THE SCRANTON TRIBUNE -SATU ft HAY MOIttflNGr, AP11IL lT, 1897. 13 Modem Mexico from am Americae Ponet of VleWo Impressions of a Fortnight's Journey to the Capital City of Our Sister Republic. Theo. Hart, in tho 1'lltston rjnzctto. The republic of Mexico la usually spoken of aa Old Mexico, to more readi ly distinguish, perhaps, between It and our United Stutrs tenltoiy New Mexi co. In these notes of a recent trip over the southwestern border with tho Na tional Editorial association excursion ist the writer prefers to Bpeak of the country aa Modern Mexico, for the changeu made during the past two dec ades, with the transformations still In progress beyond the Hlo Grande, hnvo materially modified conditions In that long perturbed land. Tho country and people, under the rule of Diaz, and with the extension of railroads and tele graphs, the establishment of free schools and other kindred Influences, have entered upon a new era almost as marked as was that following the Spanish conquest of 375 years ago. Con trary to the common view of the Mexi can invasion by Cortez, a recent writer has lamented tho ingratitude of repub lics as indicated In tho fact that no monument has eor been erected to the conqueror of tho Aztecs, whose bar barous tribat institutions wore sup planted by a Spanish civ lllzatlon which Instituted the cradles of printing, edu cation, art and organized charity In the Now World 150 to 250 years earlier than uV.ey were known elsewhere In Amctlca. Ue this as Jt may, a greater than Cor tez Is at the head of the government of Modern Mexico, and the nation is mov ing forward in the development of the wonderful resources of the country as never before, under the Impulse of their trusted leader's master genius. across Tin: link. It was u blight, pleasant morning that of February 21 when the National Editorial association excursionists reached Eagle Pass and crossed the Jtlo Grande into Mexico, on a pleusure trip to the ancient capital of our nelgh Iorlng republic. The special train of "nine Pullman cars contained some two hundred and fifty ladles and gentlemen, and thofo who were asleep In their berths upon arriving at Ciudad Porfirlo Diaz weie awakened by the music of a Mexican band. After breakfast had been served In the railroad dining hall, the mayor of the city made his appear ance and throitKh the city clerk gave the visitors a cordial welcome In Span iph. An interpreter In our parly gave us the substance of the speech and re sponded on our behulf. By the mayor's special permission the band was al lowed to pluy the national air of Mexi co, It being unlawful to do so anywhera In the republic without proper offlctal authority. This gate city (Ciudad Is city) named after President Diaz, is destined to become a largo place, being favorably located and healthful. Here wc had our- first dealings In Mexican money, and wero given a striking ob ject lesson on the currency question. One American silver dollar paid for two breakfasts, but their own Mexican stiver dollar, although intrintlrally more valuable than ours, would pay for but one. An exchange near the railway station, for a commission of two and a half per cent, converted IT. S. money Into Mexican (both paper and silver, but no gold) for all who desired, on the two to one basis. WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY. Leaving Ciudad Porfirlo Diaz, over : the Mexloan International railroad, about two-thirds of the long Journey of 1,100 miles to the City of Mexico was covered during that and the following day. The heat and dust, ns wo passed over long stretches of barren country, with little to be seen In any direction save white sand, cactus the short mes qulet brush, and here nnd there a few Isolated huts added to the discomfort of the party. The grades of the road, as we moved steadily toward the hlirh table land, were heavy, and on this portion of the southward ran our spe cial train fell twelve hours behind its schedule. Only necessary stops were made, so that Important cltlea and towns on our way, Including not a few of much historic Interest, were neces sarily nasaed without other opportun ity of seeing them than was afforded from tho car platforms or windows, nnd some noted places wero passed in the night. Branch roads lead to Mon tery. Saltlllo and Bueno Vista, battle fields of Gen. Taylor's army in the war of '47, which are but a few miles dis tant. The second day's Journey over the arid steppes of Coahulla and Zacate cas, being Feb. 22, was agreeably re lieved by a celebration of Washing ton's birthday. The Pennsylvania and New York people planned the affair nnd prepared the programme. At Can itas, a small way station, the excur sionists all gathered In the shade of the depot, during a half hour stop in the early afternoon, nnd tho patriotic Americans celebrated the natal day of Washington with unstinted enthusi asm. AGUASCALENTES. Tho morning of the 23d found us at Aguascalentes. During the night we had passed Torreon, a railroad Junc tion at which we changed to the .Mexi can Central. Aguaecalentes (meaning hot water) Is a quaint looking city of 60,000 inhabitants, founded over 300 years ago, capital of the state of tho same name. It takes Its name from the hot springs in the vicinity, and the public nnd private bath houses aro places of Interest to visitors. The nltl tudo Is 6,261 feet and the climate said to be mot-'t delightful all the year. Tour ists mark this place as one where tho women make flno lacp and drawn work, which Is offered for sale at the railway stations, on the streets and all through the country. The public build ings and churches hero are specially Interesting to strangers. In some of tho latter will bo found rare old clo tures of great value. An old monu ment In the beautiful plaza, erected to commemorate tho founding of tho city, was formerly surmounted by a statue of Ferdinand VII., but tho statuo was thrown down at some time during a political upheaval and never replaced. Consequently the monument has an un finished appearance. Again under way, tho town of Salao Is reached in time for supper, after a few hours' run, and hero the excur sionists spent the night, to be ready on the morrow for a side trip over a branch road to Guanajuato, one of the most attractive points for slght-seers In nil Mexico, as It Is unllko unythlng to be seen elsewhere In the country. For more than three hundred years tho rich sliver mines hero have been work ed, and they mny be seen today reduc ing tho precious metal, by tho "patio" process employed by tho Spaniards In 1557, Just aa when they first operated the silver mines here. The name of the town, like the nomenclature of moBt Mexican cltits and towns, is of Tolteo or Azteq oxlyin, with Roantsh orthog - raphy. It Is pronounced as though spoiled "wan-a-wah-to, with accent on tho next to the last syllable. A ride from Salao of twelve mllea by steam cars and then by mule cars for three miles brought us to the center of the city, which has a population of 90,000. It Is the capital of the state of the same name, and has an altitude of 7,000 feet. GUANAJUATO. As one approaches the compact city, or looking upon It from the higher giound In the vicinity, with the ter raced buildings of antique nppearancc ranged ono above another s; closely that the crooked streets are hardly dis cernible at a short distance, the sight recilU pictures we have seen of ancient towns In Palestine and other parts of tho Old Wot Id. Here, as at Aguascall entes. tho few hours at our disposal seemed all too short for u hurried view of the principal objects of interest. Af ter Ins-pectlnir the silver reduction works, we went through the mint the oldest in Mexico and were then shown through a new theatre building1, not quite completed, that for elegance and capacity Is not sui passed, perhaps, by uny in this country. Tho old cathe drals here were spacious and magni ficent In finish and furnishings. A ride on the street cars to the higher por tions of the city gave an opportunity to see the better class of residences, amors which were thi homes of con sular representatives of different gov ernments. Soni" of our party hail the privilege of meeting the Methodist and Cumberland Presbyterian missionaries at work on this Held and visiting the schools under their charge The Meth odists have been laboring hero for twenty-three years and have a church of about a hundred members, with schools for boys and girls and a med ical dispensary for the poor. They own valuable property in the central part of the city and their mission ha3 nn encouraging outlook. An historic building In Guanajuato Is the prison, erected more than a hun dred years ago us a chamber of com merce. After Hidalgo, the patriot priest of Dolores, was overpowered, In 1810, he and the three generals who Jolnd him in the first Htruggle for Independ ence from Spanish rule w?ro executed In the neighboring town of Chihuahua, and their heads were hung In cages for ten years at the four cornerx of this old building. A flno bronze statue of Hidalgo now stand3 near the entrance of the prison, and everywhere the name of the Lllwrator is honored as Mexico's ashlngton. THE PANTEON. But the one oversliawodlng attrac tion for strangers here lu the catacomb or pnnteon. In the western part of tho city, on a high hill. Is the clty'3 place of sepulture an enclosure of two or three acres. Across one Eldo Is built a wall some 500 feet long. In which are con structed vaults like pigeon holes, each large enough to receive a coflln and one above another perhaps ten or twelve tiers. For $25 a body Is kept here five years, with privilege of renewal, or $100 will pay for a perpetual resting-place, nnd many arc so marked. The coffins are sealed In their receptacles, the outer ends being inscribed with the names, ages, etc., of tho dead. Those whose friends fall to pay more, after the bodies have been there Ave years, are removed. If the body has mummified In the dry air of this high altitude, as many do, It Is stood up atjalnst the wall in a crypt constructed sumo fifteen feet beneath the "pigeon-hole" vaults on the surface a. subterranean cham ber reached by a spiral stairway. It Is about SxlO f-et In dimensions and orig inally five hundred feet long. Visitors are allowed to descend Into this crypt, which Is lighted from tho top. and here may be seen manv mummies leaning against either side of the chamber, while at the ends are corded up the skulls and bones of thousands of other bodies removed from the vaults above. It is truly a ghastly place and one does not care to linger there long. QUERETERO. Returning to Salao the same evening, we resumed our Journey southward over the Mexican Central road through Irapuato, a pretty little city where strawberries are grown every day In the year, and on to Qucretero. the capi tal of the state of Qucretero. This city has a population of 50,000. We arrived there the morning of Feb. 25. Hero was ratified the treaty of peace between Mexico and the United States In 181$, and here Maximilian and two of hlu generals, Mlramon and MeJIa. were condemned and executed In 1807. The place of execution in the northern part of tho city, Is marked by three small stone crosses. The place where the court martial pat Is also to be seen, and visitors to the state capltol are shown tho table on which Maximilian's death warrant was signed, the htools on which the condemned men sat and many other icllcs of the unfortunate emperor. These and other events give to Queretero an Important place in Mexican history. It has Important manufactures, including one of tho largest cotton mills on the continent, Imposing church edifices, a fine plaza and a great aqueduct five miles long, some of the arches of which are 100 feet high, for the city's water supply. There arc opal mines In all this region and on every hand strangers are beset by fakirs with opals for sale. TIIE TOLTEE CAPITAL. Having bade adieu to Queretero, our special train was again under way, with only 150 miles between us and our place of destination. The day was a delightful one. The altitude gradually advanced from that of 6,000 fpet at Queretero until at Marques we were 8, 133 feet above the eca level, several hundred feet higher than the city of Mexico. Within two hours of our Journey's end wo came to Tula, the ancient capi tal of Toltecs, founded about tho year 038. The town now has a population of only 3,000 and is little more than a rail way Junction, the. branch road to Fa chuca, an important silver mining city, connecting hero with tho main line of the Mexican Central. In the plaza at Tula may jitlll bo seen Toltecan relics, and interesting ruins of tho oldest known city of the continent are yet visible, although half burled In the sands that for more than twelve cen turies nave swept over the plains since these temples wero erected by tho an tecedents of the Aztecs. The ruins of the ancient temples are called the "oasas grandes." THE BIO CANAL. As one approaches the Valley of Mexico from the north a marked Im provement is observed. In the appear- anco of tho country, and a mare Intent 1 gent, practical tilling of tho soil la everywhere apparent. For more than a dozen miles before reaching the city the railway traverses a great rovlne from 300 to tJOO feet wide and 1C0 to 200 feet deep. This Is the great Tajo de Nochlstongo, constructed at an Im mense cost of men nnd money In the early part 'of the seventeenth century by the Spanish viceroy of that period, with the view; of draining Lake Hum pan go, the highest of the several lakes In the Valley of Mexico, Into the Itlo Pnnuco. Fearful epidemics had scourged tho city during the preceding thrc"-iuarters of a century of Spanish rule, nnd In severe rainy seasons the overflow from the lakes had often flood ed the national capital, It was thought that the construction of this great drain would relieve tho situation, lu: after thirty years' experimenting and tho expenditure of six millions cf dol iars, tho work was abandoned. X- Nothing further wns attempted in this direction until the accession of Diaz to the presidency, twenty years ago. The great enterprise had been most actively pushed during the past decade and is now practically finished at a cost of $18,000,000. The latter day engineers decided to make no use of the old Nochlstongo cut, but started anew In an opposite direction. Tho Desague. ns It Is called, issome thirty miles long, including an oval-shaped tunnel thirteen feet In diameter, nearly seven miles long, and is the greatesi drainage canal In the woild. Lul3 Es plnosa, the engineer who has had charge of the work since 1879, Is a na tive of Guanajuato, of Indian blood nnd humble birth. He had few early ad vantages, but President Diaz recog nized his ability and had faith in him, and his marvellous success, In carry ing through to completion this giant undertaking began before the first English settlement was made In Amer ica, nearly three centuries ago, In a spirit that must command admiration for its bravery and foresight, although the enterprise was doomed to failure proves that the confidence reposed In Esplnosa was not misplaced. Ills name will ever be coupled with that ot Diaz in the history of the Desague. Plans have already been prepared for a complete system of sewerage for Mexico's capital, now that the outlet canal is finished. The fact that so largo and compact a population as that of this ancient city, has been so free as It has from terrible epidemics, in the ab sence of any sewer system a city lo cated in a great basin, a vast swamp. Indeed, subject to overflow from the lakes In the vicinity Is a rare testi monial to the salubrity of the climate. As has been well said, altitude and aridity have surely been miracle-workers for the city of Mexico, MEXICO'S CAPITAL. It was near sunset at the close ot the fifth day out from San Antonio, Texas, that the editorial excursion train reach ed the capital city of Mexico, tho an cient fenochtitlan of the Aztecs. A delegation of local newspaper men were at the station to receive the party, and In brief addresses gave them a cordial welcome. Many of the party concluded to occupy their berths In the cars dur ing the three days' stay In the city, but others preferred to try a change and went out In search of hotel accommo dations. The editor of the gazette with many others found pleasant quarters In the Hotel Iturblde. This roomy structure was the palace of tho first emperor of Mexico seventy-five years ago. As general of the armies that had overthrown the Spanish rule ot three hundred years, Iturblde became a lead er of the disorganized elements, and the following year the first congress ot Mexico made him emperor. But a re public was soon after proclaimed at i Vera Cruz and the emplie speedily came to an end. Iturblde resigned and waa banished from the country. Ho was not aware that u decree had been Issued Imposing the death penalty should he return to Mexico, and after a brief sojourn In England he came back, was arrested, condemned to death and shot. So It Is, on this historic ground everywhere one finds Just such interesting associations. Each church has Its traditions, and the field of re search for students nnd litterateurs, among the legendary folk-lore treas ured by the descendants of the abor igines. Is wide and fruitful. CHURCH OF GUADALUPE. Tlw limited stay of our party In tho city made it necessary to Improve every moment, nnd then wo could visit com paratively few of the many points of Interest. The magnificent Guadalupe church was the first place visited by the editorial excursionists In a body, the Ifcal commltteo on entertainment having so arranged and provided trans portatlon over the street car lino These nro drawn by mules. There arc no electrlo street cats In the city nor In any part of the country, wo were informed, although a syndicate of cap italists has recently been figuring on a change to electrlo power in the capital and other cltlea of Mexico. Tho morn ing was bright and pleasant, and ufter a good night's rest the ride of live or nix miles to the little suburban city of Guadalupe was very enjoyable. Tho object of our visit Is a riew church, Jubt completed at a cost of two and a quarter millions of dollars. It was erected on tho slto of an ancient Azteo temple which It is said was the Identical spot wheru the Virgin of Gua dalupe appeared to a pious old Indian, Juan Dlago, while on his way to masy, soon after tho conquest, and bade him tell the bishop that lie should build a (fck&s $k ri Si it hR . dOgst tiff RHRKSffiev m,. tssssw gg&ap-ii&j j jffg AmmiuwmsM i mmmmi tsmr-A - rwrsfc. . mr?iitri!zzrvzvz$&ixi' f a 4V.Bi.teidra'8KW ewtT'iw i 8V ii flSRJWB-S' W JSaSfSK5. church there. The bishop doubting the reality of tho vlsltn, the Indian re turned to tho place, as the story goes), and found tho Virgin there again, A third time she appeared to the Indian and made the same request, nnd when tho still Incredulous bishop told tho In dian to bring him dome token In confir mation of his statement, he ncaln re paired to the scene of his former vi sions, where the Virgin met him again and many miraculous things occurred. Finally she told Mm to pluck the flow ers that sprung from tho barren rocks at her feet as she spoke and take them to the bishop for a token. He gathered them In his tllma a coat made from the coarse fibre of the cactus and ns the Virgin vanished, a nprlng of water gushed from the spot where she stood. The Indian hurried to take the f oweri to tho bishop, ns directed, and when he emptied them from the tllma, an Image tf: - -ar- CAiMt-P' jr , THE VISITOR: AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE OP HIM? MAMMA: I WANT HIM TO BE A PHILANTHROPIST. "VVHV, THDIU3 19 NO MONEY IN THAT." "BUT ALL THUS PHILANTHROPISTS HAVE BEEN VERY RICH." From Life. Copyright, HOT, by Mitchell & Miller. I of tho Virgin of Guadalupe, In beautiful colors, appeared upon the coarse gar ment. The church was built In 1532 upon the site of the miraculous vision, and the sacred tllma was hung over tho altar. It occupies the same place in the now church, and above It Is sus pended a crown about the size of a man's head which Is worth $120,000, be ing studded with precious gems, Thl3 picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe dlfters from other Imares of her, In that It lu.i a halo around the entire ligure Instead of tho head alone. It Js a familiar emblem In all Mexico, from th'o fact that the patriot priest and martyr, Hidalgo, when he and his fol lowers took up arms against Spain and pronounced for independence, Septem ber 15, 1810, made this image of the Vir gin of Guadalupe their banner. It fired the Indian heart and "Guadalupe" be came their war cry. September ICth Is now celebrated as the Mexican 4th of July. THE CATHEDRAL. The great Cathedral, situated on the Plaza mayor, Is nn Imposing and vener able pile. The stranger will not need to have it pointed out, located as it Is In the most central part of the city. It is accessible every day, sightseers go ing in and out during the services, while worshippers aro kneeling here and there throughout the auditorium, there being no ps;ws In any of these churehe3 that we visited. The corner stone of the cathedral was laid In 1573, but It was over fifty years later when the first service was held, and nearly a century later when Anally dedicated. Thebullding is 3S7 feet long and 177 feet wide, with Interior height of 179 feet. The towers are 204 feet high. The carv ing, gliding and frescoelng of the Inter ior are simply gorgeous, a weUth of adornment belne lavished on th' sev eral altars. The Altar of the Kings, the finest, was built by the artist ot a similar one In the Cathedral of Seville. Beneath aro burled the heads of Hidal go, Allende, Aldarna and Jlmlnez, which for ten years were displayed in cages at the tour corners of a public building in Guanajuato, but were brought here after the independence of Mexico was recognized: and in another part of the cathedral rest the bones of Iturblde. There are fine paintings, some of them by tho old masters, very many of great value and all by the best artists. There are fourteen parish , churches in the city, three of which i were established as early as 1521. and most of them are magnificently fitted up. NATIONAL MUSEUM. Tho National Museum and tho Na tional School of Fine Arts were inspect ed by our party In a body, as a portion of the first day's Fight-seeing, after which th'e visiting editors were given a reception by President Diaz In the Na tional Palace. The museum Is one ot the great attractions with all strangers, possf-sslng as It docs so many rare pre histoilc relics of tho country. Among these Is the wonderful "calendar stone," Hornotlmes also called the "stone of tho sun." Thtn there is the "sacrlllcal stone," upon which human victims were once offered by the thousand, stone Idols of the aborigines, and very many interesting relics of the time of the Montezumas, lone before tho ku ropeans came to the country. Articles associated with the later history of the country, under the Spanish viceroys, Maximilian and subsequent rulers are shown In great profusion. There was so little time to see the large collection of fine paintings and statuary in the National School of Fine Arts that the visit was not as satlsfac tory ns It might havo been. Mexico boasts of somo great native artists and many of their best works are shown here, with several by Murlllo, Hubens and Van Dyko. By special permission our party was permitted to go through this gallery after the regular hours for the public. PRESIDENT DIAZ. The event of the day, however, was the president's reception. The National Palace, lu which are the president's of fices and those of tho several depart ments ot tho general government, occu pies a whole square, onco the site of tha royal halls of Montezumas, and later the residences of the Spanish viceroys, It has a frontago of 700 feet on the V.o oalo, (another name for the Plaza Mayor) but there is nothing palatial In the appearance of the exterior, the plain white walls of the low, massive ctrUcture giving- no Idea of the hand somely furnished halls inside). Among the notables whose portraits adorn the walls ot the magnificently furnished hall of the ambassadors (which extends nearly halt the length of tho entire front of the building) Is a fine picture of Washington. Our party, after passing through three large rooms of the palace, assem bled In the fourth, wherd President Diaz received them, coming1 In from the fifth room. Althouch In his 67th year, he appeared much younger. He was droned In a plain black suit, wear ing a Prince Albert Coat. When In full military dress, ablaze with Jeweled decorations but, an one writer has said, "with not enough medals to cover one apiece the scars that earned them" this hero of more than Ufty battles appears every Inch n soldier without a doubt. He has a remarkably strong face, nn eagle rye and a commanding presence that will not soon fade from the memory of one who had the privi lege of meeting him. He Is well built. :Stttfi-5 Zb&TCt lUri a medium height, and Is as erect as the typical Indian. ESPIONAGE IN GEItMANY. An Incident Illustrative of tho Dcg ragntiou of Private Liberty. One day, says Professor Thomas Da vidson, In the April Forum, there dined with me, In a public restaurant. In Ber lin, an lived clergyman and his wife. The former had occupied the same pul pit for over forty years, had proved a father to his parish, had been a leader in many liberal movements, and In all ways had served his country nobly; while the latter had for the same length of time been a very great bless ing to her neighborhood for many leagues around. In the course of con versation I asked him how he felt about tho emperor's policy. Before re plying to me, he turned and looked anxiously about him In all directions, and then said: "If Fritz had lived ten years longer, things would have been different." When I asked, "Were you looking about for anythlns:?" he said, "No; but one never knows who may be listening; and It would go hard with me If It were known that I expressed such opinions." To my surprise' I then leurned that Berlin was full of spies of all sorts, ready to catch, and report to the authorities, the slightest word re flecting unfavorably upon the emperor, his family, or his actions; and that on such reports many persons, especially young men, had been seized by the police and kept In prison for months- one, because, in the heat ot discussion, he had said the emperor was a Schafs kopf! When 1 asked my guests what they thoucht of such a system, they looked mysterious and declined to re ply. I afterward spoke of the matter to several persons, who, whether from fear or conviction I cannot tell, In formed me that they thought It quite right that the emperor, his family, and actions should be above criticism, and that he should enforce this rule. I learned also afterward that the presi dent of the Berlin Ethical society, a man of eminent scientific attainments, had been Imprisoned for three months for venturing, In a public address, to express views on socialism dlrterent from those of the emperor, although he did so without naming him. I could not help feeling that the Germans were paying dearly for their empire. UE H KKY. Why should a iMjrsou make himself a nuisance? What gain U thero in (jrim ness, and sourness, and unsociability' Flw people caro to listen to whining and complaint. On the whole, the world usaa us aa well aB we deserve. It Is very ha.'d for tho defeated to admit this, but It Is a fact, nevertheless, and, If only admitted, ono of the chief reasons for defeat ts re moved. A cheerful philosophy U an lin poitant element of success. Ho who Is C.-rpetuolly suspecting others of 111 treat, lng him and keeping him down Is not a wclfomo companion. Every man is of lesB Importance to the world around him than he likes to think. But ho can eolty test It by asking how much he hlni'Mt dwells upon the condition of others. Hy as much us their grievances do not parti cularly concern him, by po much h!s own are matters of Indlfferenco to them. So let him bo pleasant, bury his sorrows, rAlrt hl.1 nffrrtnt mnfn hlmsftlf jllfmft- I able trUft l0 Providence and thankfully take what comes. Zion'a Herald. THE 1M.OI-HET. Tormented by thirst of tho spirit I was dragging myself through a gloomy desert, When a six-wlngtd seraph At the cro,roAlii apitoarol U m. With fingers light ft a dream My eyes ho touched And my oyea opened wlee, Like tho.e of a frightened nho cagl. My cars he touched, And roaring and noise filled them; And I heard the trembling of the heavens, And tho high flight of tho angels, And tho movement of the creatures be neath tho sea, And the growing of grass in the valleys! And ho laid hold ot my lips, And toro out my sinful tongue Sinful, filvolous, and cunning; And tho sting of a wise uorpont. Between my unconscious lips, With bloody right hiijd ho plants And he cut through my bra?,t with a sword, And took out the trembling heyjrt, And a coql blazing and Utimlpsr, Into the open brenat he thfu!L Like a corppe I lay In the desert, And tho voice of God called mo; Rise up, Prophet, and see, and under stand! Filled full of My Will, Golngforth over sea and land, Set men's hearts afire with the Word, A. 8, Pushkin. The CamiadDae Is Nearlog' a ' Reasons Why Americans Should Keep a Watch on the Jltics of the Dominion in the Near Future Front a report to tho Republican Club of the City of New York by Colonel C. H. Dcnlson. The policy pursued by tho successive governments of Canada from 1867, tin year of the Confederation, up to the 2?u of June, 1&3G, has culminated in a condi tion of things that Is calling for great changes in the seneral affairs of that country. The Conservative party, th.at by a policy ot wholesale bribery nnd extrav agant expenditure managed to retain Its hold of ofllco from 1872 to 1S74, gov erned Canada more as an appendase of tho British Imperial system thun as a Eelf-governing American colony. Great expenditure was Incurred In the con struction of railways for military pur posesviz., the Intercolonial, from Hall fax to Quebec, and tho Canadian Pac- lflc, from Montreal to Vancouver, with the avowed object ot consolidating tho Imperial power and connection. These railways were not called for by the de velopment of the country, for as a mat ter of fact the population of the terrl; lory through which the Intercolonial railway passei docs not Increase, and between Vancouver and Sudbury, in Ontario, a distance of over two thous and five hundred miles, there Is only a population of some COO.OOO scattered along the line of the Canadian Paclllci The cont of these two lines ts an Intol erable burden on the Canadian people, and all the effoits mado up to date to Induce the settlement of tho regions west of Lake Superior by emigrants from Europe have resulted In failure." Tho country between the Lake of the Woods nnd Lake NIpIpplnE Is practically unfit for profitable agricultural settlement. With the disappearance of the pine and other merchantable timber In the for ests of northern Ontario and Quebec tho means of subsistence of their population also disappear. The climate Is unfa vorable to agricultural operations in general, and. nothing but their poverty retnlns a large part of the population on those northern lines. The slow In crease of population, the Increasing debt and taxation and the want of protltabla outletsforthelragrlcultural and Indus trial products combine to produce de pression and discontent, which mani fested itself lu June last In the decisive overthrow of the Conservatives, and the return of the Liberal party under the lead cf Ho.i. Wilfred Laurler, the first French -Canadian who has held the position of' premier since Confedera tion in 18G7. INFLUENCES THE SAME. But though there has been a change in the title and personnel of tho gov ernment at Ottawa, the Influences that havo hitherto dominated every succes sive government there, have by no means lost their power; nnd though the Hon. W. Laurler, during his elec toral canvass, everywhere proclaimed himself a Canadian first. last and all the time, he found himself on succeed ing to office under the necessity of sur rounding himself with men ns col leagues of whom some are strongly Imperialistic In their tendencies. Besides the weight of public debt which presses so heavily on the Cana dian people, the mortgage debt of the Important province of Ontario Is a. seri ous obstaclo to the prosperity of that province. It contains two-fifths of the total population of the dominion, con- I sequently It has to bear a two-fifths ' share of the general debt. In addl-1 nun. uuuuiuuitf iu returns muue iu?t yesr representing the operations of 89 loan Institutions up to the end of 1891, obliged by their charters of Incorpora tion to make such returns to the On tario provincial government, there was a mortgage debt on the farms and real estate of Ontario of 5115.C92.SC9. The amount In 187 was $75,494,903. But over and above this there were chattel mortjrageH on record on Dec. 31, 1891, to the amount of $10,603,393. of which $3,378,079 was on farmers' stock, etc., the rest being on the stock and effects of tradosmen and private lndividuols. It Is estimated that the amount loaned by those companies not making re turns and by private individual would show a total mortgage debt Ontario of not less than $200,000," In the province of Quebec, the Roir Catholic church having by law a fl charge on all lands cultivated n owne-d by Its adherents for tithes a" certain other charges, constitutes p Itself a permanent mortgage lmnof with the assent of tho British goven ment at the time Canada passed ui der the control of Great Britain. Bir ai the church Is not required to mak public Its revenues, there Is no possi bility of estimating the amount th people are compelled to contribute fo church purposes. That they nre ver largo may be gathered from the fa i that the Catholic church in the prov ince of Quebec has large surplus revi nues to Invest In tram lines and othei enterprises In the United States. In addition to this burden, the provincial government has oieated debt to the amount of $32,000,000. The population of the province of Quebec 3 about three-tenths of tho total dominion population. None of the provinces nre exempt from debt in one form or an other. The country as a whole is practically in a bankrupt condition, and Its population almost at a stand still, If not act.i.'Jly diminishing. Emi gration more than counterbalances the Immigration, and many thousands of persons cross the frontier every work ing day Into the United States to eni the living they cannot find In Cana. Thl3 Is to the prejudice of un eq number of Americans who nre the by deprived of a living, nnd con tutes a question for tho conslderat of this government. TWO CURRENTS. I,t was ne,cisary to go Into the above dPUH In order to explain thereby the two currents dolly gaining strength In Canada, one for Independence and the other for Continental Union or Annexa tion. It Is true there Is a party, al ready alluded to, In favor of maintain ing und consolidating the Imperial co llection; but It is a party more no' than numerous. It however has.thro' th'e apathy and ignorance of the n of the people, suoceaded In acqui. a decided control ot the affaire of country. Thto power, huwever, is the wane, aa, the. poopVe have begun to roalliie that it l,to that party they owe their present depressed condition. It l: this party, made up of the United Empire. Loyalists, the. cV stendants of the Tories of the War of tho Revolu tion, the Orangemen, the Sons of Eng land, and other politico-social deniza tions, that Is novv puttlnif ,forth all Its. strength to hinder any establishment of Intlma'te commercial." or political rela tions with tho United Slates, and that la responsible for the harsh Interpre QtLuestfloe CrisiSo' ' ' tations of tho fishery and other laws and regulations that a'fect American fishermen In Canadian waters. It la this party that ha Inaugurated tho policy of armaments In Cuuada and of fortifications alonr the frontier from Quebec to Vancouver, and for Its own puipbse would, If It could, restore direct lirltWi iiile In Cu inula. It Is equally opposed to Canadian Independence or the Commercial or .Political union of Canada and the United States. But aa has been said before, Its power Is on the wane, for it iias been found to bo too entirely selfirhilu Its pirns and Indif ferent to tho national, welfare of Can uda. . ii, , Tho governmcnti -.undj people of tho United States cannot afford to continue Indifferent to tho movements now go ing on In Canada. TIME FOR ACTION. Tho time has, In fact, arrived when It becomes necessary to consider the best policy to be followed by the American people and government towards Can ada, There uro advocates In Canada of a policy of concilatlon and attraction, and advocates 'of a more or less coercive policy, pacifically but firmly anolled. Those In favor of a conciliatory policy argue that for the United States to adopt a policy of non-luteicoursc would, tend to throw those who control Can adian affairs Into tho nrms of the party that Is antagonistic to Contlnentallstn or Americanism and favors Imperial ism. They therefore ask for a general concesflon of commercial reciprocity from the United States. They, how ever, refram, from saying how far they are prepared to go In' adopting th American tariff as against oountrleB outside the American continent. It would Hetni as though they desired all the advantages of both Contlnentnllsin and Imperialism while avoiding Unking themselves too Intimately with either. Had the Canadian people, through their government, duflng tho last thirty odd years displayed a generally friend ly and neighborly spirit towards the American people there might be some thing to urge on hoh.ilt of a policy of generosity nnd conciliation, but the re verse has been tho case. Their press and legislation have been ganerally un friendly, nnd not tending to the estab lishment ot nelghboily relations. It d es not appear, therefore, that tho Canadian people are entitled to the con sideration asked for on their behalf while they tolerate such exhibitions of sentiment. , Why Shb Wni .Tubllhnt. There was a vivaili'iH rmllo on her face which wus most wlnsumv.. "Oh, dear me," she murmured happily, "I've Just gotten such a bargain!" "How, dear?'' Inquired her friend. "I sent a telegram, only a quarter for ten words, and at least six of them woro words of more than three syllablesl" Washington Star. Under the Huso. Mr. Ennlcott There's a lot of steamer trunks piled out conspicuously in front of Mrs. Sllmpockot's house waiting for tlio expiessman. What does that mean? Mrs. Ennlcott (with scorn) It means that she's going down to her uncle's farm to spend the summer. Chicago Record. FOB l.1TcR1 L AND HXT ML USE. CURES ANU rnSVEXTS Colds, Coughs, Pore Throat, Influenzal Bron chitis, Pneumonia, Spelling of the Joint, Lambano, Inflammations. HATICffl Hiniauiiii nuuiinuuinj FR03TB.TES, CMLUMNS, HcADACHE, TOOTHVCHE, STiMA. DIFFCULT BREVTHING. CURES THE WORST PAINS In from ono to twenty minutes. NOT ONE HOUR after reading this 'advertisement need any one SUFFER WITH PAIN. Umlway's nrady Relief Is a Sure Cure for livery Pain. Sprains, Uruiscs.Pa us In the Back. Cucst ur Limb. It was the first and Is th i only PAIN KbMCDV That Instantly Mops tho most excri-iatlnir iialns, allays Inflammation, and cures Con gestions, whether of the Lungs, Stomach, nowels. or other elands or organs, by on implication. A half to a tenspoonful In half a tumbler of water v,ll In a few minutes cur Cramps. Spasms, Sour Stomach. Heart burn. Nervousness. Sleeplcssnoss, Sick Headache. Diarrhea. Dysentery, Colic, Flatulency and all IntTial pains. There Is not a rei'.i'llal agent in ths world that will cure T i-er aid Ague nnd nil other Malarious, Bullous and other fevers, aided by RADWAY'S PILLS, so quickly as RADWAY'S READY RELlfclF. Fifty csnts per bottle. Sold by Uruczlsts. RADWAY & CO., 55 Elm Street, New York, ASKrofeTREB?aaETQN i: GIVES Tim TIiGHTBVOR FOR SALE BY THE ATLANTIC REFINING CO SCRANTON STATION. TUoo iJiit Cupaulo UV- GbIm tod Inlrcilous fall, -' 0 Ilk Ok mKm K nS ImE 1 ,,tHtm. . i-, V'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers