The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-05-14
DIAz, MEXICO AND LAND.


We frequently hear the opinion ex-
pressed that Porfirio Diaz, after all,
was the one man who could govern the
Mexican people In the interests Of
peace aud prosperity.
This is quite change from the opin-
ion OF few years ago that held the
dictator grating reactionary and OPP
pressor; but unfortunately the more re-
cent opinion holds even less OF truth
! than the first.
Porfirio was man of tremendous
| character, u man OF blood and iron,
and he did wonders for the material de-
velopement of Mexico. But while this
very development was taking place
during a peace enforced by the sword,
the economic abuse which is the fund
amental cause of all the present and
past upheaval was permitted to take
root and flourish.
That abuse was the diversion of land
ownership from the people who work
ed it in small parcels TO the wealthy
and powerful few who organized it into
vast estates.
Wherever there is a nation moved
by an increasing unrest it is safe to
look for the cause in some abuse of the
great common heritage-land. This is
the case in Russia, in England, and is
rapidly coming to be the case in the
large cities If this country.
The Mexican constitution of 1881 de-
clared the principle that the sole title
to personal ownership in land rests in
the personal cultivation of the land,
and proceeding on that principle all
the vast holdings of the church were
confscated and restored to the use of
the people.
Unfortunately, the poems, unused to
legal forms, thought the guarantee Of
the constitution enough and failed TO
perfect their titles. 1t was of this fact
that Diaz took advantage when he par
celled out this land to individual and
corporate concessionares. These were
permitted to evict the poems from their
small holdings and to denounce and APP
propriate the land provided it was un-
| recorded
Through this base policy the great
er part of the cultivated land of Mext-
co passed into the hands of a few hun
dred families, landed aristocracy Of
the nation, while the independent peon
| farmer was reduced to a state OF help
less and exploited tenantry as bad Ia
some respects as his former peonage.
This atrocius policy of land dispUsses-
sion, which even the experience Of Ire
land connot equal, was quite in line
with the Diaz plan of the development
and exploitation of Mexico by men of
ability, wealth and power.
No doubt, he sincerely believed that
Mexico's salvation lay in this aristo-
cratic course, rather than in any per
fecton of agraran democracy, any up
lift of the people.
BE that as It may, it must be evil
dent that man with such an ideal no
matter what his strength and capacity,
could not other than plunge his coun-
try into revolution as soon as advanc-
ing years relaxed his grip; and that is
Just what Diaz, in spite of his many
great services, did 10 Mexico.
There will be no permanent ceSsa-
tion of disorder in Mexico until the
land injustice is finally righted. The
great difficulty in accomplishing this
is that it will take time and the people
are too ignorant TO be patient.
Unless some enlightened man with
the iron hand of diaz can be found TO
rule Mexico during this period of read
justment, or some foreign nation as
sumes control during that period, there
will be found new chiefs, desirous of
power, who will intiame the ignorant
population against the government,
however much it may be working in
their interests. Milwaukee Free
Press.