The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1918-02-01
ANOTHER UTOPIA In YUCATAN

Hl'tl p'opl', bl' WIG hhpllSNL Pt'"
pie ! have ever seen. The CAPT
talists are the gloomiest gang
ever knew. Their one product is
in great demand. Never were
there such prices offered for it.
The American harvester industry
is practically dependent for its
existence upon this Yucatan pro-
duct, n product which can be
grown nowhere else in the world,
and for which there are no substi-
tutes. And yet, the capitalists
of Yucatan, with millions invested
in the industry, cannot dispose
of their product in the public mar
ket. They have to sell it to
the State, to Gen. Alvarado's So
cialist Government, at the price
the buyers stipulate. The State
then sells it in the open market
and the returns are wonderful.
This product is hennequin. The
soil of Yucatan is too poor TO
grow anything else. II the soil
were fit for anything else, it would
not grow the right sort of hen
nequin; the growth would be so
rank that it would not have the
tough fiber which is essential; for
hennequin is the plant from which
practically all our binder cord
used in harvesting, is made.
1t may almost be said that the
wheat industry of the United
States is dependent upon this prec-
ious product of Yucatan. 1t is
no wonder. then. that the fortunes
Of Yucatan, until they struck this
unheard-of catastrophe, were ia
nous throughout the world. Hen
nequin was one of the choicest
bonanzas on earth and the owners
Of the great estates lived in more
than royal magnificance. Now
there is scarcely land owner in
Yucatan who wouldn't be glad to
sell out. But who wants to buy?
Who, at least, wants to pay any
thing that looks like a fair price
for land tied up with such re-
strictions? The best they can do
is to hope. and pray for a return
of the good old days of Diaz or
Huerta-and vote 35-100th of |
per cent strong, against the damn
able Socialists.
When Gen. Alvarado came to
Yucatan about two years ago, he
found all this magnificence still
in flower, in spite of the troublous
state of war. He also found
something else. He found a race
Of slaves, perhaps the most de-
graded slaves on the face of the
earth.
The Indian laborers worked in
the hennequin fields practically
without pay. II they didn't work
fast enough, they were beaten
occasionally dubbed to death or
tortured in a hundred other ways,
as an object lesson in industry.
Thousands Of them were wearing
chains as they worked--chains
about their ankles that frequently
cut through to the bone. The
magnificent landlords were entire
~ satisfied with the system. That
was what an Indian was for, evil
dently-to be beaten if he didn't
work. It was better they thought,
than the wage SYSTEM 1t kept a
man at his job and they weren't
forever bothered with hiring new
patches Of help. So the Indians
worked, half-naked and half-nour-
i.hcd, ON tortillas, chilli and beans.
And the magnificent fortunes
grew.
Not all the employers were cruel.
There were good employers and
bad. If any employee didn't pro
duce the goods, a bad employer
would kick him in the eye. A
good employer would only kick
him in the neck. 1t was only
natural, then, that the slaves gen
erallY accented their lot as a per