The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-05-09
BY Herbert caxotn In the Chicago
Tribune.

Almost simultaneously there have
appeared two books of varying char
acter on Mexico. One, "Barbarous
Mexico (Charloa II. Kerr & Co., Chi
eago), by John Kenneth Turner, is an.
nounced as
The only book that tells the un-
vanished truth about the chat
tel slavery against which the
working people of Mexico are in
revolt. Full details, ample evil
dence, seventeen pages of en-
cravings from photographs. Am
erican capitalists are in league
with Diaz to uphold the worst
slavery ever known in modern
times. The proof is in this book
The other, "Diaz: Master of Mex
leo" ID. Appleton G. Coz, is by
James Creelman, and is a biography
of the aged dictator by a friendly
hand.
Mr.. Turner says he cleaned most
of his material during two trips to
Mexico in 1908 and 1909. His aim is
to explode current illusions Of Mex.
leo and Porfirio Daz." The term
"barbarous" he applies to the govern
ment rather than to its people. He
became interested in insurgent Mex
leo when he met four Mexican revolu
tionists in Jail. he says. He makes
bitter denunciation of California for
aiding the Mexican government by
Selling these men. The stories they
told him Of slavery in Mexico, of the
barbarous and despotic methods of
government, made him incredulous at
first, but in 1908 he crossed the Dor
der and made his way to Yucatan un.
der pretence Of buying a henequen or
sizal hemp plantation.
There he found what he describes
as state of slavery in which about
fifty ruch men control absolutely the
unpaid labor of 5000 Yaqui Indians,
Indians, 5000 Koreans, and from 1O0,-
600 to l25,O0O native Mayas. Under
pretence of debt which these laborers
are alleged to have incurred they are
kept at work, their only recompense
being enough food to keep them in q
condition to labor and some miser-
able shelter Thousands have not even
this latter The planters buy the va
quis at $65 each from the government,
which transported forcibly many thou.
sand of these Indians from Sonora,
so Mr.. Turner asserts. He says sew.
eral times in the book, that, as
prospective planter he was offered
slaves at $500 each.
He found only one instance of a
slave ever being set free by his mas.
ter. He was told that the Maya slaves
die faster than they are born, and
that two-thirds of the Raquis die the
first year of their captivity. The gov.
eminent ships in .Yaquis at the rate
of 500 a month. The slaves, however,
are principally recruited from the free
laborers whom the planters contriyc
to get into their debt The money len.
der and slave broker usually work to-
gether. Merida, the capital, is the
chief recruiting station. Turner as.
serts that they assured him he could
buy men, women, and children, thou.
sand OF them II he wanted them, and
do with them as he pleased and with.
out interference from anyone. Cor.
poral punishment is common, even the
slave house servants in the city be.
ing flogged.
On a plantation fifteen miles from
Merida he found 1900 slaves on
thirty'six square miles, all owned by
one man. Thirty were Korean, 200
Yaquis, and the remainder Mayas
Seven hundred were men; the others
women and children. Each married
family lives in hut on LA square
feet of ground. They raise most of
their food on this patch, and in add