The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 31, 1905, Page 10

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL O T L e L AL L LAY ez 2Tz ¥y when plan ve the o can.” In its practical operation this “sim- laia an intricate itles for the courts ve, s filed before the 1853, efti- land of & later period According to p Board of Land aptain Josep rantour, ed the Mexi- about half with the d Yerba ant of kingly munificence long ago as 1843, and by the was sought to be enforced ten ater its ad reased a of finding that Court hen- mantour and s eritage. s ns whe s w E p of his ar We have had much trouble wit H , Son of the original claim- iescence, adding: ago and needs not occasions leave small raom for regrets. about ericans inquire business,” always mean onscious of the , “never were ortunities as improvements are planned nd all lines of trade are prospering. Some American merchants wor ess in my country be ey to get rich quick. w they find it a slow, steady pro- cess there as everywhere, they get dis- couraged and quit. But when dealers tood Mexico and the peo- ve made more y than in the same in the in the United so 1 rour, citizens or planta- M ico’'s seen pla and charts of mines that never existed, descrip- tions of places that never were. When Americans put money into such busi- ness of course it is gone, but we should not be blamed. The promoters are rarely or never my countr: men. “It the projects are honest and the investors careful there will be profits for all! “In all the great railroads or canals or wharves bullt our Government is directly Interested and the American engineers who have done some of our best work co 1d not ask more favorable conditions.” “The Tehuantepec Railroad?” I in- quire. ‘What a splenu.. thing s will be the terminal harbors are com- na Cruz, on the Pacifie, is really constructing breakwaters are that an entrance feet is left between the dmits to an 1s may lie At the back of about 1000 points. outer harbor in to unload in fair weather. of this outer harbor is the great sea wall, twenty feet wide on top, on which will run trains to carry the freight to the city proper and to connect with the regu r line meross the isthmus. is sea wall there is an opening only 300 feét wide 80 that the inner basin thus made is perfectly gheltered and vesseis there ahchored will be al- ways safc “Besides all this, the low swamp along the shore . are being a out and filled in So the place 1 be free from fevers. first it was thought ten millions would complete the harbor, but now the Government plans to devote lands about” e eSS St eSS — N _— S S e S S S S S S S S S S S S ONSSNSSSNY RN SIS eighteen million dollars to the improve- ments. “All steamships in the Pacific Coast trade regularly visit Salina Cruz, but when the port is finlshed this business will greatly increase. For 1908 250,000 tons of sugar from the Hawalian Isl- ands are already contracted for trans- portation over the Tehuantepec Rail- PORA. 7 o “Coatzacoalcos, which means Temple of the Snake, the Atlantic harbor for the road, is also being improved under Government direction, and soon it will be possible for vesséls to discharge their cargoes directly on the wharves instead of transferring to lighters. “Why Temple of the Snake?” I ask. “The natives had there a great temple) to their deity, and when the Spanish came they tore it down and used the material in buflding a fort.’ Long afterward the fort was likewise demolished and its stones were used In the houses for the workmen engaged in building the raflway.” “So those rocks know all of Mexico's history from the earliest day?” “Yes, but we can't learn it from them. One of our most Interesting ports {s Manzanillo, on the Pacific, it its history is comsidered. It is about 600 miles south of Mazatlan and lies due west of Mexico City. Four hun- dred years ago the great Spagish gal- leons entered and left this harbor in their explorations and trading expedi- tlons and many a great battle has been fought in the waters near there be- tween the regular sailors and the pirates who sought to secure the car- goes of heavy silver coins that were being sent back to Spain. : “It was in che mountains.back of Menzanillo that the great explorer and Governor, Alvarado, met death by a fall from a narrow and dangerous trafl. There is no limit to the exciting oc- currences of which Manzanillo has been the scene in the past. T “Now, it, too, is feeling the touch ot new life. Colonel Smoot, a San Fran- cisco engineer, has charge of plans for building a sea wall and breakwatsr to make this a large and safe harbor for all ships of the Pacific, and, as the town will be the western terminus for the first transcontinental railroad ever completed in Mexico, will be of great importance. * . “Long ago a narrow gauge railway was bullt from Manzanillo to Colima. It was to be the first section of a transcontinental Itne, but’ the money gave out and only this piece was fin- ished. 8o, because there was no rail- way from Collma eastward, travelers had to walk or ride on burros the sixty miles from that city to Tuxpan, where they could’ take the Mexican Central trains. . ‘‘Many times it was intended to connect Tuxpan and Colima and thus complete the line, but the difficulties were too great, and so the old Spanish road re- mained the only route over the distance. *“Now the railroad is being built, and in its forty-five-mile length—for it is shorter than® the old trail—there will be thirteen tunnels and twelve bridges, frgm which you may know the chardcter of the coun- try there. An American engineer is doing this blg work after many others said it was impossible. ‘One of the surprising results of. the large contracts for work of this kind 1s the ability shown by the natives—the In- dians. Where they are rightly mamaged they have proved very capable, and many of them have made really fine engineers. ““Ajl (hese Iimprovements Mexico 1= making, besides erecting new and splen- aid puble buildings. schools and libra- ries (n many cities and planning for U establishment of new industries. as w as developing old ¢nes. Oniy lately a con- cession was given T. H. Willlams of your city for the building of a great stockyard and abattoirs just outside the capital. “You see, my country had many dis- turbances up to twenty-five: years ago, and did not develop as it would if it had been at peace, but under the present Government all good works are pushed— nothing is too great to be undertaken if progress demands jt." “Visitors to Mexico are much impressed ., with the changes in the American colony within the last few years' O D (4 d A 2 74 g A A \ \ 7 B s ava s SR R RSN WY “It is wonderful,” returns Mr. Limam tour.- “It used to be the custom for & man to have ‘his busipess place and his residence in the same buildipg, and as the houses were usually In solld blocks thers was no space for grass and flowerss Often there were gardens—patios—bud they were inclosed, hidden from the peds ple’in the streets. Omiy a few years age the firs? boulevard system was latd out, with open gardens and separate houses, and it was 80 much admired that the Spanish colonial architecture in residences 13 being rapidly replaced by the more modern. 1 3 . “Most remarkable {s the change in the American colony, but a similar rebuilding is going on throughout all the residence sections. There was something pictur- esque In the old arrangement, but no one ‘can regret the innovation that gives us better modes of living. There are now about 6000 Americans in Mesico. City, many of whom have interests there, while others remaln hecause the life pleases them. Surely, it is a delightful place. “I have bcen abroad twenty-two times and have visited almost all the cities of Europe, but never have I seen ome In which the police system Is so perfect as ours. At every street crossing stands an officer, helping people as he may and ready for call in case of crime., At night it is the same. As far as we can see up the street are the lights of the police- men’s lanterns at every corner. If there is & ery or whistle from any house, imme- diately the police nearest rush to ald and the robber cannot possibly escape--every street is barred against him. Once he is captured he must stand his punishment; no policeman for any bribe would ever let him go. All over the gity it is safe. "The police are like soldiers—they are directly under the Government. We have no poli- ties,” “But you are a republic,” I exclaim; “and are got republics built on parties?” For & brief instant I try to wonder what == g\\\‘\\‘& = S A - - S this good old U. S. A. would be ifke wit¥ out its quadrennial experience of being saved from disaster (according to theé winning party) and more firmly joined te its idols (according to the losers), but X give it up. It's past concelving. ““Mexico 1s different,” says Mr. Limane tour in the tone of one who admits all the virtues of another realm, but seeg his own the besst. “In Mexico there If practically but one party. All are united. President Diaz has just been re-elected for the fifth time. He is well beloved. When he goes about the city he is unat- tended by soldiers or guards. He walks or drives as any citisen might, but on all sides the people recognize him and salute.” “He is an old man now, is he not? And when he lays down the office will you not be broken into parties choosing his successor?” “Ah, you should see him! Seventy-flve years old, but looking not over 6. Ath- letic apd vigorous, he is a young man still. For the other question, If the Pres- ident should die Vice President Corral would serve until Congress could meet and elect a new President; he would not finish the unexpired term, as In this country.: But we have learned so well the benefits of peace, of harmony among our- selves—Mexico has proved in the last twenty-five years of life what wonderful progress is possible when all work to- gether for her advancement—there can be little danger of a return to an unset- tled condition. A new ‘Old Mexico' has been bern.” “A new Old Mexico, with ‘yeform® as a watchword in its city governments,” 1 suggest, and Mr. Limantour assents with a laugh, saying: “Some of the new pro- visions seem strict enmough. For exam- ple, riot only ls it not allowed the audi- ence to smoke in any theater, but the players on the stage must not -smoke, either. It the play requires an actor to smoke a cigarette he must merely tend to do so; in no case shall the cigar- ette Lo lighted.” QI < i\\'\‘y} SIS 2 To the enthusiastic stage realists who have given us real water coming from real pumps, real flowers on real trellises, real horses and cows and dogs, and real everything demanded by the realistio drama, it must appear that Mexico has taken a long step backward in prohibiting real smoke, but Mexico is satisfled, and Mexico” tive e ues: “Not lor American actor ig- norantly is law and at o the officers st the performance ur‘" the mistake should be corrected. Anot time a party of Americans expressed thelr approval of some play by whistling In Mexigo, w g indicates disapproval and it is classed as disorderly comduct, which the police do not allow. So when these their hands and whistled rtain scene, the police immediately arrested them all. It was soon explained, but they found ot ways of showing their enjoyment of acting. One whistles only at bull figh “But a new law ery good though strict is that which compels all tmproper characters to remain away from public gatherings and thoroughfares. T he principal that you know, In any the that the audiences are respectable All per- sons known to the police as offenders against society are barred.” A new Old Mexico, indeed! On its stone-paved yvef which bave passed ln (wan Aztec, Spanlsh and Mexican pack trains, carrying slowness the rich products of whose wealth has seemed Whirrs now the sutomobile, monument to the Ingenuity of the ultr: ntieth cen- tury. The quiet waters rople rivers are stirred. with swiftly moving gasoline and electrie launches In agricultural p: have been very g one of the very imporia summary of our sl le of the south is th ery. Manufacturing is receiving incr tention and great cotton mills, ing hundreds of men and boys, are ready turning out large part of the cotton fabric Me has bought from us and from Eng! Governmental 2 have felt the life, and all sources of the in a way that t items © s to the rep f farm maechin- ok ime pa: " methods 1n statement capital one author forty ye it is that the t every year that pa our interests becomes