The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-08-30
Big Estates
in Mexiicoto
Be Div; q q,
Agreement = 80. >.ldes
Americ. ~ large
Tract, 81. " re Up
Land ..@S 8 Prices.
Trade Growth Forecast
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

| cipal brake on optimism about our
| new status with Mexico comes from
| that limited class of Americans who
expect too much of it, They are COM
posed chiefly of those who own great
tracts of oil or agricultural land in
Mexico. They want to be able to con.
| tinue to hold these lands indefinitely
| in order to benefit by raising price
in the course of years, or for other
reasons. That is not going to be pos
| sible. These American owners Of
immense tracts of land in Mexico
| must make up their minds to let
the bulk of their holdings go.
What the present arrangement with
Mexico provides is that for such land
as is taken by the general govern
ment or local municipalities there
shall be adequate payment at present
values as determined by mixed
| claims commission.
That is an immense advance over
the right of seizure as formerly as
serted by Mexico and to some extent
practiced. Not only must these Amer
lean holders of big tracts in Mexico
| be content to let the Mexican gov
ernment take their land for a fairly
determined present. value; in addition.
| il they have any Wisdom at all they
will promote the breaking up Of their
big estates and the sale of it to small
Mexican farmers.
Alien Holdings Large.
There Is a condition of alien land
I NJ l..
trary to universal human nature that
no Mexican government can long
| perpetuate 1t. To attempt to do SO
would result in more revolution. In
some Mexican states more than so
per cent of all the land Is owned by
aliens. How intolerable that seems to
the Mexicans will be realized by revers-
ing the situation and putting our
selves in their position. II some one
European. for example. owned half
the surface of Ohio, the people of
Ohio would not endure 1t. They would
adopt whatever legislation might be
necessary to break it up, and. II neces-
sary, they would resort to force and
revolution. In fact, some years ago,
when a wealthy Scotchman made him.
self owner of some hundreds Of thou
sands of acres of land in southern
Illinois. the Illinois legislature went
about compelling him to part with it
in n manner as direct as anything
that Mexico has tried.
Condition Intolerable.
There are immense American hold
ings of land in Mexico which were
acquired more than a generation ago.
and which are now held by the grand
children of the original purchasers,
who live in America. who never see
the land and have only the most re-
mote interest in 1t, except to await
possible rise in price. This condition
is as possible to endure as was the
old grand ducal tenure of land in
Russia. The Mexican people are go
ing to continue to look with suspicion
on the alien ownership Of so large a
share OF Mexican land. No possible
action on the part of our government
can resist this urge OF human nature.
The American owners are going to
be paid for their lands at fairly APP
praised valuation. That is the big
step accomplished by the Payne War
rem commission. But the American
owners must be willing to part with
the land.
One aspect OF this recent Mexican
development is historically signifi.
cant. II the things which have hap
pened in Mexico between 1914 and
1928 had happened thirty years
earlier in. let us say. McKinley's
time. there cannot be much doubt
that there would have arisen in Amer
lea widespread demand for armed
Intervention and annexation and prob
ably a slogan to extend the southern
boundary OF the United States to the
Isthmus of Panama.
Point of View Changed.
The fact that no such slogan has
arisen now, the fact that our people
would not countenance any proposal
for subduing Mexico by force or an
nexing its territory, and the fact
that in spirit Of patience and good will
we have finally reached settlement
through peaceful negotiation, argues
on the part OF the American people
a changed and more elevated point OF
view about our national ideals. as
ibliAi dSA'u WIN iitAtlA Adl bbEIdHhiIt-
ment.
Those who know most about the
recent settlement and about the pres
cnt condition of Mexico are enthus-
iastic about the future of that coun-
try. 1t must be remembered that II
Is a different country from the United
States. with different ideals. stub
bornly held. Mexico is not likely TO
become second United States. nor Is
II desirable It should. But those best
informed believe that there Is going to
be n great growth OF trade between
Mexico and the United States. based
on mutual needs and mutual conf
dence
They also have high trust In the
character OF the men who are now
In power I'm Mexico. or are likely to
be in power in the near future.
Copyright. 1890