Albuquerque morning journal., 1921-04-27
PRESlDENf OBREGON DECLARES
MEXICO is ONLY PROTECTING
" SELF AGAINST EXPLOITATION
National Ownership of Mineral Resources Is
to Guard Aainst Exhaustion, Not for Con-
! tscatlon; Wants Americans to Know the
] Truth; Enehies Spreading False Propa-
ganda, He Claroes.

Cfdl, IL may uo 50 'i''S '9 NO'''' -
of the Mexican government and
upon terms imposed by it. The
Obregon government has not held
this article confiscatory OF oil and
mineral under land legally ac-
orired before the constitutional
provision was adopted in 1917. Its
critics insist that the article will
be held to be retroactive. They
demand its repeal. The intcrVen-
tionists pin to this article rhcir
hope Of intervention. 1t is their
case. If Mexico will not recede
from it to gain recognition, then
intervention becomes an economic
necessity. Without it. say the in
tcrventionists, the riches of Mexico
are lost to the world-hCr oil. her
mineral and her timber,
ObrCgon a Sturdy Figure.
This is the situation l found in
Mexico upon going down there two
weeks ago with the chamber OF
commerce excursion from st.
Louis. talked to people on all
sides Of the controversy. After the
oil men ard the representatives Of
aggrieved mining interests had
told me their stories. / asked Pres
ident OhregOn to tell me his story
He readily consented to do that,
and was conducted to his ottlce
in the national palace, where l
talked to him through an inter
prefer. The president of Mexico
Is Il sturdy figure. They say ne
fioyer sleeps in the luxurious bed
which awaits him over at ChapuI-
tcpcc, giving as his reason that
after years In camp with his army
he has disqualified himself tor
Aeather bods. He wears clfliAall
clothes and is never seen IN UNI
form
He goes about Mexico City free
ly, and il is not uncommon TO meet
him on the sidewalk. He lost an
arm In battle. He has blue eyes
and a nuick smile. He talks rapid
", and gestures great deal WIN
hia single arm. He was standing
IN the middle OF the floor when !
entered the executive chamber and
remained standing there while we
talked. Tie frequently laughed az
parallels which we DIRE" between
the troubles of Mexico ana trou,
blcs we have had in the Unlteo
states. He recalled our civil war
and Its severity, our eXacting COM
bats with those whom Mr.. Roose-
welt designated rich malefactors OF
great wealth, and certain precau-
tions we had found necessary IN
the United States to keep big ousl-
ness from devourlng US. This ~
Obregon's fight--a fight in Which
he is without the support or that
great middle class which STANDS
behind champions of the people IN
our own country
There Is No Such Glass in Mexico
Obregon is not unmindful OF
what everybody, including the
Mexieans, have suffered during the
revolutions. He Is for repairing
whatever may be repaired, for
paying damages and getting Mex"
leo back into the family of we'll
behaved nations. But that Is not
the issue in Mexico. 1t is not what
will make or break Obregon.
Tell me your side OF the story
that foreigners and their money
are not wanted in Mexico" I asked.
Country Suffers From Lies.
81 am always grateful for an
opportunity to tell our side of this
story" he said eve suffer in
both countries from tho lies told
by people who first enrich them
selves in Mexico and then turned
to defame her.
These are the enemies of both
Mexico and the United States. l
said that last night, while speak
ing before your delegation of busi-
ness men from st. Louis, and
want to reaffirm 1t today.
sit is not true that Mexico does
not welcome development by for
eign capital. She does welcome it
1t is not true that we are confis-
eating foreign interests. We have
never confiscated any foreigners
land, and it is not our intention
to do so"
Whether we admit 1t or not, we
hold a mandate for Mexico under
the Monroe doctrine. No other
country is going to recognize the
ObregOn government before We
have done so. The British burned
their fingers on Huerta, and they
have no opinion as yet about Obre-
gon.
Oil Interests Are Powerful.
But is not this situation in
which we can sympathize with the
difficulties of the Obregon govern
ment, exactly as we can sympa-
thize with the difficulties of the
farmers of North Dakota? Our
own federal trade commission ex-
pressed the opinion that the pack
ers had become more powerful
than the federal government. We
may therefore guess that the great
oil interests, both American and
British, are moro powerful than
| any government that Mexico can
set up at this time. While Car
rama was president of Mexico his
government was not recognized in
the Tampico oil district, where the
foreign interests placed themselves
under the protection of General
Manuel Pelaez and furnished the