AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF MEXICO. 457 



them to fully supply to the domestic demand of the country for sugar 

 from its undoubtedly great natural resources -five and a half dollars' 

 worth of sugar having been exported from the United States into 

 Mexico in 1883, for every one dollar's worth imported during the same 

 year from Mexico into the United States ; and, secondly, in respect to 

 tobacco, by the testimony, based on careful investigation, of some of 

 the best manufacturing authorities in the- United States, that, while 

 the best grades of tobacco for cigar purposes can now be raised in the 

 United States at from ten to fifteen cents per pound, the cost of Mexi- 

 can tobacco of a corresponding quality ranges from twenty-five to fifty 

 cents per pound. It is difficult to see, therefore, what valid objections 

 from merely trade considerations can be offered to the consummation 

 of such a measure on the part of the United States, or to affirm which 

 of the two countries would be the greatest gainer from the adoption 

 of such a policy. Nay, more, it would be difficult for any one to 

 show, wherein anything of commercial or industrial disadvantage 

 could accrue to the United States, even if it were to allow every 

 domestic product of Mexico to be imported into her territory free 

 of all import taxes or restrictions articles subject to internal reve- 

 nue taxes in the United States being manifestly excepted with- 

 out asking any like concessions from Mexico in return. Such a 

 proposition may at first seem preposterous, but let us reason a little 

 about it. In the first place, it is exactly the policy which Great 

 Britain now offers to Mexico. Can the United States afford to bid 

 less for the trade of the American Continent than her great commer- 

 cial rival? Again, Mexico wants, or is likely to want, everything 

 which the United States especially desires to sell, and the only draw- 

 back to a great extension of trade between the two countries is the 

 lack of ability on the part of Mexico to pay for what she wants. 

 And this inability at the present time is very great. Apart from the 

 precious metals, the quantity and value of domestic merchandise which 

 Mexico can export to pay for such foreign products as she may de- 

 sire, as already pointed out, are comparatively small, and consist 

 almost exclusively of the most crude natural products. For the year 

 1883 nearly eleven twelfths of all her exports consisted of the ixtle 

 and heniquen fibers ; woods, mainly dye and ornamental ; coffee, 

 hides and skins, vanilla, horse-hair, catechu, and sarsaparilla. Not- 

 withstanding, also, that Mexico is an agricultural country, she does 

 not produce sufficient material (cotton and wool) to keep her small 

 number of textile factories in operation ; but imports about three 

 fifths of her raw cotton from the United States (5,877,000 pounds 

 in 1885), and a considerable portion of her wool from Australia. 

 What Mexico would sell to the United States, if all tariff restric- 

 tions were removed from her exports, would be such crude materials 

 as have been specified all articles of prime necessity to the American 

 manufacturer. Reduced to terms of labor, the exchanges would sub- 



