extremely pro
> ductive. The land of the so-calle}
t Colorado Desert is also alluvial an,
produces heavily after irrigation, al
/ does that about San Quentin.
e In Central and Lower California thu
e most extensive plains are found, sucl
II as Liebre and the Magdalena. The,
n border on the Pacific Ocean, and cor
e tain hundreds of thousands of acre
e of level land. There is no doubt
e. could these plains be cleared of cact
and reached by water, they would de
le velop high agricultural value. Their
IL is a strong probability that ample wa
III ter supplies could be found at dept
L of a very few feet
a. The Cape region, the southernmos
province of the peninsula, is undoub
a. eddy the most productive. The fan
n GUS San Jose valley and the countr
n about San Jose del Cabo are simpl
N extensive and most beautiful garden
ly while the lands suitable for farmin
I'd purposes in the La Frontera distri'
lie are most extensive, in the Sierras
er the Southern districts there is
rs much greater visible supply of waite
Immense arroyos," as one observe
nd writes, "hoored with fertile soil an
es watered by small streams, are to
err found" These arroyo spots are unsu
Sc passed for their productiveness, al
IN support the greater part of the pop
ot lation of the peninsula.
ut Some of the most stirring episode
on of our war with Mexico took place
the lower peninsula of Californi
~ Two battalions of our marines and
ri fighting regiment of New York volu
an teers, operating from La Paz as
he base, conquered the native Califori
lie ans, the Mexican troops, and the
w Yaqui Indian allies in 1S47.
ro- The country was governed by o
"a soldiers in 184S, and then, by d
nd treaty of Guadalupe, the coveted !
he ninsula was handed back to MexiC
err The why and whereof of this inco
Pc seauential course has never been
err planned. Mr., Larkin, the Consular A
ay ent on the coast, who had worked
mt bring about the war. and our nav
u.s. officers in the Pacific were In favor
ar. annexation. and with this object
view Immediately upon the guthrie
lot OF hostllities the ports Of the pen