MEXICO AS IT IS.
A I jwx I for W hich Mature Hu Done Very
.Much and Man Very I.lttle.
A late volume of reports from United
States Consuls is mostly devoted to
Mexico. It include^ a general descrip
tion of the state of the various industries
of the country; its agricultural, mining
and manufacturing possibilities; tenure
and value of land; prices of food, live
stock, etc., and prospects for American
enterprise. These reports vary in ac
cordance with local conditions, but
lhev are all of the same general purport.
With an urea of 760,000 square miles,
and a population of nearly 10,000,000,
the total real estate valuation of Mexi
co is only $.382.000,000, and the value
of its agricultural products is less than
$200,000,000 annually. The other in
dustries oi the country, aside from m n-
ing, are insignificant This is due to no
lack of natural resources. The soil is
rich and the climate favorable for farm
ing operations, but there is no develop
ment of the advantages of the country,
and ignorance, indolence and poverty
form the burden of the reports regard
ing the people. The most fertile soils
remain unproductive for want of arte
sian wells and irrigating ditches. There
is a variety of products which require
little or no cultivation, but there are no
■pads for their transportation, no ma
chinery for handling them, and no
banking system to facilitate exchanges.
Land is literally “dirt cheap,” yet it
is difficult ol purchase because owners
are loo conservative and inert to
ei^er sell or work their holdings,
and there is no cstaldished trade in real
estate. The jteasantry, mostly of Indian
blood, are virtually held in bondage by
the system of perpetual indebtedness
and the transferring of accounts from
one employer to another, and they are
so lazy and shiftless that they scarcely
earn the twenty-live cents a dav which
is their average wage. What they get
for their labor after satisfying their
primitive living necessities, is spent in
cheap finery and merry-making.
The whole teaching of these reports
is that Mexico is a grand field for Ameri
can enterprise, in all natural advan
tages, but that a new race, or a radical
transformation of the present inhabi
tants, is necessary to make the field
profitable.
For instance, the use of
American
agricultural
machinery
would be a great boon to the country,
but there is little or no sale for it for
several reason*. Except in the immedi
ate vicinity oi the i ail roads the cost and
difficulty of transportation virtually
prohibits its use.
Few of the farm
laborers or their employers are compe
tent to Use II, if procured. The native
mechanics are uot smart enough to
make repairs, and anv breakage means
disuse for months. To make a market
for sueh goods, dealers must establish
depot* at centers of jtopnlation, with
provision for making repairs at heavy
expense and considerable risk. So in
other departments of industry. Alto
gether these consular reports tell the
same story of Mexico which has been
told by private observers. It is a land
for which nature has done much and
man little. There are some signs of
progress along main lines of communi
cation, but it w ill be necessarily slow.—
Naw Francisco liullelin.
A Short-Tailed Cat.
[Exchange]
Japanese eats have the shortest kind
of tails, or else none at all. Being de
prived of this usual plaything they are
very solemn pussies.
An American
once took one of these tailless cats to
San Francisco as a- curiosity, and it
utterly refused companionship with the
long tailed feline specimens there; but,
finding a cat whose tail had been cut off
by accident, the two became friendly
at once.
Ancient "Concented Wtipou."
|London letter ]
In the tower of London are twenty-
one specimens of shields, with a pistol
attachment in the centre, the weapon
being a breech-loader, and slightly pro
jecting, so that it would hardly be
noticed by an enemy until it was*
was dis-
dis
charged. All these shields were car
ried in former time* M “concealed
weapon; •>
COMPLETE SURPRISE.
How a Detroit Female Righter
Was
Rather Disagreeably Disappointed.
On the last day of registration a
woman armed with a bone-handled um
brella walked into the fourth precinct of
the Second ward and asked:
••Is this where the men register?”
“Yes’m, and the women, too,” WM
the courteous reply.
“Then I can register without any
fuss?”
••Yes’m.”
“I didn’t know as they allowed l it,”
she explained, ••but I was determined
on 1 it. V
”
When
I left home I had my mind
aae up that I’d either register or—”
made
“Put your name right down on this
sheet of paper,” interrupted the clerk.
••You needn’t even give your age.”
•‘I needn’t! Weu, sunthin’ wonder
ful must have happened all at once,
guess yon men have found out that us
women are of some account after all.”
“Oh, certainly. Thai’s all, ma’am.”
“And no fuss about it?”
“Not a bit”
“1 expected I’d have to jaw and tear
around, and perhaps use a weapon, and
I’m a leetle disappointed.”
“Y cb . We won’t keep you longer
waiting, ma’am.”
•‘Well, I’ll go, but my old man
won’t believe it, and I’ll hardlv dare
say it myself I expected you’d re
fuse, and I’d have to jaw and------ ”
“Good day, madam.”
She went out grudgingly and she stood
in front of the building for three or four
minutes like one knocked out, and
when she finally moved off she was say
ing to herself:
“Well, mebbe the fuss will come in
when 1 try to vote. Mebbe they’ll git a
prize-fighter to challenge me.”— Do
trod Free Press.
What Johnnie Had Heard.
Vinegary mother--Now, Johnnie, you
must stop being so silly.
Just think of
a big boy like you playing horse!
^ear-old Johnnie (whimpering)
-Well. I guess I’m no worse than pa.
Vinegary mother— Stop your noise;
your pa doesn’t play horse.
Johnnie— No; but I beard him tell
Brown that he sat up all last night
playing bank.
Vinegary mother—The wretch !• He
won’t get a thing to eat to-day.
JohnDie—1 guess be won’t be hungry,
ma.
Vinegary mother (growing inquisitive)
—What makes you think so, my son?
Johnnie — ’Cause 1 heard him tell
Brown that he wonMn’t come home un
til he got a stake.— Chicago Herald.
Had Cause to Grumble.
Old Bob Brayson, just after putting
on a pair of new brogan shoes, went
out to chop wood. While standing on
a log.ehopping, his axe glanced and cut
his left foot nearly off. His son came
up and asked:
“Pap, whut’s the matter?”
••I’ve dun i‘uint my new shoe,” the
old fellow replied, “ft beats any thing
' ever seed. Ben choppin' wood for a
month in my old shoe« an' never fetched
’em, but now that Fve I mboip H down
two dollars fur er new pa’r I have to
cut an’slash’em all to pieces.”- - Ar*
<oansaw Traveler.
"Minute and a Half" Headway.
[New York Letter. I
There is no more curious sight than
the Brooklyn terminus of the great
bridge at 6 o’clock in the afternoon.
The cars are then run at about a minute
and a half headway, as they call it, by
which they mean that two cars are
emptied on the Brooklyn side about
that hour in every minute and a half.
The passengers then descend a stairway
to the street, but, notwithstanding the
interval oi ¿me named, the procession |
o' jieople is tin woken during the rush
of business
A constant stream of men
and women, seven and eight abreast, is I
to be seen descending these stairs.
The Weekly Reporter, a faithful
and complete compendium of the
week's news, is furnished for 12$ cents
a month.
POPULAR ROUTES.
MISCELLANEOUS
Oregonian R. R. Co. « mitio Line,
CHAS. N. SCOTT, Receiver.
Portland and Willamette Valley Railway.
To Portland.
From Portland.
1
Coburg
Passen- and
ger
Airlie
Fare. Mail.
1
AR Ar p.m
Lv a.in LV
4 45
915 . Portland, PWV*
Ft. Jefferson St..
OUR MOTTO IS SMALL Prof
its and quick returns. Hon
est Goods, Honest
Weights and Full
Measure
STATIONS.
I Coburg
1 and
Airlie
I Mail.
$ .24
.29
.52
.75
.88
1.00
1.00
Elk lloek .
11 00
Oswego
11 06
.. Tualitan..
11 46
Winters...
12 10
Summit
12 26
. Newberg ..
12 50
1 10 pwv Dundee jvn
4 15
4 60
3 40
3 10
2 5.3
2 2!»
2 15
Upon which we hope to win
your esteem and patronage.
1 25
orv Dundee
2 10
1.00
1 03
2 32 West Dayton
1.16
Our connections with East
2 44
Lafavette
12 53
1.24
3 02 .Davton Juncton
1.36
12 3-5
ern and Pacific coast dealers
12 29
3 08 McMinnville Cs..
1.40
. Armstrong
12 18
3 19
1.48
and manufacturers are such
Whites
12 07
3 30
1.56
11 45
3 52
Briedwell ..
1.72
that we are enabled to
.3 57
Harrison
11 40
1.75
4 08 .Broadmeads . .
11 27
1.84
buy these goods as low or
11 25
4 10 Sheridan Junc’n
1.86
lower than our competitors,
Ballston
4 23
11 08
1.96
Sheridan.
5 00
10 45
whether general or special
9 25
5 55
Perrydale.
1.94
dealers. Buying goods in
Smithfield....
900
6 17
2.12
.Polk .
8 46
2
24
greater quantities than most
8 30
2 37
6 50 .... Dallas...........
8 (Xi
2.53 Ä 7 10 .. Cochrane
competitors, and when hand
2.6.5 • 7 28 .... Monmouth.
7 .50
7 47
Lnekiamute .
7 .30
2.80
ling business of any kind the
SOO .
. Simpson.
7 14
2.91
8 15
.A irlie . .
7 00
3.02
volume of business enters
AR
LV
largely into the account in L H AS. N S cott ,
Receiver ORC( Ld ’> Line.
determining the profit or
W illiam R eid ,
President PAWVRCo.
margin to be realized out of
it. Therefore all General
3X<*AI imi villo
Dealers do have an ad LIVERY FEED AND SALE STABLES
vantage over special dealers,
and the greater quantity of
goods sold or the volume of
business done, the greater
that advantage and the less
the price ought to be. Hav-
ing a full and Complete LOGAN BROS. & HENDERSON.
----- PROPRIETORS-----
Stock of the following Fine Carriages,
Hack« and
lines of goods from the lead-
Saddle Horary
And everything in the Livery hire,
ing dealers and best manu-
in good shape
facurers, which we replenish
At Reasonable Rates
with new fresh goods month
ly or oftener as the trade re
quires, to wit: LADIES
Late of Independence, having purchased the
Dre»« and Fancy Good*, Gent*
TEAMS AM) TRUCKS
and Boy* Clothing and Furnish
Of Logan Bros. A Henderson, offers his
ing Good*. Hat* and Cap*, Boot* services in that line to the public, and will
and Shoe*, Crockery. Queen*
Guarantee Satisfaction
ware and Gia** ware.
To all wbo favor him with their patronage.
and a full line of fresh grocer-
ies, so our customers do not
have to deal at half dozen
places to supply their wants.
While we do not propose to
be undersold, yet do not and
can not put these goods in
competition with Auction
or Short Weight goods
sold to the trade by unscru
pulous dealers. We fear no
honest competition. Thank
ing people for past patron
age and favors, will be pleas
ed to have you call and de
termine for yourselves what
merit is in our modest claim.
A. J. APPERSON.
He will keep a wagon specially adapted to the
delivery of parcels, trunks satchels, etc., for
the aocomodation of the public. Orders left
at the stable will be promptly attended to at
reasonable rates.
City Stables.
HENDERSON BROS
Ample room to care tor horses.
Livery
teem* at aa reasonable rates as any where in
Oregon. New stable Third St., McMinnville.