The sun., 1919-05-26

ana numerous fruit trees are cultivated
70 supply the wants OF this Industrial
son. orizaba u q centre Of great
manufacturing activity.
on the train we are presented to n
French gentleman. q M. Leon Signoret.
who had been In Chile some years be-
fore. forming part Of commercial COM
mission,
Upon learning we wero Chileans he
desired to make our acquaintance be-
cause he still conserves a profound sym
pathy FOR our country, of which he said
things not to be repeated here 90 as not
70 call forth the reproach always placed
against the Chiieans--their admiration
FOR the mother country. A Spaniard, a
merchant whose acquaintance made on
the steamer. did not hide his surprise
TO see that NJ. Signoret was 80 inter-
ested In uA The old Frenchman had
not surprised me and I could not there
fore explain the observations Of the
Spaniard, who said to me in low tone |,
He Ii the owner Of the factory Of Rio
blanco ana Of the shops in the port Of
Vera Cruz. q man with a fortune Of
100000 pesos"
1t appeared to me that the French
man was not indifferent toward good
cognsc We talked politics and industry
and he offered to help mo in any way
necessary during my stay In Mexico,
Whero he 10 90 powerful.
M Signoret enlightened me regarding
The thread and cloth mills in Orisaba,
especially that Of Rio Blanco, OF which
no owns the largest part of the stock.
Six thousand men are at present en-
ployed In that plant In spite Of thu short
age OF raw material White walls. large
buildingA smokestacls, tracks and tele-
graph ana telephone lines bespeak the
industrial activity Of Orfxaba, place
that the rebels Of Felix Diaz have lurked
about
Cloth Imports UAneoessaxy.
N. 6ignoret assures me that the great
part Of the cloth mills OF tho Republic
are busy ana some OF them WORKING
day and night. Mexico does not need to
Import one yard OF cloth for the use of
the masses nor for the consumption Of
the rich Prodigious countryi
From Orixaba the ascent Is continued,
and very soon we reach the summit of
Maltrate. which Is the most attractive
spot of the whole trip. The train climbs
with difficulty. The prairie and the
people Of Maltrate are seen below as
suspense. Even the Mexicans who mako
the trip many times enjoy the beautiful
spectacle.
Coming out Of another tunnel there II
an enormous break in the vegetation
which seems to have been made by q
giant drsdge some months before q tanA
train full Of burning Oil had been
wrecked. and down there are tho remains
In = confused heap OF rust.
The Landscape now changes The
houses follow in rapid succession and the
mountains are lost to view. Small white
churches seem to sleep at the foot OF the
hills and isolated hamlets divide them
selves at the end Of dusty roads along
which can be oeen mlueteers on foot at
the side Of their pack mules. The sta
tons are like the stopping places OF the
Of wagons drawn by mules into the corn
fields and tho 'agaves" The heat and
the dust make the crossing suffocatins.
Meets Gruesome Sight.
The people crowd at the windows to
see US pass. The train stops short. A
band Of marauders are keeping sinister
watch Of q hanged man whose rigid
body hangs from a post by order OF the
military Justice and whose black soul
reeks in the internal regions. The birds Of
prey do not touch him, but only mount
watch Of the decayed body. from the ex-
tremities Of which. as from wine skin.
hangs q bloody spittle, which marks tho
place where the bandit and his compan-
ions expected to attempt . crime against
the public safety. shall never forget
the face Of that man.
During the last hour n. Signoret has
been telling me that the lands crossed by
the railroad was the ''latffundio' OF a
potentate who without title held this ma
tional property. He was only able to
cultivate . small portion of 1t, while
thousands of citizens went hungry in
their misery. together with this opulent
gentleman. .-.- 49,
The revolutionists want these large
estates, held without legitimate title. and
as they originally belonged to the State,
to be returned to the State to be divided
among the national (native) colonists,
who have been deprived OF everything
by the monopolistio tendency of an In
significant minority. In the meantime,
the Government has tAlsn possession OF
these lands. and this 10 one Of the very
serious motives for the opposition to
Carransa on the part OF tho old owners,
who claim they have been dispossessed
Of their property. 1t may be that
among these sinners there are some who
are just The revolution was not made
by the saints
Vast prairies have already given their
harvest Of corn, which recall the wheat
fields OF Argentina, a source OF bounty
where Pan rejoices and where Mercury
giveg out merry tales
Mexico. with its 100000 square XII
lometers hardly exploited under the re-
| gime and the ignorance Of the masses.
can become a granary as important as
that Of the Rio Plata In South America
va have not the faintest idea of what
the magnificent Mexican country truly Is.
With the nightfall we approach the
capital. which can be seen In the dis
lance through delicate phosphorescence.
We pass San Juan de Teotihuacan. IA
nous for Its pyramids of the Aztscs We
cross the lagoon OF Rexcoco.. which has
often flooded the streets and the canals
OF Tenochitlan. and We soon come UP to
the station of Mexico, with an infinite
need OF rest after Just two months
travel from Santiago of Chile to this
stop.
Go be Conttnued) ....
CHICAGO OPENS