The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-11-25
ontinued from last week.

In this way, therefore,. Luis Ter
razas, In Chihuahua, owns about co.
600 square kiloneters, a larger area
than that contained In all Costa Rjca:
and the Central Mexican. Railway in
Hidalgo traverses thirty leagues of
land belonging to. Jose Escandon.
The estates of Lorenzo Torres, in So
nora; Of the Gurza brothers., in Dur
ango; of Los Cedros," in Zacatecas:
OF lingo Noriega,. in the State Of Mex
leo; of Garcia Pimentel, in, Morelos;
Of Juventino Ramfres, in Puebla
and of the Madero family, in Goa
hufla;- are few Of the many ex-
amples which would be quoted of
enormous family estates throughout
the country. 49,: ~ :.
The estates of the. eighteen more
important land companies average
4,444 square kilometers each, that is
to say, about one half of the area of
Portugal; while about a, dozen other
companies are in possession of ten
per cent of the total area. that is to
say. one half of what is owned by the
small farmers, and about 81 per cent
more than the land which constitutes
communal property.
The whole free population of Mex
leo is, therefore, restricted to prac-
tically one-fourth of the total area
and this consists of, the poorer class
of land: while the greater part of the
national lands is taken up by noun
famous or desert lands. or marches.
At the present time several thousand
individuals and few companies
hold the power to exclude a nation
OF fifteen: millions from the best
lands Of their own country. "
The small ranches of the present
day originated principally from the
division of the national lands which
began in 1921, or of: the Commons
which started in 1856. Some OF the
"haciendas" date from the period OF
the Conquest. (and they have often
increased by the acquisition OF lands
from the division Of national lands
or Of commons) while others az
formed from lands that belonged to
the nation and which were created
In order to benefit fortunate politi-
clans. 49,.
1t now remains for us to explain
the origin Of the vast possessions of
the Land Companies. ).
European capital, not Spanish, be-
gan to pour into Mexico at the same
TIME that the new Creoles began. to
settle here after the year 1921: but
foreign wealth was invested princi-
pally in mining and commercial ven-
lures. Although the first railroad,
from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, was
completed in 1873, it was only when
the Central Railway .(Mexico City to
Ell Paso) was fi--Ally into. operation
in the year 1884. that the real influx
OF foreign capital. into the country
began. =. ->'-
Besides mines =, and railroads,
ranches and woods offered: great and
sure sources Of profit. :. The hest
woods were, thu. property Of: feudal
landowners who generally refused to
sell, since they had kept their "ha-
clendas' with: an eye to political in
fuence and social prestige, sometimes
from personal vanity. as well as for
the rental value Of the property. 49,
After the ''haciendas" the best
large properties were the undivided
commons Of the Indians, and very.
oOOA VIC dulDlt1OuS SpoCulaIOTS IN
land found, defects in the titles of
ownerships, and won President Diaz
to their SIDE. Between the years
1883 and 1884,: a series OF DEGREES
was issued under the name of 'Leyes
de Deslindes'' ("Leyes sobre Tierras,"
1868 a 1912, Sec. de Fomento, Mex
leo, D. ;F.) Boundary :, Laws"
which ruined financially thousands of
Indian villages located principally in
the north and west. The system fol-
lowed was this The natural .boun-
daries of the "ejidos," as, described
in the royal CONCESSIONS Of the year
1873 and. following ones,> who de-
clared null and all the Ia f,ds of an
"e5ido' over and above the "sttio".
Zone square<league), were called de
masias," (excess)~and liable to public
protest and claim: .; :; so.
Then the Mexican politicians es-
ia blished+ what was. known. as the