The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-04-08
MEXICO'S BIG
LAND MONOPOLY
BY FRANK G.. CARPENTER.
MEXICO CITY.

dent Huerta and his administration
have big questions TO deal with. The
Madero policy has awakened he COM
mon people. and congress Is divided
among their friends and those OF the
big land monopolists. The great trust
here is the land trust Something ike
one thousand families own the bulk OF
the good lands Of Mexico, and for gen
erations they have been ruling the
country. They nave had their LOBBY
lists hero at the capital, and when tney
have piped the statesmen nave mao TO
dance. The power of this land trust
was well known TO Porfirio Diaz. n
the opposition to it brought about the
downfall Of his administration. Presi-
lent Diaz knew that the time had
come to divide up the lands. and he
was planning to tax them with a view
Of SO doing. But h power OF the
haciendado in the federal congress and
the state legislature was more tnah
he could overcome. and he failed. He
tried to tax the big estates which were
not in cultivation. and to thus bring
about their division. But he was baik-
ed ut every turn, and the result was
his downfall.
What President MadcrO Did
II was upon promises to bring about
"a i3nQ DIVISION tndt -MdOeAO iIdOO AHo
campaign for the presidency. He
stumped the country, saying that II
he became president he would SO tax
the big estates that the owners could
not afford to keep them. He also said
thai he might compel the ha~ciendados
or large landholders, to give farms to
men who were working for them. He
told the poems that their wages YOU'D
soon go up to 81 a day. He said they
-.-.a $500 1900 90 h,,V 1OnN ona
that ne would create a class Of small
farmers.
1t was these big landholders that
largely aided in bringing about the
defeat and death Of Madero, and Pres
ident Huerta and his party are lndept-
ed tn them. The common people,
however. have learned too much III
gone too far To recede. The govern
ment knows tina there can be no per-
peace without q movement to-
ward a division " the lands, and con-
gress Is now trying to bring forth some
scheme which win result in such g
division. Ono plan which is agitateo
is the restoration Of the communal
lands about the towns to h Indians
who formerly owned them. And there
are other plans TO wipe out the fed
eral system. which now gives r. few
families this great land monopoly ant
makes them the ruling artist Ocrats o.
the country. The fight Of the future j
to he between the landleSs and tn
small landhOlders and the land mo
nopolists, and it will go in one forn
or another until Mexico belongs Z
the many instead Of the few.
Among the Lane Barons.
How would you like to have 500
families own the whole United States
Such a division would be sOmewha
the same as that which exists in Mel
leo today. There are men here VIII
own millions of acres Of farming an
grazinz land, and who in addition hav
mines. houses and gold galor.
Let me give you q few instance:
The biggest landowners Of all is Do
Luis Terrazas Of the state Of Chihau
hua. He and his immediate relative
own outright over 100000 acres
the most fertile lands OF norther
Mexico. They keep it in big tract
and the most OF it is Employed Il
stock raising only. TerraZas brant
$4,000 calves every year, and he hs
On his place enormous drove of hors,
n mules and flocks OF sheep ar
goats. He owns nearly all Of the lar
between Chihuahua n the Unite
States boundary, and you nay ris
further than from New York to Wasl
ington on The railroad in crossing b
farms from north to south.
They are wider from east to we
than the distance etween Baltimo
and New York. and indeed the bou
darics are so poorly Fin that I
n knows just where they end. II
people here say that Terrazas do
not know how much Ian he has al
that he could lose n thousand be
cattle and not feel the loss. He
without doubt about the richest m;
tn Mexico. He is worth somethi,
like 500, 900, 900 n is the autocr
Of the state OF Chihuahua.
Another man who has millions
this same state is Enrique c. Gre
who was formerly the Mexican a,
bAssador al Washington. He is
son-in-law OF Terrazas, but is said
be worth about $50. 600, 900 in his O,
right, nue. Of 1t being in land a
cattle. Mr.. Creel vas born in G.
huahua- His father was a kentucki
who came to this country during I
Mexican war and later on settled he
lie had a family OF seven and Z
gANvaA y ~ Dl<yoc% Y~x- ~-n i.