Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-04-16
BIG LAND SYNDI-
CATE is ORGANIZED.
Gigantic Combination of Capital Incor-
porated in Arizona for Coloni-
zation.

San Antonio, Texas, April 16.-For
the purpose of acquiring as much as
possible if not all, of the public lands
in Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia Peru and
other Latin American countries, a gi-
gantic combination of capitalists has
been effected under the laws of Ari-
zona, to be known as the South Amer
lean Exploitation and Colonization
Company. According to the Mexico
Daily Record, the concern is capital
lied at $30,000,000, gold, but there is
no doubt that far greater resources
are at its disposal
1t is the intention of the organizers
of this huge project to operate through
a number of subsidiary companies
that in Mexico are being organ
lied and in operation under the name
of the Mexican National Land Scrip
Company. Similar companies will be
formed in every other country south
15f the Rio Grande
There is no doubt that there is
nothing in the history of mankind to
parallel this stupendous undertaking,
the great conquests of antiquity not
excepted. Compared with it the
greatest modern land deal, the aquisi-
ton of Rhodesia by the Charteres
Company of England, fades into utter
insignificance. The public lands in
South America form still more than
two-thirds of the entire area, being in
Mexico, the best settled of them all,
a little over one-fourth of the whole.
How the various governments will
take to this enterprise is as yet not
known, although, the necessary con-
cessions are now being considered by
some of them. That all or any of
them would in consideration of a mere
Lagateile-for such the present pur-
chase price of the land when consider
ed with its ultimate value is-part
with their public domain is not
thought possible except corruption fig
ures largely in the matter. The am
bltlon OF the men behind this move
ment is boundless to say the least and
their identity may be said to be I'M
known at this time. The men whose
names appear in connection with the
scheme seem to be merely agents of
a vast combination of money, none of
them having much reputation in
American or Mexican finances The
more prominent Americans identified
with the syndicate are Frederick E..
Kenaston and G. T. Proper of. Min.
neapolis, Orlando A. Robertson, Ed
ward T. Young, attorney general, of
the state of Minnesota, and Joseph
c. Wood of st. Paul.
That there is a great opportunity
waiting for this combine cannot be de-
MED Mexico alone holds some 12O,-
100000 acres of public lands which
could be acquired for about 25 cents
an acre on even less. Most of this
land is we'll timbered, has a fine soil,
is rich in minerals and is for the
greater part located in fine climates.
Practically the same holds true in the
case of the other Latin Americas.
While the alleged intention of the
syndicate is to acquire these lands
for colonization there can be no doubt
that it's real intention is to hold these
lands as an investment and pocket the
increment. 1t would be quite impossl-
Bile to even settle small fraction of
the land to be acquired, because the
resources behind this move, while
they may be great would not be great
enough to effect this. Settlement by
Indians is out of the question for the
reason that much of the land has been
occupied by them for centuries with
out much good resulting therefrom
and it is very doubtful whether
enough white farmers could be found
to even make an impression on the
vast tracts. For these resaons the
holding of the land would ba eynIoi-