UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
fr^
^-
MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES
A STUDY OF SUBJECTS AFFECTING THEIR POLITICAL,
COMMERCIAL, AND SOCIAL RELATIONS, MADE
WITH A VIEW TO THEIR PROMOTION
BY
y MATIAS ROMERO
VOLUME I.
G. p. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
Cbe Iknicfterbocfter press
1898
? 8 8 5
Copyright, 1898
BY
MATIAS ROMERO
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
/
Tlbe Ikniclterboclser press, neve @otk
V
PREFACE.
. At two different periods I have been in Washington as the official
^ representative of Mexico in the United States. My first sojourn be-
■^ gan on December 24, 1859, when I came as First Secretary of the
Mexican Legation, continuing as such until August 14, i860, the day
on which Minister Mata left Washington on leave, and. I became
Charg^ d' Affaires and continued in that capacity until October 29,
1863. On that day I presented to President Lincoln my credentials
as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Mexico, in
which capacity I remained in Washington until July 16, 1868, when
I took my departure for Mexico. I was therefore in Washington dur-
ing nearly two years of Mr. Buchanan's administration, the whole of
Mr. Lincoln's first and second administrations, and of his successor, Mr.
Johnson. I, therefOTe^"was fortunate enough to be in this capital during
the most serious crises that this government ever passed through, that
is, during the preparation for the secession of the Southern States, dur-
ing the secession, the Civil War that it brought about, and the Re-
construction Period, as well as during the whole period of the French
^ Intervention in Mexico, which was an incident closely connected with
the Civil War in the United States. It was my fortune to meet the
most prominent men of this country, both in political and social life,
and to hold very friendly personal relations with many of them, such
as Secretary Seward and General Grant.'
' The extent of the personal friendship with which Mr. Seward favored me, appears
from the following official communication dated at Washington, October 7, 1867, in
which he tendered me a public vessel of the United States to convey me and my
friends from Charleston, South Carolina, to the port of Veracruz in Mexico, on my
return home. Governor Morton, of Indiana, and General Banks had intended to go
to Mexico with me, but could not leave when I started, and I only left with my family.
Department of State,
Washington, Oct. 7, /S67.
To SeNor Don Matias Romero
etc., etc., etc.
Sir : You are aware of the intention of the Government to provide you with a
passage to Mexico in a public ' essel of the United States. I now have the honor to
acquaint you that in a letter of this date, the Secretary of the Treasury informs me
iv Ipretacc.
The second period of my service in Washington extends from March
7, 1882, to the present time, and it has continued without interruption
excepting from May, 1892, to February, 1893, when I discharged, while
absent on leave, the duties of Secretary of the Treasury of Mexico,
filling that office for the third time.
During the years which elapsed between these periods I served at
two different times as Secretary of the Treasury in Mexico, and for a
few months as Postmaster-General of that country, although that office
is not in Mexico, as in the United States, a cabinet position; and during
the intervals I travelled in different parts of Mexico and spent about
three years in agricultural pursuits in the District of Soconusco, State
of Chiapas, bordering upon Guatemala, an incident which gave me
the opportunity of becoming familiar with the political and social con-
ditions of Guatemala, a country which I twice visited, and which fur-
nished me practical knowledge of the boundary question between
Mexico and that republic, which several times threatened to disturb
the peace between the two countries.
During my second official residence in the City of Washington, I
have contributed to the Press of this country several papers relating to
Mexican affairs, prepared with a view to correct misapprehensions con-
cerning the laws of Mexico, and its social, political, industrial, and com-
mercial conditions, the feelings and disposition of its people towards
the United States, and several other subjects affecting the relations be-
tween the two Republics, and to furnish information on matters concern-
ing Mexico, which ought to be better understood in the United States.
It has been my special desire to do whatever might lie in my power
to lessen the risk of misunderstandings and to further the know-
ledge of each country by the other, and thus to develop friendly
political, commercial, and social relations between the two nations,
and establish the basis of lasting peace between them. The contiguity
of the two Republics, the peculiarities of each, and the special ad-
vantages which, in certain respects, each possesses over the other, are
such as to promote and preserve, in the near future, the strongest ties
of interest, respect, and friendship. It was with the view of further-
ing such a result that these articles were originally written, and it is
the same purpose that has induced me to reissue them in book form.
that the Revenue Cutter IVilderness will be ordered to Charleston, South Carolina,
for the purpose of receiving you and your friends and of making the voyage re-
ferred to.
If, therefore, you should reach Charleston by the 14th of this month, it is prob-
able that you may then embark in the Wilderness there.
I will avail myself of the occasion to renew the assurance of my high consideration.
William H. Seward.
I had enough letters from General Grant to fill a volume, and may use some of
them hereafter.
preface. v
These contributions have now become quite numerous, and be-
cause of the frequent demands received for copies, I have considered
it advisable to revise and publish them in book form, in such manner
as to make the collection a convenient source of knowledge and
reference for citizens of the United States who desire to have a
more intimate knowledge of Mexican affairs. At first I thought that
I would group my papers in the chronological order of their publica-
tion in this country; but after further consideration I decided to fol-
low the order in which they now appear.
I have carefully revised the articles embraced in this volume with
the view of making them parts of a comprehensive work. When I
began to prepare these papers I thought it would be proper to begin the
same with a short description of Mexico, and I used for the purpose a
paper I published in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society
of New York on December 31, 1896, adding to it considerably, so
as to embrace the more recent geographical and statistical informa-
tion on Mexico that could be obtained, and in that way the first paper
of this set came out in a more voluminous way than I had intended.
The several articles I had published bearing on historical affairs con-
cerning Mexico were grouped together under the head of Historical
Notes on Mexico^ and followed the one containing geographical and
statistical data, and those of a miscellaneous character are grouped
together rather on my theory of their importance than on the date of
their publication.
As each article was written with a certain purpose, a repetition
of some facts and views on a given subject has at times been unavoid-
able, because the statement of such facts, or the expression of such
views, was in each case indispensable to a thorough knowledge of the
subject-matter of the article. I have tried to avoid these repetitions as
much as possible, but I have found that I could not altogether succeed
in doing so.
I feel constrained to say that my stay in Washington has been so
long, and my acquaintance with the leading public men of this country
so intimate, that I can state with truth that I know a great deal
of the unwritten history of this country, which if carefully collected
would afford material for very interesting personal memoirs. Although
these articles are far from having that character, they contain facts
which throw light upon some incidents of the inside political history
of'the times, and which have not heretofore been within the reach of the
general public. I trust therefore that for this reason these papers will
be found of interest to those who may wish to know something of the
workings of the great Government of the United States as viewed by
friendly foreign eyes.
This book makes no pretensions to literary merit. I have been
VI
preface.
in this country long enough to learn something of the English lan-
guage, but of course I cannot aspire to as perfect a knowledge and
command of it as if it were my mother tongue. These articles were
written by me originally in English, as they were intended to be read
by the people of this country, and although I have submitted them to
friends of mine for correction of the style, the corrections that have
been made have been of small importance, and the style, therefore, re-
mains my own. I know very well that it is far from being perfect, or
even as terse or correct as I could reasonably desire, but I have done
my best to make it as good as I knew how.
I know that it is something new and a rather delicate undertaking
for a diplomatic representative of a foreign country to write articles for
the Press of the country to which he is accredited, and I am well
aware that to an European diplomat this would be considered a serious
breach of etiquette; but the conditions in this country are so different
from those prevailing elsewhere, and the relations between Mexico and
the United States are so exceptional, that I have felt myself justified in
following this course, and so far I have had no occasion to regret it. I
have found, besides, that some of my colleagues, not only representing
American, but even European countries, have acted in a similar man-
ner; the former Brazilian Minister in Washington, Senor Mendon^a,
who is a very accomplished diplomat, the former Argentine Minister,
Senor Zeballos, the former Belgian Minister, Monsieur Le Ghait, an
able man of very wide diplomatic experience, representing a very con-
servative European State, and also two Japanese Ministers, Messrs.
Tateno and Kurino, have published articles on important subjects
relating to their respective countries.' I am also able to cite as a
precedent the example of the diplomatic representatives of the United
' The articles referred to are two from Seftor Don Salvador de Mendon9a, pub-
lished in the North American Review, one in January, 1894, entitled " Republican-
ism in Brazil," and the other in the February number of the same year, entitled
"Latest Aspects of the Brazilian Rebellion"; one from Seiior Don Estanislao S.
Zeballos, published in the August, 1894, number of the same paper, entitled "Civil
Wars in South America " ; two from Mon. Alfred Le Ghait, one published in the
March, 1892, number of the North American Review, entitled " The Anti-Slavery
Conference," and another published in November, 1893, entitled " The Revision of
the Belgian Constitution " ; one from Mr. G. Tateno, published in the January, 1893,
number of the same paper, entitled " Japan at the World's Fair" ; and two from Mr.
S. Kurino, one published in November, 1894, entitled " The War in the Orient," and
the other published in May, 1895, entitled "The Future of Japan."
Senor Zeballos published besides, in 1894, while he was Argentine Minister in
Washington, a book of 656 pages entitled La Concurrencia Universal y la Agricultura
de Ambas A'^Mcas, which he prepared in the shape of a report to the State Depart-
ment of his country on the agricultural conditions of the United States. I understand
this book was published simultaneously in English and Spanish, but it was written in
Spanish, and I have only seen the Spanish edition of the same.
preface. vU
States in England. This country bears towards England, in some
respects, relations similar to those borne by Mexico towards the United
States; and it may therefore not be considered extraordinary that the
Mexican representative in Washington should feel justified in follow-
ing their example. If a representative of an European Government
should make public addresses in London on subjects of common in-
terest to his own and the British Government, or on other subjects of
a political character, public opinion in Europe would find ample ground
for criticism, and he would possibly even be reprimanded by his Govern-
ment; but the peculiar position of the United States representative at
the Court of St. James has been held to justify the course taken by
Ambassadors Bayard and Hay and their predecessors during their mis-
sion in Great Britain.
I have also thought that the presentation of trustworthy informa-
tion for the purpose of avoiding misunderstandings between two sister
Republics, and of furthering satisfactory and friendly relations, was
not only a privilege permissible, but a duty of the representative of
Mexico in the United States. Besides, in this case I have only collected
in book form, papers which I have already published in this country,
some of them as early as 1883, and I cannot see any impropriety in
reprinting them. The American public has very kindly received my
papers, and with perhaps a single exception, in which I touched on a
question which was at the time paramount in a hot political discussion
in the United States, which preceded a Presidential election, they all
have been commented upon in a great deal more kindly and compli-
mentary manner than I had any reason to expect.
My experience in dealing with two peoples of different races, speak-
ing different languages and with different social conditions, has shown
me that there are prejudices on both sides, growing out of want of suf-
ficient knowledge of each other, which could be dispelled, and by so
doing, a better understanding be secured. This fact was very plainly
shown to me during the Pan-American Conference, which met in
Washington from October, 1889, to April, 1890, where serious preju-
dices prevailing among some of the delegates regarding the various
countries were dispelled by the close contact with their respective
representatives at the Conference. I have often witnessed in Wash-
ington very serious misunderstandings to the prejudice of the Latin-
American nations, and especially in regard to Mexico, resulting from
want of proper information on the questions involved, and I thought
that I would render a service both to Mexico and the Latin-American
countries at large, as well as to the United States, if I did what I
could to dispel those errors, and so obtain a more satisfactory under-
standing between the two races inhabiting the American continent.
On account of my long residence in the United States, the greater
viii preface.
part of my life having been spent here, many people in Mexico, and
especially those who are unfriendly to this country, have thought that
pleasant and agreeable associations may have imperceptibly influenced
and controlled my judgment and methods of thought. While this be-
lief may be perfectly correct, in so far as a full knowledge and appre-
ciation of the American people and their institutions and tendencies
is concerned, it is not true that I am the less jealous of the rights and
interests of my own country. The peculiar position which I thus occupy
enables me to judge correctly of the conditions of the two countries,
and of the manner in which such obstacles as are in the way of a better
understanding of each other may best be removed.
I do not need, of course, to say that I publish this book in my
personal character as a Mexican citizen, and not in my official capacity
as a diplomatic representative of the Mexican Government in Wash-
ington. Everything that it contains is therefore sai,d on my own per-
sonal responsibility, and in no case should the Mexican Government
be held responsible for any views or statements of mine.
Although the first term of my residence in Washington was the more
important of the two — both because of the Civil War in this country and
of the French Intervention in Mexico which took place during that
time — it would swell this book to unreasonable proportions were I to
collect here all my writings, speeches, interviews, and other papers
written during that trying period; and therefore I shall include in this
work only such matter as has been published during the second period,
excepting a few short papers that I think I ought to present now.
My correspondence Avith the United States Government during my
first sojourn in Washington, which I consider of great importance, was
sent by Presidents Lincoln and Johnson to Congress, and published
in several volumes, containing a record of important events then oc-
curring in Mexico. I append a list of the different Messages sent by
the President of the United States to Congress during the French
Intervention in Mexico, bearing on Mexican affairs. Most of that
correspondence, together with my official letters to the Mexican Gov-
ernment, and the instructions from that Government to the Mexi-
can Legation at Washington, from 1859 to 1867, I published in
Spanish in Mexico, in ten large volumes, some of them of over 1,000
pages, containing data in my opinion indispensable to write an accu-
rate history of the events which took place in Mexico during that
eventful period.' As those papers are already printed I do not think
it advisable to include them here, notwithstanding that they belong to
a most interesting historical period.
' The extent of the labor I accomplished during that period, appears from the
following extract of a statement of work done by the Mexican Legation at Washing-
ton, from August 16, i860, when I became Charge d' Affaires, to December 31, i566,
which I published on that date :
preface.
IX
As an instance illustrating the importance of those documents, I ap-
pend to this Preface an autograph letter from Mr. Lincoln, dated at
Springfield, 111., on January 21, 1861, addressed to me after a short
visit that I made to him at his home, a few weeks before his inaugura-
tion as President of the United States. This letter, which has not be-
fore seen public light, shows his feelings towards Mexico, and is quite
typical of that great man.
It is hardly necessary to say that in the publication of these papers, I
have had no thought of pecuniary profit. I have often been asked by the
editors of the periodicals in which they were originally printed to con-
sent to receive an honorarium, which I have always declined. My object
in writing them was, as already stated, to diffuse important information,
and not to make money, and I considered that the periodicals which
published my papers did me a favor, as they contributed to the accom-
plishment of that object. I have now decided to print the book con-
taining them through a leading New York and London editorial house,
because that is the only effective way of putting it within the reach of
the general public for continued reading and reference. If I had
printed this volume for private circulation it would have reached com-
paratively few readers, and my object would not have been accomplished.
I shall be Avell satisfied if I succeed in my purpose of placing within
reach of the people of the United States a knowledge of Mexican affairs
which is the result of many years of experience and of an intimate
acquaintance with the condition of things in my own country, and will
feel still more pleased if I succeed in accomplishing my object of contrib-
uting to establish a lasting friendship between the two Sister Republics.
Washington, July, 1898.
AGGREGATE STATEMENT OF WORK.
LETTERS AND EN-
CLOSURES TO
PAGES.
LETTERS AND EN-
CLOSURES FROM
PAGES.
Department of State of
Mexico
6,643
1,720
I 301
23,791
8,948
T ion
1,905
483
1,379
7,405
4,834
721
I.95I
16,678
Department of State of the
United States
Mexican Consulates, Lega-
tions, etc
Private Letters
7,430 14,920
Total
17 OQJ in ^RR
11,172
24,184
TOTALS.
LETTERS AND ENCLOSURES.
Number.
Pages.
From the Legation
17,094
11,172
49,388
24,184
To the Legation
Total
28,266
73,572
erf L^ C^cyCO^ye^o^ J' z^XSCe^ ^:^4C:> /O-t^^Ujt^
Facsimile of autograph letter of Abraham Lincoln, written a few weeks before his
inauguration as President of the United States, to express his sympathy for Mexico,
This letter was written on note paper 7-J by 5-J- inches.
PARTIAL LIST OF SPECIAL MESSAGES ON MEXICO SENT
BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES TO
CONGRESS DURING THE PERIOD OF THE FRENCH
INTERVENTION.'
1862.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of April 14, 1862, enclosing
papers on the present condition of Mexico. (House of Representatives, Ex. Doc.
No. 100, 37th Congress, 2d Session.) 434 pages.
1863.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of January 5, 1863, in relation
to the alleged interference of the United States Minister to Mexico in favor of the
French. (House of Representatives, Ex. Doc. No, 23, 37th Congress, 3d Session.)
27 pages.
President's Message to the Senate of January 20, 1863, enclosing correspondence be-
tween the United States Government and Mexican Minister in relation to the
exportation of articles contraband of war for the use of the French army in
Mexico. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 24, 37th Congress, 3d Session.) 17 pages.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of February 4, 1863, enclosing
report of Secretary of State and accompanying papers on present condition of
Mexico. (House of Representatives, Ex. Doc. No, 54, 37th Congress, 3d
Session.) 802 pages.
1864.
President's Message to the Senate of June 16, 1864, enclosing papers relative to the
condition of affairs in Mexico. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 11, 38th Congress, ist
Session.) 496 pages.
' This list veas made from a set of the President's Special Messages on Mexico,
from 1862 to 1867, which I kept at the time for my personal use and have bound in seven
volumes. Fearing that some messages might have escaped me, notwithstanding that
I was very careful to collect them all, I requested Mr. Cliffton Warden, Assistant
Librarian of the United States Senate Library, a very competent person, to make a
complete list, and to revise mine. He furnished me with a list which is fuller than
mine, and which appears at the end of the volume. He adds to my list messages
sent confidentially by the President to the Senate, to which I had no access, and gives
of others more details than I do.
xii partial Xist of Special /IDessaoes.
1865.
President's Message to the Senate of December 13, 1865, containing information of a
decree of the so-called Emperor of Mexico. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 5, 39th
Congress, ist Session.) 20 pages.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of December 14, 1865, bearing
on the so-called decree re-establishing slavery or peonage in Mexico. (House of
Representatives, Ex. Doc. No. 13, 39th Congress, ist Session.) 14 pages.
President's Message to the Senate of December 21, 1865, containing information re-
specting the occupation by French troops of the Republic of Mexico, and the
establishment of a monarchy there. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 6, 39th Congress, ist
Session.) 100 pages.
1866.
President's Message to the Senate of January 5, 1866, containing information of plans
to induce the dissatisfied citizens of the UniteJ States to immigrate into Mexico.
(Senate, Ex. Doc. No. S, 39th Congress, ist Session.) 44 pages.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of January 5, i366, on the steps
taken by the so-called Emperor of Mexico to obtain a recognition. (House of
Representatives, Ex. Doc. No. 20, 39th Congress, ist Session.) 12 pages.
President's Message to the House of Representatives of January 10, 1866, on t'ne
alleged kidnapping in Mexico of a child (Iturbide) of an American lady. (House
of Representatives, Ex. Doc. No. 21, 39th Congress, ist Session.) i page.
President's Message to the Senate of January 26, 1866, containing information regard-
ing the present condition of affairs on the southeastern frontier of the United
States and any violation of neutrality of the army on the right bank of the Rio
Grande. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 16, 39th Congress, ist Session.) i page.