The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-30

L
! public Of Mexico is being quietly.
! peacefully, rapidly colonized by
, Germans.
This is the word brought back by
traveller who has just returned,
and who has exceptional facllltles
for learning the facts Though a
native citizen of the United States
he is of Spanish blood, speaks and
writes Spanish as well as English.
and has many friends and relations
in Mexico. He travelled all over
the republic seeking options on
land for American capitalists He
talked to MeXicanS of all classes
in their own language and as one
of their own race. He got facts
which are not accessible TO report
ers and politicians in Mexico City.
What this man saw in Mexico was
a young country going through a
phase of swift development through
colonization and investment. While
American politicians and capital
lists are trying to formulate a pol
icy toward Mexico, and trying 10
educate the American people to &C
cept that policy, Mexico herself is
becoming a different country They
have thought of her as bankrupt
and starving. AS matter of fact
she is producing bumper crops and
is solvent. They have thought of
her as a nation of half-Indians. AS
matter of fact her rich lands are
drawing to her some of the best
blood in Europe.
A very large part of this blood
is German. Young Germans of
good education and with money in
their pockets are pouring inte Mex
! leo by the tens of thousands. Re-
Gently the Mexican government,
this man reports, sold a great tract
OF land to $4,000 young Germans.
Each of these men has 30 years in
which to pay for his farm. Each
of them will found a family. Many
of them-and this is a very i'm
portant point-will marry native
girls of Spanish blood.
This German colony will form a
Sreat block of thrifty farmers, not
isolated. but bound to the rest of
the population by ties of marriage.
In the opinion OF the observer we
are quoting, these men will be-
come as much a part of Mexico as
any man in it. They will support
the Mexican government, to which
they are indebted for their land,
and the Mexican people, with whom
many of them will have intermar-
ried.
In addition to these Germans who
have bought block of land, there
are numerous small groups and in
GiVldualS from Germany coming
into the country in search of farms.
These young Germans usually
first obtain employment on some
OF the large estates for a year. They
learn the language and the coun-
try. Then they buy farms.
Americans Poor COlOnizers.
Some Americans are going into
the country and buying farms, too,
it is reported, but they are few
compared to the Germans and other
Europeans. Furthermore, the
Americans form small groups and
keep to themselves. They seldom
intermarry with the Mexicans, and
often they do not even learn the
language. This man was surpris-
ed to find many Americans who
had been in Mexico for years and
could not speak Spanish.
In a word, while the United
States holds political club over
Mexico's head, by reason of the
Monroe Doctrine and the great
American investments in Mexico.
Europe is really taking possession
of the country, and it Is a Euro
peanized Mexico that we will have
to deal with within a few years
more.
y The opportunities for obtaining
rich land in Mexico, provided you
are willing to take your chances
with unstable political conditions,
are probably not rivalled anywhere
IN the world. In the first place, the
Mexican government welcomes the
bona flde settler and provides him
with land on extremely attractive
terms. In the second place, the
owners of the great land grants,
who are being dispossessed of their
lands by the Mexican government
under the new Mexican constitution
are ready to sell for a song. The
nan whom we are quoting obtain
ed options on two million acres of
land at dollar an acre. He asked
Inc O4liIIdIS VI inc present Mex
lean administration whether, If
these lands were bought by Amer .
leans, the titles would be consid-
cred good. The reply was that the
government would hold the titles
good. The land in question was
wild land covered with forest, but
rich in soil and we'll watered. The |
timber on it alone was worth many