Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 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
1andless.
In Chihuahua under the baronial
feudal rule of the Terrazas family
peon could hope to be anything else
than 4 peon. Friends of the family
insist that il was 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 the different haciendas than
has been charged.
Political monopoly was necessary to
maintain the land monopoly, and the
Terrazas control of Chihuahua was
as complete as that of military
satrapy. 1t extended from the gov
ernorship of the state down to the
lowest administrative office.
When Enrique Creel. the son-in-law
of Gen. Luis Terrazas was selected
ambassador to Washington he was
governor of chihuahua. He did not
resign that position, but merely dele
gated ii to one of his group. When
he became tired of being ambassador
he rctu, ned and resumed his governor
ship.
This practice. however. was not pc
culiar TO Chihuahua. 1t obtained i'll
other Mexican states, and is the out
growth of the political system of
Spanish American countries under
which the presidents abdcate
their executive functions temporarily
and resume them at Will
Gen. Luis Terrazas is now living across
the border at FL Pasc. One son. Luis
Terrazas. jr.. is still a hostage in Chi
huahua, Il 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-
0itIonS OF the present war that this
proba bility is admitted. The rebels would
not let him be ransomed. because the
ransom would have ended the possibility
OF receiving further sums. Other men,
bers of the family are scattered. Former
Ambassador Creel is in Mexico City.
The TerraZas palaces are now held by
the triumphant TcbtlS. L ne seats OF tte
TerraZas mighty are occupied BY the
peon poor. Former poems the Ter
raZas hac;eidas now administer them.
Fifty thousand head of TerraZas cattle
are counted as part of the rebel
sources The rebel revenues are Swelled
by what is drawn from the Terrazas
goods and properties. Gov. Manuel Chao
and other constitutionalist officers have
themselves photographed the piaZzas
Of the TerraZas mansion.
This situation might to dispose
of the Terra2as family both in the graft
tication of the hatred felt for them by a
large element Of the peon population and
in the substantial benefit TO the revou-
ton from the control of their vast prop
critics. But it does not. And there is a
reason
The TerraZas family is a fighting fam
lily. Spanish and Indian blood are there
and in the collateral branch Kentucky
blood also The father of Enrique Creel
was kentuckian who married q Next