Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-04-09

U. S. Questions Mexico on Grants
of Land to Aliens.
U. S. EMBASSY TO START QUIZ
Probe of Concessions Made by South
ern Republic Will Be Made
American Company Said to
Have Been Robbed.

Washington, April 1.-The American
embassy at Mexico City was instructed
to make inquiries concerning the re-
port that the Mexican government has
granted agricultural concessions to
japanese in Lower California, and to
report the facts as quickly as posi-
BILE.
No official information has reached
the department about the concessions
and surprise was occasioned by the
dispatch from Mexico City quoting
General Amado Augirre, undersecre-
tary of development and agriculture,
saying they had been granted.
The American government is inter
ested both because of the apparent
success of the japanese in obtaining
a long-sought foothold in Lower Cali
fornia, and because the tract of land
involved was developed and is claimed
by an American company whose rights
were declared forfeited by the Next
can government in 1917.
Diaz Grant to Americans.
The land, upward of a million acres
below the California border, was
granted by the then President Diaz to
the California and Mexican Land COM
pany of Los Angeles, of which firm
Harrison Grey Otis of Los Angeles,
was the leading figure.
1t was desert land, with nothing
growing on it but sage brush, cactus
and chaparrel. The soil, however, was
rich in places 80 feet deep formed by
deposits for generations by the Col
orado river. 1t produced nothing for
Mexico and the expense of putting wa
Ter on the land was so great that no
one in Mexico would undertake it.
The American company spent more
than $1,O0O00O in irrigation work be-
fore the tract was productive. One of
the requirements of the concession
was that the land should be irrigated.
Another that it should be settled with
farmers and ranchers. Both these
requirements are said to have been
net by the American company.
Drive Out American Settlers.
When Diaz was deposed and the rev.
dictionary period began the American
settlers were driven from the land
by revolutionists. Live stock was
stolen and several settlers were killed.
For two years the land was uncared
for, and then the company found that
Japanese settlers were willing to take
up farms and cultivate them.
The Japanese were protected by the
MeXicans, whatever party of revolu-
tioniStS were in power in that section.
Short-time leases are said to have
been granted to Japanese farmers, but
the American owners refused to sell
any of the land to the Japanese or to
grant long-term leases.
On April z, 1917, the Mexican gov
eminent declared the tract confiscat-
ed, according to the statements of
General Aguirre and then, apparently,
the Mexican government opened nego-
tiations with Japanese syndicate.
Acting Secretary of State Phillips
said that the Los Angeles company
proposed about two years ago to grant
Japanese corporation long-term
leases on a 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 leases the company dropped its
negotiations with the Japanese.
When Senator Phelan of California
recently informed the department that
negotiations had been renewed, the
company's attention was directed to
the American governments attitude.