Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-06-11
4 PEEP At MEXICO
The countrys Area Now and
What II Was Originally.

lie GUunlfyS AFtd NOW AIN
What II Was Originally.
HAS LOST A VAST TERRITORY.
Nearly 4 Million Square Miles Of III
Land HaWs nscn Added 10 the United
States-6tHl 8 Big Country, Though,
and Has an Enors,aous coast Lire.
It Is Interesting TO note that the area
Of Mexico Is practically as great as TINT
OF the United States between the Mis-
siasippi river and the Atlantic coast,
the great lakes and the gulf Of Mexico.
varying In altitude from sea level to
1900 feet Its climate Is affected BY
these elevations and by q range Of
eighteen degrees OF latitude. Twelve
hundred miles Is the distance traversed
In passing south from JuaTez, on the
northern boundary, to the capital, and
300 miles more to the southeastern
boundary. The gnlf of Mexico and
Caribbean sea coast line extends Tor
l,T0O niles while the Pacific ocean and
gulf or California touch 1900 miles OF
Mexican coast.
Prior to 1885 Mexico. as q Spanish
colony. and the United States covered
approximately equal areas, but the
Texas secession and the result Of the
Mexican war added nearly q million
L rrsrovn r.fHors - ~ tnrptf.,vSy oS1H kf0
extent OF Mexico nov Is less than one
fourth that Of continental United
States Mexico has shll territorial ex-
panse equal to the aggregate Of Ans
tria-Hungary, Germany, France, Great
Britain and Ireland The total area OF
the republic, 7a7y 900 square miles, Ii
less than that of Texas, California,
Montana, New Mexico and Arizona
combined.
The average density of population
of Mexico approximates twenty per
square mile, the most thiclly populated
parts, outside OF the federal district,
being the states Of Tlaxcala and Mex
leo, the former being less than DeIa-
ware I'm size and Of about the same
density OF population and the latter be.
ing nearly as large a New Hampshire,
but with more than twice the number
Of inhabitants. The federal district,
nodded after the District OF Columbia,
but Of eight times greater area, Is sur
rounded by the state Of Mexico, the
large population OF the capital, 100000,
materially aiding In bringing the aver
age to more than 1,20O per square mile.
During nearly 300 years subsequent
TO the conquest by Cortes, Spain aomi-
mated Mexico. A century ago q bold
effort for freedom was started. which
eventually resulted In the republic Of
Mexico Of today. More than half Of
the first century of Mexican independ-
ence wal abortive, one coterie after
another coming Into temporary powar
and q number OF those acclaimed rul-
ers after brief regimes meeting fgno-
ninious death at the hands Of the peo-
Pile they sought to govern.
The form OF government adopted by
Mexico follows Ia general that Of the
United States, having executive, Judi
cial and legislative divisions. Each Of
the twenty-seVen states is represented
In two houses Of congress, composed OF
senators and deputies. Congress holds
two sessions each year for limited pc
RODS. Bach state has it's governor and
legislature and 10 subdiYided into dis
trfcts or counties, over each OF which 8
tefe polftico Is placed, the districts
having subsidiary municipalities with
magistrates, presiding officials and
councils. The so called antocratic fea-
ture OF the government may be largely
due to the fact that governors hold OF.
flee with approval Of the president,
that jefe poiittcos have similar rela-
ticns with the governors and that the
officers Of the municipalities are gener-
ally controlled BY the jefe politicoa
The church and state are independ-
emit and congress cannot paEs laws
prohibiting or establishing any relt
gion OF the 100000 inhabitants
twO-ifths claim direct descent from
ancient tribes or families which are
accepted as the basis OF Mexican his
tory, two-ffths are Of mixed native
and foreign blood, the remainder being
classed under the OmMon appeIlaton
OF foreign
The City OF Mexico, 264 miles by ran
west Of Vera Cruz and IAoO feet altt-
tude, III reached by two rail routes
climbing from the hot lands through
dif1cult mountain passes, n Of which;
! closely follows the trail taken BY Cor
tes In 1919. by General Winfield Scott
with American troops ii 1s47 and over
which fifteen years later the invading
Il - ~ - a