Evening star., 1923-12-26

refused to pay II, but the guide,
moro discreet. offered to pay II for
me, on condition that he be given a
written receipt to show the jefo poll
cuernavaca. This frightened the
lief man." and he at on,e dis
missed the case, and coming down
from his judicial bench, he shook
hands as did also the clerk of court
md all the guard.
1 hastily rode out of the village,
without waiting for my guide just
minute before the soldiers who had
arrested US at the ruins arrived de-
termined to- repeat the arrest. Find
IN the "gringo" gone. they held the
guide and required him to treat all
round to. pu que.
This trif1ing adventure we'll Illus
trates conditions out in the country
places of Mexico ander Diaz 1t was
by no means an isolated experience,
Today more than one traveller testi-
6es to very different conditions under
President Obregon.
*# x X
OF Mexico's 16 coo. 600. population
there are 600. ooo pure blood Indians.
5000. 600 mixed blood and 2 100000 of
pure foreign descent-mostly Spanish.
There are fifty Indian tribes, each
speaking different dialect. In the
state of Oaxico. there are fifteen
languages spoken. by million In
dians Practically all Indians are IL
literate, superstitious and suspicious.
easily led into rebellion, for they have
experienced. for centuries. the abuses
Of government.
These Indians hhd been enslaved
md exploited from the days of Cortez's 8
conquest. up to the adoption OF the
constitution of 1917. and especially
the administration Of President Obre-
gon, beginning in 1920. This exploit
tation has not been confined to the
Nv schemlng land grabbers. "eienti-
ficos" (scientifc robbers) taking ad-
vantage of the Indians ignorance of
even the laws intended TO protect
them.
|. According to history, even the gov
treatment Of the Indians than that Of
President Diaz and the exp'oiters OF
his regime. Spain had apportioned land
grants to the Indians, and many of
these had been held by villages and
cultivated by their inhabitants, without
was passed requiring all claimants Of
land to register their titles before a
certain date under penalty of forfeiture
20 the federal. government of all land
not so registered. The ignorant holders
did not comprehend the danger and
failed to register. SO lost their lands.
The revolutions since then have been
due to efforts to reclaim their former
"ejidos." as these land tracts or titles
are called. Obreeon Is the first presi-
dent who has championed the claims
Of the ''ejidos' and undertaken to re-
turn the land to the Indians. The gov
ernn1ent also. offers free homesteads to
any citizen who will agree to go upon
the land and cultivate It,.
Some OF the iniquitous exploitation Of
the land by the methods OF the cientficos
has been done by American land grab
bers., They have not favored Obregon.
for Obregon meant to taFe away their
land-not without compensation, to be
sure, but at the appraisal they had list
ed il for taxation, plus 10 per cent.
OUTRAGEOUS TO take their own appraisal
as a basis Of confiscation for the bene-
At Of peons-ignorant, Woodworking ma
tives,
The long delay In our recognizing the
Mexican republic under President Obre-
-on has been charged against the spec
ative and ma'ign influence of our in
ternational bankers" who had bought
demanding as condition precedent to
President Obregon agree to redeem the
onds at l20--a sort Of diplomatic black
mail, If true. This charge is made on
American authority, not Mexican. The
bonds Will be redeemed at par, when
dre giving the international bankers a
"Dutchmans III per cent" profit.
Copyright. 1879, by Paul v. Collins.)