Fillmore City, Utah, .
President W. Woodruff,
Salt Lake City,
Dear Brother:
I have been quite busy since I met
you and Bro. Cannon in your office, after
having been released from the penitentiary, when
you asked me to ^give you in^ writing my views and ideas
in regard to Central and South America.
While in the penitentiary I formed the ac-
quaintance of a country man of mine, who
was being held on ^a^ charge of illegal voting, who
had traveled much in many countries, and who
had been in Central and South America, and
spent some years in Guatemala, which is the most
northern of the five Central American Republics,
containing something over 40,000 qr. miles, with a
population of about 1 1/2 millions. The climate is
tropical, but quite healthy as a rule, as the country
consists mainly of table-lands of different alti-
tudes. The soil is very fertile, and produces in
profution a great variety of tropical fruits,
bananas, bread-fruit, plantain, sarsaparilla,
mahogany, logwood &c. Sugar cane and coffee
are cultivated. When cane is planted once, it
grows for ten years, producing two crops a year.
Coffee is a profitable product for exportation.
There are some rail-roads, one running through
Guatemala from the Caribian Sea to the Pacific
Ocean. Gold and silver mines are aboundant, though
but little worked. In Guademala the mines are
owned by the government, but can be leased for
one third. In Honduras, mines can be located
and claimed like in the United States. Nicaragua
is the largest of the five republics, having an area
of 58,000 Sq. miles, with only about 400,000 in-
habitants. The governments of those countries hold
out great inducements to white settlers, giving 120
acres of land with one yoke of oxen, one plow, such
as they have them, three cows to a man, and if he
is married he gets six cows. Seven years settlement
is required to aquire government title to the land.
Much of the government land has already crops
growing; such as bananas, sarsaparilla, mahogany
trees &c., for which there is always a market. There
is no import duty, but "Free Trade." There, is a
country already made, with many facilities awayi
thing the enterprice and progressiveness of the Anglo-
Saxon race, and it is probable that greater induce-
ments would be offered for colonyization, as I
read in the papers not long ago that a company
of capitalists from Rhroad Island had got a
large tract of land in Honduras, with several
miles of sea coast, where they purpus raising and
exporting tropical fruits &c. The price of labor is high,
as the natives can not see the philosophy in working
where they can get every thing they need without
work.
The greater part of the population constists of
Indians and mestizos. The whites are Spanish as
a rule. The Indians are superior to the Mexicans
in appearance, but are indolent and non progress-
ive, and no interest is taken in church or school,
still, some of the Government Officials are well
educated and con speak several languages.
In South America are some fine countries
also. The Argentine Republic is a very large
country with a mild climate something like that
of California, and the soil is very productive. A
few years ago the government of that country offered
to every family, who would come and settle per-
manently, 600 acres of land and a horse team
with harness, wagon and such farming imp-
lements as they have. There are quite a number
of Europeans there, engaged in agriculture and
stock raising; but the great majority of the population
in all those countries are Lamanites, a people in
whome we as Latter-day Saints have reason to
feel much interested, and among whom we
understand is a great work to be performed
in the near future.
There are some disadvantages, of course,
in those countries, the main one being the un-
stableness of the governements; but it is dificult
perhaps to find a government enywheres now
whose stability can be dependet upon, that of
our own nation not excepted.
There is steam boat comunication between those
countries and the United States, both east and west,
and also with the rest of the world, and when the
contemplated Inter-continental rail road shall
have been completed, the distance bethween here
and there will not seem so great.
I have been led to interest my self in
getting all the information I could conserning
those countries and people, because many like
my self are in jeopardy here all the time on
account of our large families, and are forced
to seek homes elsewhere, where the laws are more
humane, spend our time in the "Pen", or abandon
our families. We were informed by the Prophet
Joseph Smith that both North and South America
is the land of Zion, and President Brigham
Young said many years ago that settlements of
the saints would be extended all the way down
into South America. President John Taylor
said, or the Lord through him said: Let the
Seventies prepare themselves to go and preach
the Gospel to those people, and let the High Priests
prepare them selves to go and preside among them.
I do not expect in presenting these views
and ideas, which are based upon information,
that the Church Authorities will consider that
as a suficient inducement for imediate colon-
ization, but if the advisability of extending
colonization into those far off countries should be
considered at all, the best and most reliable
information could be obtained by a committee,
representing the Church, consisting of men of
good judgement, taking a trip down there on
a special mission for that purpose.
I hope that you will not consider me
officious in this matter, for I know that with
your self and council rests the right to know
what to do, and whatsoever is done will be for
the best, but I should be pleased to know learn
what consideration this shall have received.
I am Your Fellow Servant in the
Latter-day Work,
C. Anderson.
C. Anderson.
Recd Jan 26.