Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-04-01
MEX|CANS ASKED
To EXPLAIN SALE
Of LAND To JAPS
Property Reported to Have
Been Transferred Said to
Have Been Formerly Owned
by American Company,


Washington, March 31.-The Amer
structed today to make inquiries con-
cerning the report that the Mexican
government has granted agricultural
concessions to japanese in Lower
California, and TO report the facts as
quickly as possible.
No official information has reached
the department about the conces-
sions and surprise was occasioned by
the dispatch from Mexico City yes
terday quoting General Ama6o
Aguirre, under secretary of develop
ment and agriculture, as saying they
had been granted. The American
government IS interested both because
of the apparent success of Japan In
obtaining long sought foothoid IN
Lower California and because the
tract of land involved was developed
and is claimed by an American COM
pany whose rights were declared for
feited by the Mexican government IN
1917.
The land, upwards of a million
acres below the California border,
was granted by the then president
Diaz to the California and Mexican
Land company of Los Angeles OF
which General Harrison Grey Otis, of
Los Angeles, was the leading. figure.
1t was desert land with nothing
growing on II but sage brush, cactus
and chapparel The soil, however,
was rich in places eighty feet deep,
formed by deposits for generations by
the Colorado river. Tt produced moth
ing for Mexico and the expense OF
putting water on the land was so
great that no one in Mexico would
1t. The American company
spent more than $1,000,0OO in irriga-
tion work before the tract was pro-
ductive. One of the requirements Of
the concession was that the land
should be irrigated. Another was
TINT II shonsd be settled with farmers
aud raacifsfs. Both these require
ments are said to have been met Dy
the American company.
Americans Driven Off.
When Diaz was deposed and the re-
Volutionary period began, the Ameri-
can settlers We're driven from the
land by the revolutionists Livestock
was stolen and several settlers were
killed. For two years the land was
for and then the company
found tnat Japanese settlers were
willing to take up farms and cultivate
them. The japanese were protected
by the Mexicans, whatever party of
revolutionists were in power in that
section. Short time leases are said to
have been granted to Japanese farm
ers, but the American owners refused
to sell any of the land to the japanese
or to grant long term leases.
On April I, 1917, the Mexican gov
ernment declared the tract confiscat-
ed according to the statement of Gem
eral Aguirre, and then apparently the
Mexican government opened negotia-
tons with Japanese syndicate.
Acting Secretary of State Phillips
said today that the Los Angeles com
pany proposed about two years ago to
grant a japanese corporation long
term leases on large portion if not
all of the tract. AT that time the COM
pany still was unable to maintain
American settlers there, but when the
state department objected to the pro-
posed lease the company dropped it's
negotiations with the japanese.
When Senator Phelan of California
recently informed the department that
had been renewed, the
attention was directed tol
the American governments attitude.