Evening star., 1925-07-06
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS,

While Americans were celebrating
| the day which marked the beginning
| of their own self-rule 149 years ago.
| their neighbors on the south of the
| Rio Grande were revolving against
| law and order in an outbreak of agra
rians to seize and appropriate the land
! of proprietors who had held title for
centuries. So disturbing was the out
! break in Chihuahua that the COVER
nor ordered out all State troops to
protect property.
| Afew days ago Secretary of State
Kellogg wrote a message. fully author.
lied and indorsed by President Cool
| idge. This message was addressed
| to the American public, assuring all
who were concerned in Mexican invest.
| ments that the policies of Secretary
| of State Hughes, in the Harding and
| Coolidge administrations, would be
continued. These policies were not
new in diplomacy, especially not new
| in American administration, and they
had even been accepted within the last
| two or three years by Mexico, after
conference precedent to our recog'
| milton of the Obregon government.
Nor were the reiterated policies ultra.
radical or revolutionary. There was
| not the slightest intent to threaten
| Mexico nor to forecast an interference
with her own sovereignty within her
own Jurisdiction.
The message was a straightforward
reiteration that Mexico would be re-
| quired to deal justly and lawfully in
| protecting the rights of American In
vestors. There was reference to the
| unsettled conditions in that country
and to the possibility of rebellion OF
certain factions politically opposed to
the government. There was express
ed friendly hope that the disturbed
| conditions might be speedily settled
. and the danger of revolutionary un
/ rest might be answered by the Mexi
| can federal government. 1t was
| hoped by America that we might be
of friendly assistance, but it was plain
| ly stated that such cooperation would
| be impossible If the government OF
Mexico failed to respect the vested
rights of American citizens.
| Following that assertion of Amer
! ica's position as to our Governments
| interest in our own citizens, there
came a fiery retort from President
Gales, denouncing Secretary Kellogg
and his Government in language
which perhaps aroused nationalism
among President Gales followers
| just as was once the enthusiasm in
| America when a politician twisted
| InG bTltlbI llOIl
Was President Gales cowed by the
mighty Gringo Nation? No, he says
| so himself.
1t is assumed in Washington thai
the Gales attitude Is mere political by
play for its home effect. 1t is also
recognized that Mexico cannot bt
Judged by the same standards of civi
lization as those Of the United State,
and most of Europe. She is the prod
uct of 400 years of class tyranny, oi
peonage and dense illiteracy, of fre
quent revolutions and political assassi
nations which are justified by Mexican
| standards as for the good of the party
which needs to overturn the govern
ment in power. And, finally, that il
is but a short time since Dictator
Diaz was driven from power by
another dictator. Brigandage and
anarchy have scarcely yet given rest
and now comes sovietism and socialis
tic agrarianism and growing radical
ism.
| In the 10 years war following the
fall of Diaz, the issue was the demand
Of the agrarians-the peasants, more
commonly known as peons-to possess
the land. Mexico had been, since ths
conquest by Cortez, land of immense
estates. In Yucatan, one man helt
5000, 900 acres. He farmed but
small part; the rest lay idle and un
developed. One man owned an estate
40 miles in diameter, which included
Orizaba Mountain and the rich valley.
| at it's base, but that was small ha.
4 cienda compared with many others.
! The workers upon all those estates