Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 207, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1915 — CITY OF THE SISAL KINGS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CITY OF THE SISAL KINGS

IT IS from the state of Yucatan, Mexico, that the sisal fiber-is obtained for the manufacture of binder twine for the American farmers. That far southern state of the war-ridden republic also supplies most of the raw chicle for the manufacture of chewing gum, writes W. D. Hornaday in Grit. These are the two principal reasons why the recent blockading of the port of Progreso by a Carranza war vessel created such a stir in certain industrial circles of the United States. During the last twenty-five years the growing and exportation of sisal fiber, which is obtained from the leaves of the henequin plant, have brought enormous wealth to Yucatan. It is said that Merida is the home of more multimillionaires than any city of its size in the world. These men of wealth all made their fortunes out of the sisal industry. Up to the beginning of the present revolutionary period in Mexico and dating back more than a decade Merida was the real money center of Mexico. A veritable stream of gold constantly flowed out Gs the local banks through the channels of trade to other parts of country and even into the larger financial centers of the United States and Europe. The annual revenue which the Yucatan planters obtained from their sisal product ranged from $20,000,000 to $40,000,000. These men have continued to reap large profits from the industry all through the war disturbances as the exportation of the fiber was not interfered with by the different contending political elements until recently. There is at present an unusually large stock of fiber- on hand awaiting export. Most of it has been already purchased by an American company that manufactures binder twine on an extensive scale. The outgoing shipments of the product will'now be made as rapidly as ships can take it out of Progreso, which is the deepwater port of Yucatan. Most Progressive Part of Mexico. The henequin planters have been made to contribute several million dollars to the different revolutionary

factions during the last few years, but the levying of this tribute has been no burden to them. On the whole, the state has probably been more prosperous in the face of the revolutions than any other part of Mexico. This was due in part to its isolation from the remainder of the republic. It has no railroad connections with the other Btates, with the exception of Campeche. The United Railways of Yucatan has a line that runs to the town of Campeche. Just before Diaz resigned from the presidency the federal government granted a concession to a foreign syndicate for the construction of a railroad from Campeche to a connection with the National Tehuantepec railroad, a distance of about 450 miles. The surveys for the proposed lino were being made when the Madero revolt caused a stop to the work. Vjjiat is now the territory of Quintana Roo was formerly a part of Yucatan. It was created about fifteen years ago and placed under military rule in order to better cope with the rebellious Maya Indians. These Indians are degenerated remnants of a once powerful and highly civilized race of people that inhabited ages ago what is now southeastern Mexico. The ruins of the former civilization are scattered through the dense tropical forests of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche. They consist of large cities, monuments, temples and a variety of other interesting works of a race that is now almost extinct. -The Mayas have never submitted to Spanish or Mexican role. Their warriors are still carrying on a guerilla fight against the Mexican settlers who hare encroached upon their inhabited domain.

Besides the sisal fiber and chicle gum that are obtained in Yucatan and Quintana Roo, the tropical forests are the source of a large supply of mahogany timber that is exported to the United States and Europe. On account of the unsettled condition of affairs most of the mahogany logging camps have been temporarily abandoned and very little of that timber has been exported for several months. Always Friendly to Americans. The people of Yucatan have always been friendly to Americans. They have a great admiration for the United States. In fact, this liking was so great that the government authorities there about 1848 during the war between Mexico and the United States, made a formal offer that Yucatan be taken over by the latter country. This offer was refused by the government at Washington. Bordering the then state of Yucatan on the south was British Honduras. When the proposed annexation to the United States was refused a proposition was made to the British government that it take over the state and add It to British Honduras. This plan also met with failure. Politically speaking, the people of Yucatan have never been in sympathy with that part of Mexico which lies to the north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Even during the long reign of President Diaz there was at all times a strong undercurrent of ill-feeling towards the federal administration on the part of the people there. It was the existence of the opposition that caused Diaz to adopt conciliatory tactics in his appointments to office and general administration. In nearly all of his cabinets there was at least one representative from Yucatan.