The Washington herald., 1913-10-05
Primitive Conditions Exist in Southern Country-Poorer
Classes Ground Almost to SIaVery-Mddle Class
Arose Between Landowners and Poems.

What kind of fighting men will an army
of invaders meet when 1t enters Mexico:
Fifty years ago a Philadelphia emf
grated 70 the State Of Nuevo Leon, just
south of the Texas border. He married
a Spanish woman, who gave him eleven
sons.
One Of the sons, now planter, en-
pIoys forty-five native hands. He grows
sugar cane and corn, crushing the cane
with American machinery, boiling the
Juice, pouring it into molds, and produc'
ing a cheap unrefined quality OF sugar
which he sells to poor people.
Il pay my men 30 cents day IN Sill
YER or some % cents day in gold ne
told the American interviewer who talked
with him.
MY men," he went on to say, Tive II
adobe huts, the roofs of which are made
Of palm leaves. They call me amos,
which means love, translated INTO Eng
fish from Spanish. Each OF my men has
a little piece of land so that he may ha'e
his own corn and vegetables.
During the blowing. planting, and har'
y-estinp seasons the day of work begins
at sunrise and ends at sundoNh. Al
other times my superintendent sNes
every man his stint That Is the Des'
wav with Indians. When they come 10
the line which the superintendent mas
marked in the earth with his 1901 theg
90 home to their own gardens.
..Thev wear cotton clothing and leather
so,daIs Women dress III calico. They
nut ON shoes only when they go to church
on Sunday. II a farm laborer has $lo III
silve- he is rich. He can't save more
;han s. or $40 year
should he get into debt and sip away
officers will go a hundred miles or Iai
ther and bring him back Then, II ne re-
fuses to nav the debt in labor, he Is Sent
20 prison.
uov the PcOn Makes Love.
The son Of a farm hand goes to his
father when he falls in love and wants
Ia marry The father, in turn, goes to
the amos. or planter. The planter nego-
riates the matter with the girls father
when the answer is favorable, the
Young man must support the girl until
tha day of the wedding. He gives her
family wood. corn. and beans. His father
horrows So. silver. from the planter. The
money is spell. for clothing and the mar
riage feast For three days the bride and
bridegroom. their relatives and TRENDS
sing. dance. and drink.
"A farm labOrer may be Opulent enough
10 own pig. which walks in and out
nr his house like any other member Of
the family. The food OF this man Is
corn, prinriDaliy which is ground 10y his
wife and daughters, after being boiled
and sortcned in lime water. He may
have goat meat once week
MY men and their women folk begin
10 dance every Saturday evening at Z
o'clock At noon on sunday ! stop them
81 that they shall he ready for work
Monday morning My superintendent.
armed with 4 sword and, 44-caliher re-
yuIver. is present At the function to pre-
serve order. I hav" good men and they
are happy and don't want to go away.
But the United States is better
country than Mexico. have friend
who is worth s25OMo. He L. afraid of
banks and lends at > per cent month
on mortgages. Once he went To st
Louis When he came home he said:
I shall gamble no more. CsOme nights
he lost as much AS 5000 but shall save
my money and send my children TO the
United States to he educated
&" 'Everyt thing * hig there he said.
The buildings are 50 big that you
wouldn't believe IN" If | told you about
them. The horses are big. the beef
steaks are big. the women are big, and
even the chickens are big. And there
are trees he said, bigger around than