The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-01-22
OLD MEXICO AND
HER REVOLUTIONS
A Timely and Interesting Topic Clearly
Handled in a Paper Read Before the
Chautauqua Circle at the Old Prison
by lotto Mobile"
CAUSE OF SSENSION

CAUSE OF DISSENSION
While my subject is Of huge
proportions and volumes have been
filled concerning it, have had time
for perusing but two of the mentioned
volumes; published in 1907, and as
my personal knowledge is some
what lacking in proportion. ! will
quote parts from the author, Percy
+. Martin f. r. G. S., and agree
with Mr. Owens who confessed
that, The more l know | know, l
know the less
Five and twenty years ago, who
on all the earth would have invested
his money in a Mexican bank; have
trusted his savings in a Mexican
mine; or have considered it a safe
and prudent thing to 90 to Mexico
at all? The answer is: it has tri-
umphed over time; has made name
for itself in the Old World that
nothing can eliminate; it has before
it future as brilliant as it is GER
tain, and as solid as it has been well
earned.
A common supposition is that,
with the disappearance of Gen. Por-
tirio Diaz, either by reason of his
voluntary retirement or other cause,
the present condition of peace and
prosperity must come to an end.
This fear of collapse has been SO
frequently expressed. and always
by individuals who, never having
been in the country, can and do
know nothing whatever about it,
that the world at large has come to
believe it. There has seldom been
perpetuated more complete and
foundationless error. While it is
perfectly true that the new Mexico
owes practically everything to the
long sustained government of Porti-
rio Diaz, it's regeneration as a nation,
its rehabilitation as power among
the countries of the earth, a force
hence forth to be reckoned WITH
so thoroughly has this great soldier
statesman done his work, so we'll
has he laid the foundations, built up
the walls, and rooted over the whole
structure, that the fabric stands to-
day self-supporting and indestructi-
BILE, living and lasting monument
to the man who built it to his
strength, his devotion and his intel
ligence
1t is always difficult to convey
by means of figures any idea OF the
actual size of countries, but of Mexi-
co it may be said that it is ten times
larger than Great Britain; it has a
coast line of oyer 5000 miles; ten
VOLCANOES; ffty-nine lakes and la
goons; a total area of about $50, 900
square miles, and, in it's narrowest
portion, separates the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans by distance of only
one hundred and forty (l40) miles.
There are upwards of forty different
tribes of Indians living in the coun-
try who speak as many different
languages; while in one state alone
there are no fewer than seventy-five
dialects spoken by the natives.
Let us glance at the Republic of
Mexico today, and see what are its
CLAIMS to 3e considered a factor in
the worlds affairs;-A Public Ex-
chequer in the full tide of prosperi-
ty, and substantial surplus; it's
bonds held in every country of the
world, and quoted upon every stock
exchange; solid, well-drilled, and
devoted army of 26,000 men on
peace footing, increased at twenty
four hours notice to $4,000 upon a
war footing; 10000. miles of tele-
graph lines II 900 miles of railways;
public credit upon a level never at
tanned before; an entire absence of
jealousy or contention among gov
ernment officials, from the high to
the lowest; lack of polemlcs which
can be matched in but few countries