The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1921-08-11
A REPUBLIC IN NAME ONLY

A REPUBLIC IN NAME ONLY
The so-called Republic of Mexico was
born and christened in 1922. Its parents
were Spanish Greed and Native Igno-
rance. 1t never has been and is not now,
republic except in name. At the best
it has been an autocracy and at its worst
has thad no government worthy of it's
name. No reliable census has ever been
taken in Mexico. but putting the census
figures, such as they are, with estimates
made by those who have been in position
to know much about the inhabitants it is
indicated that we can safely say the pop
ulation is made up of about 1000, 600
whites, mostly of Spanish descent, about
100000 Indians not favorably compar-
able to our Indians on the reservations in
Oklahoma and some' 5000, 600 mixed
bloods, cross between Spanish and In
dams, and about two thirds of these are
little, if any better than are the real IL
dams. A republic built on such foun-
dation is fore-doomed to failure. A re-
public cannot exist, true to name, unless
it is founded on a patriotic electorate
comprising nearly all it's people. Mexico
Lacks this and needs much more. There
is very little business now going on in
Mexico and there are no reasons on
which to base hope for improvement.
f,J
pansive home market. More than eighty
per cent of its people wear no shoes or
only native tanned sandals, no clothes
except OF cheap cotton woven at home,
and home made hats. Less than twenty
five per cent are purchasers of any con-
siderable amount of anything. Mexican
foreign trade is almost entirely limited to
the export of the product of mines and
oil wells and the import of such things
as are used by the whites. Neither the
government nor the people have any
credit at home or abroad No domestic
paper currency is now in use in Mexico
because the people have lost all conf
dence in the government and in each
other. Probably no country is SO nearly
On cash basis as is Mexico today. No
cash, no trade is the motto and the cash
must be in gold or silver.
In 1919, the mines in Mexico produced
about S85, 600, 600 Of gold and silver. The
nil wells yielded about $1,000, GOO barrels
of petrol cum. These Industries were de-
veloped for the most part by American
and by British enterprise and capital. In
1917, Csrranza, then president, by force
and chic anery, imposed a new constitu-
ton upon the Mexican people. Under
its provisions only adherents of Carran-
"a were allowed to vote He appointed
judges who would sanction all sorts of H.
legality, and allow criminals to 90 I'M
punished, his object being to "drlve
Americans out of the country, to take
possession of their property and not al
Low them to buy any more.'
Murder of Americans in Mexico became
frequent. Selling and holding Americans
for ransom was condoned, if not encour-
aged. But Carranza lost his nerve and
the grafters, by whom he was surround
ed, revolted and elected (2) Gen. Oregon
as president The election was yerv
quiet affair. A few individuals deposited
a large number of ballots in the ballot
boxes and the whole business was over
in short time.
The constitution of 1917 provided that
"Only Mexicans by birth or naturaliza-
ton, and Mexican companies have the
right 10 acquire ownership in lands,
waters and their appurtenances, or to OBJ
tain concessions to develop mines, waters
or mineral fuels in the Republic of Mex
leo" Having thus closed the door
against the coming of more foreign cap.
ital, the attempt was made TO drive all
foreigners, especially Americans, out of
the country. Here is where Carranza
lost his nerve Obregon, wiser, but no
less dishonest, decreed system of taxa
4tion which in effect is confischtion of ali
.foregn holdings in Mexico Americans,
who have spent large sums in develop
ing industries, have given up their plants.
Those who are holding on are at the
mercy of venal government and cor
rupt courts.