Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-07-22
REORGANIZATION OF MEXICO.

Senior De la Cara, a member of the
Mexican supreme court, graduate of
a famous American law college, and
n of the best known and best
equipped lawyers in Mexico, has made
for publication an interesting state
ment with reference to conditions in
Mexico, and as to his views of the
necessary steps to be taken to bring
about reform.
He is convinced that the problem Of
Mexico is social and economic rather
than political. As to Just how the
the government Is constituted, or who
heads it, he believes this to be a minor
matter. The n thing needful, in
his opinion, is a readjustment of land
ownership so that the poems shall be
able to " land of their own. The
great estates must be broken UP, he
thinks, and the land distributed in
some manner among the landless
poems who are now working it and
who are In a state Of virtual slavery.
possible is through taxation. Confs-
cation will not do, he is certain, for
this would be contrary to the Mexican
constitution. He points out the fact
that Juarez attempted the distribution
of land by coniscation, but when
things had settled down the supreme
court held all acts Of this character
to be void and the title which had
passed to be illegal. The land was
restored to those from whom it had
been taken; or. what amounted to the
same thing. those who occupied it
were compelled to pay rent to its
former owners.
his authority does not believe that
any of the leaders now In Mexico have
the right idea as to the handling of
this problem. While he aided Huerta
by legal advice in the conduct Of his
government, he never recognized HUI
erta as the lawful ruler, and he has
declined offers Of cabinet positions
from Huerta and refused to accept
his credentials as a member Of the
chamber Of deputies because he did!
not believe they were legally issued.
He is no admirer Of the Diaz regime.
which, while for years it maintained
a sort of peace, did SO by force, and
under that rule the grievances in
volved in the system Of land holdings
became acute. Madero, he says came
into power on the promise to redis-
tribute the land-a promise which he
could not or would not fulfill. Huerta
1s OF course out Of the question, and
he sees no hope in either Carranza or
Villa. Still further, he derides the
attitude Of Washington in sitting ex-
pectantly awaiting a political change
which Is to reform Mexico, when in
his opinion reform must come through
entirely different agencies.
In all his statement as to the diff
culttes which exist in Mexico and the
need for an economic revolution, this
eminent Mexican authority appears to
be in accord with much of our Amer
lean thought. But it is possible that
he underestimate the wisdom and
resourcefulness of the present revo-
luttonary leaders, Villa especially. 1t
is very clear that Villa appreciates the
need for agrarian reform, for he has
made a redistribution of land one of
the planks of his platform. And, as
to method, that Is a matter Of detail.
Essentially both propose c%onfscation.
The soldier proposes confscation by
proclamation and force Of arms. if
necessary. while the judge proposes
confscation by taxation. And the
statement as to the attitude of Wash
ington indicates an imperfect under
standing Of that attitude. for Presi-
dent Wilson has made it very clear
that he regards social and economic
reform as absolutely indispensable to
the orderly progress Of Mexico, and
has been quite, emphatic in expressing
his conviction that without these, no
litical change will be absolutely worth
less.