The Washington herald., 1913-10-26
Porfirio Diaz Welcomed Our Capitalists
To Develop Mexicos Great Resources
Former President Realized Advantage Of Having Yankee
Gold Ingenuity and Energy to Open Mines, Build
Factories, and Cultivate Lands, Says
James B. Morrow

have a proposition in that directions
fine oppor--'
Each American chose and qualified
himself for speciality. The dealer in
mines said: Keep out of agriculture /"
The dealer in sugar or rubber lands
warned his incoming, countrymen that
most OF the mines are empty holes in
the ground" The dealer in coffee plan
tations scoffed at fruits The banker,
lending to all who had collateral. was
miscellaneous in his cheer and testi-
mony. There is money in anything" :"
he declared. provided the price is
right" Sound advice in Mexico and
everywhere else. In the meanwhile the
Mexican. apparently unconscious of the
bargaining going on around him, knew
the value Of the property he possessed.
He at least kept his head.
Americans built trolley lines, lighting
plants, and water works. They started
laundries and dairies. A hundred Yankee
business men could be seenson San Fran
cisco Street, Mexico City, at any busi-
ness hour of the day. Signs bearing
American names were over doors. Mex
lean merchants hung notices in their
windows notifying strangers that Eng
lish is spoken within"
And Hop Lee advertised in long, fat
lettering that he keep an American
Restaurant" An accomplished journalist
from Boston edited a ten-page daily
newspaper and received the dispatches
OF the Associated Press. At the tele-
graph office in Monterey, which city Is
the Pittsburgh of Mexico the half-blood
operator left his key, came to me at the
counter and wrote in a full, round An
glo-SaXon style OF penmanship that, ~
don't understand English when spoken.
but 1 can read it,
what Diaz Was working For.
The second army Of invasion from the
United States took railroads machinery
and money into Mexico. Americans who
were enterprising. courteous, and liberal
were given rights on streets and rivers
and the opportunity OF selling things to
the government
Gen. Diaz told the interviewer who is
writing these lines that when the work
ingmen of Mexico were given better
wages, when they were taken from the
novels and put into comfortable houses.
and when they became sober, ambitious,
Industrious and intelligent, the republic
would be guaranteed against disorder.
He believed that Americans, citizens OF
the model nation of the world" could
help in that great work.
A railroad-the first in the country
lEOh vera STuL, On Ine GulI Oh Mexico,
to Mexico City. 264 miles distant. had
been open to traffic three years when
Dlaz seized the Presidency. Only a little
while before S20,oC0,OO0 of goods were an
nually carried to Mexico City over the
mountains from Vera Cruz on the backs
Of donkeys.
The railroad gave Mexico its first touch
of modern life. Diaz saw in each loco
motive a new and powerful engine of
war-it could transport troops to places
where they were required. Moreover, II
brought outside interests into the in
ternal affairs of the republic and gave
his government added stability.
John Lind. Mr.. Confidential Agent" as
Gamboa, Foreign Minister. sarcastically
calls him, made his journey from the
Gulf coast TO Mexico City and back again
operation when he expelled Lerdo at the
point of the bayonet and began his long
1t was financed by English
men, though Mexico voted il a subsidy
of $14,O00OOO.
The road makes a descent of 1892 feet
almost a mile and a half-from the City
of Mexico to the coast. The journey
takes one into white fogs so dense that
are shut from view. There are short
the trains, slowly coasting behind a dou-
looks at times as II the ends would meet
and form a circle.
Clutching the sides of the mountains,
the train creeps down. At one place,