New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-11
WHAT Ais MEXICO
The Recognition of Huerta Would Be
a Grave Blunder.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Should the Huerta government OF
Mexico be recognized by the United
States It would be national blunder.
The Mexican government Is grounded in
type OF civilization. and has for ITS bed
rock a set ~ social and Industrial con-
ditlons which instead Of favoring liberty
for the masses. are distinctly antago-
nlstic To tho same When the country
fell under the dominion Of Spain In the
fifteenth century the lands, instead or
being lad ont in small homesteads for
the use OF the people, were parcelled out
In large landed estates. for the special
uses. presumably. Of men with "A pull.
Spain hail at that time just emerged from
eight centuries Of war with the Ma
hometans. This was war OF Catholics
against Mahometans. The vast landed
estates OF Mexico fell as trophies 10 the
powerful men OF arms and the strong
champions OF the Church. The feudal
land system thus founded at length
nourished into life and power and ma
tional control the landed arlstocracy Of
Mexico Tho landed aristocracy OF Mex
ico and its correlated industrial and COM
mercial allies have governed the politics
OF Mexico up TO the present time. a
handful OF land barons. working in con-
junction with allied interests In the
various states of the republic, have al
ways in the past been able to stihe any
move toward reform in the republic. No
man not acceptable to the political rings
ruling the various states dared aspire
.I, sA,ftI hA NOR
mitted to take his seat II once elected.
The ballot was only for the man who
chose to vote acceptnbly 20 the bosses.
The elective franchise was joke and
liberty myth.
Instead of having been pierced by a
thousand darts Of progress, had Mexico
remained a benighted country the sub
merged masses would have gone on en-
during their degradation and poverty
without complaint The loss OF human
liberty to such a people would have
aroused no protest. But Mexico has not
remained a benighted country. Modern
business methods. invading the republic
from every quarter OF the globe. have
spread enlightenment among the people
The brightest and most progressive races
Of the world have pioneered every nook
and corner Of the land. thus enabling the
downtrodden serfs. the enslaved poems. to
contrast their miserable condition with
the more happy lot OF the masses OF
other lands When the downtrodden
masses OF Mexico discovered the wrongs
being fastened on them they started a
revolution
The revolutionists styled themselves
"Constitutlonalists," name designed 10
signify the object for which they fight
The Constitutionalists hope to overthrow
utterly the old Diaz regime. They hope
to carry out reforms by which the masses
may have greater political liberty. and
through which the system OF virtual slav-
cry which. under the Dlaz regime held
sway all over the republic may be
ended II does not seem this end
can ever be reached until the feudal
land system is rooted out. This truth
will be understood when II is pointed
out that many individual estates In
Mexico comprise territory equal In size
to entire states I'm the United States
The famous Terassas estate In Chihuahua
Is as large as Massachusetts and Con-
necticut combined. This estate is 10
miles long. a distance twenty miles
greater than from New York to Phila-
delphia. The Masterana estate In Sonora.
across the line at Nogales, is approx
imately the size OF Rhode Island. The
total taxes paid to the government by
the owner OF the latter estate Is said 10
be $3.50 per annum While the big land
barons pay no taxes TO speak OF. the
poems are confronted with the tax gath
erer on all sides. II a peon grows rich
enough to own a beef steer he must pay
tax before the animal may be slaughtered
II the peon gets far enough ahead to own