Evening star., 1914-05-24

rich, and thus drew men from the
mines and the industrial plants in the
towns: but primarily his call was to
the poems of the country who were
landless.
In Chihuahua under the baronial
feudal rule of the Terrazas family no
peon could hope to be anything else
than a peon. Friends of the family
insist that il was a benevolent pa
triarchal feudalism which prevailed
but they do not deny that somehow
the hundreds of square miles of Ter
raZas territory was steadily added to-
the Terrazas ranches were broadened
and the TerraZas cattle left no graz
ing ground for anybody else's cattle.
Complete land monopoly of this kind
hardly could be acquired without in
Justice. though after requirement there
may have been less oppression of the
poems on the different haciendas than
has been charged.
Political monopoly was necessary TO
maintain the land monopoly, and the
Terr2zaS control OF Chihuahua was
as complete that of a military
satrapy 1t extended from the gov
crnorship of the state down to the
lowest administrative office.
When Enrique Creel the son-in-law
of Cen Luis Terrazas was selected as
ambassador to Washington he was
SONSEl!Of OF tie Olu not
resign that position but merely dele
gated il 10 one of his group. When
he became tired of being ambassador
he returned and resumed his governor
ship.
This practice however. was not pc
culiar To Chihuahua. II obtained III
other Mexican states. and is the out
growth of the political system OF
Spanish American countries under
which the presidents can abdicate
their executive functions temporarily
and resume them at viii.
Gen. Luis Terrazas is now living across
the border at FL Paso. One son. Luis
Terrazas Jr.. is stin hostage in Chi
huahua, prisoner of state. though not
III prison who was more valuable alive
than dead, and that is why he lives.
That he was actually tortured to make
him give up part of the concealed Ter
razas millions may never be admitted.
nut it is significant of the barbaric con-
ditions of the present war that this
probability is admitted. Tile rebels would
not let him be ransomed. because the
ransom would have ended the possibility
of receiving further sums. Other mem
bers of the family are scattered. Former
Ambassador Creel is in Mexico City.
The Terrazas palaces now held by
the triumphant rebels. The seats of the
IerraZas mighty are occupied By the
peon poor. Former poems on the Ter
razas hac!endas now administer them.
Fifty thousand head OF TerraZas cattle
are counted part OF the rebel re
sources The rebel revenues are swelled
by what is drawn from the Terrazas
goods and properties. Gov. Manuel Chao
ami other constitutionalist officers have
themselves photographed on the piaZzas
Of the TerraZas mansion.
This situation might seem to dispose
Of the Terrazas family both i'll the graft
fication of the hatred felt for them by a
large element of the peon popula ton and
i'll the substantial benefit TO the revolu-
ticn from the control Of their vast prop
critics. But ii does not. And there is
reason.
The T"rrazas family is Il fighting fam
lily. Spanish and Indian blood are there.
and III the collateral branch Kentucky
blood also. The father of Enrique Creel
was d kentuckian who married a MeXi-