The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-06-04
ODREGON ANOTHER KERENSKY
By Linn A. E. Gale.

/ stretching out again. The Y M. G. A
is planning considerable extension Of
its work having just received dona
tion of $1,000. from the munitions de-
partment and pledge of a steady
bonus of 800 month firm the gov
ernment-ownei railroad. These remem
brances were promised by the outgo-
ing regime in the days when Carranza
thought he was going to elect Ambas
sador Ygnaeio Bonillas and was lavish
iy spending money alleged to have
come from Wall Street, The Y. NJ. G.
A. people were fearful that the new
administration might not respect the
promise, but their fears have just
been set at ease. The $1,000 has al
ready been paid. The railroad money
will be paid shortly, the officials ex-
planning that they must wait week OF
so as Director General Fontes of the
Carranza government, took all the
funds away with him when he fled
However, the money is sure thing
and confidence has been restored in the
"Y" as well as elsewhere
Bidding for Popularity.
The ObregOnistas made themselves
popular with newspapers at the out
set by cutting down the mailing rates
on second elsss matter to 4 centavOs
kilo. The rate had been 6 ceutavos
and the Carranza postmaster general
Rad raised it to 10 just few weeks
ago
The national mint is busy coming q
new supply of 5, 10 and 20 centavo
pieces to relieve the wretched shortage
of small change, due to speculation in
silver and bronze, that had caused vast
inconvenience and even suffering dur.
ing the past few months and at diff
ferent other periods in the Carranza
administration.
An amnesty has been promptly de-
clared for all former exiles who left
Mexico under Carranza as well as for
adherents of Carranza who opposed the
Obregon revolution, providing, of
course, that they lay down arms. Po-
litical exiles in Mexico who came here
from the United States and other coun-
tries to avoid participation in the war
or to escape persecution, will be pro-
tected, it is expected When / inter,
viewed Obregon in February, he told
me that no political fugitive here
would be extradited back to this own
country.
Efforts will be made to put the edu-
cational system of the country on a
respectable basis, it is also claimed,
and there is certainly need enough of
it. At present the City of Mexico
maintains only 95 primary schools with
an attendance of 95,49l pupils, less
than half the number of two years be-
fore. Steadily the money that should
have gone to schools has been cut
down to permit bigger graft for gener-
ais and politicians under Carranza.
The big teachers strike of year
ago was the result of the non-payment
of salaries to the teachers of the
Federal District for several months.
Tn 1910, at the time of the last census,
there were 42,4OO children over years
VI aye WIN COulu uOJ Itdu anu WilLt
and in the whole Federal District an
illiterate population Of about a quarter
of a million SOULS. The figures would
be no less-tSS Obviously, there is
opportunity for useful work if the
new administration undertakes it
honestly.
While there is reason to believe that
the new regime will be in many re-
spects an Improvement over the pre-.
ceding one, it must not be forgotten
that it will be so deeply obliged to
American Big Business that it will be
able to do very little that conflicts
VITA the profits on foreign investments.
Insofar as it can improve conditions
without touching those profits, it will
be free to do so, but the minute in
comes are hit, it will have to com,
promise or face the old, old threat
of intervention. Obregon is too wise to
throw away the political prize that he
wanted, by blindly defying Wall Street.
In all probability, he will yield as
gracefully as he can whenever mooted
points come up.