The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-07-21
HISTORY OF MEXICO.
BY Eber Cole Byam
Part XII.

designed to be paid by the wealthy.
The Indians paid their tribute, which
amounted to one dollar and twelve
and half cents per individual per
year; twenty-eight and a half cents
being the communication for the seventy
five pounds of corn paid two hundred
years before. These Indians produced
all they consumed, SO that their contrl-
button was limited strictly to the sum
named. This totaled $4,000 900 in the
closing years of the eighteenth CEN
tury. At the same time the total
revenue amounted to less than $2O,-
100000, of which fourth was paid by
the mines, and the greater part OF the
balance by tobacco, playing cards,
gun-powder, licenses for cock nights,
and the sale of the native wine or
puluue. etc. To have done more than
was done would have meant the col
lection of more taxes, to which the
people would not have agreed, and to
have employed more priests, to winch
the Spanish government was opposed,
because their pay would have taken
money needed for other purposes.
A good way to appreciate the stu
alton of Mexico it to compare it with
the United States. The approprla-
tions by the Federal United States
Government in 1914 for Indian schools
alone totaled $4,403,355. The Indian
population was then 331 ,250, which
means that the cost per capita was
over $13 and at that 45%o is sun
illiterate. Mexico has 100000 In
dians-official estimate-so that on
that basis Mexico should appropriate
the huge sum of $75,000,00O or more.
This sum is just about equal to all
the revenues of the Republic OF Mex
leo. federal, state and municipal, for
the year 1910. After spending all this
money to the same advantage as the
United States, there still would be
45% of illiteracy. The State of Illinois,
with somewhat more than one-third
the population of Mexico, spends over
forty million dollars year on educa-
ton, and employs an army OF over
thirty thousand teachers.
The total United States appropria-
ton for Indians for the year 1914 was
Sl9,51O.249.58, and the cost OF the In
dams to the United States Govern
ment from 1889 to 1914 reaches the
huge total of $560,373, GALL. And
the Indians are greater in number to-
day than ever before. What would
have been the expense if the proper
lions of Indians and whites had been
the same in the United States as in
Mexico Would the English colonists
have done as we'll as the Spaniard
If Mexico were to spend today on
it's Indians a sum proportionate TIC
that spent in the United States, the
remaining population would be charged
some $40 per capita. In the United
States the charge is less than twenty
cents per capita on those not Indian
In the United States today there is
164 Catholic clergy looking after some
100000 Indians, while there are 43;
ordained Protestant ministers to lool
after 66,77S estimated adherents. Or
if we consider teachers, sisters, broth
ers, workers, ETC., we find the Catholics
with 773 and the Professionals $50. Thu
Catholics have 1924 scholars and thu
Professionals 2,007. In other words
with less than 800 of the force, thu
Catholics are nearly two and one-hal
times as efficient.
If we apply the foregoing to Mexico
we find that-on the Catholic or NOR
economic basis-Mexico should hav
among it's Indians 9,348 priests, 21,26
sisters, 1854 brothers, 6,270 catechist
and 1928 workers, a total of 44,O57
which would still fall short of the re
quired number by more than two
thirds.
The Church authorities in Colonia
Mexico were ever Jealous to improv
the material as we'll as the spiritua
welfare of the Indians. Under thei
direction several districts became ia
nous for the production of silk, an
this material became SO common tina
it was worn by the servants. TIL
Indians seemed peculiarly adapted t
this industry, but for some unknown
reason-possibly disease among tn
silkworms-it died out, and all the Ell
forts of the Spanish government faile
to revive it.
Another district became famous 70
it's vineyards and fine wines, and i
a standing refutation of the charg
that the government prohibited crap
culture.
Then take the first Bishop of Niche
acan, Don Basco de Quiroga, for e1
ample. Some of the numerous NOR
uments of his uplift work among tn
Indians are the villages around LAX
Patzcuaro. The Indians were settle
in these villages and each village wa
given schools, and the Indians traine
in certain crafts, which are practice
at the present day. One village SPIT
cializes in leather work, another
iron work, another in pottery, anothe
in textiles, and so on for number {
useful crafts. One village in particl
lar is devoted to the manufacture c
lacquer ware whose process of mar
ufacture is a secret of the Indian
and the despair of, the Mexican coac
makers because the peculiar yarniS