Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-01-27

forbidden to acquire domain over
/ lands and waters or concessions to
develop mines or mineral fuels in
the territory of the republic. The
state has the right, through the de-
partment of foreign relations, to
grant to foreigners permission to ac-
uuire The aforementioned rights. This
permission is granted with the re-
quirement that foreigners agree to
consider themselves MeXicans regard
ing those properties. This means
that the foreigners are not going to
acquire any more rights, in relation
to those properties than the rights
which Mexican citizens enjoy: that is,
that they will not ask for the pro
lection of their governments, just as
MeXicans may not ask the assistance
of foreign governments against their
own, and furthermore, that the in
vestments of foreigners in Mexico,
from the moment they are made, be
done with the express understanding
that they will have guarantees and
recourses which the laws and the
courts of the country grant to all
citizens, thus avoiding that they may
enjoy a privileged situation as COM
pared with that of the nationals.
The requirements necessary to grant
the permission is merely a condition
imposed by Mexico, in the form OF
an agreement concluded between the
foreigner and the government. When
any of the parties to an agreement
does not carry it out, he becomes
subject to the penalties provided for
in the agreement or in other laws.
In this case, it is matter of a
penalty established in the agreement
itself. 1t is not an exceptional or
rare case but one rather universally
permit a foreigner to acquire real
property in Mexico. If a government
and this is not a question open to
dscussion-has the power to prevent
foreigners from acquiring property
of specified kinds, within it's terri
tory, with greater reason it may i'm
pose conditions for such acquisition
The purpose of this provision is
that the foreigner considers himself
a Mexican in all that relating to the
property which he acquires by virtue
of such a permission. He agrees not
to appeal to his government in so
far as concerns the rights which he
acquires. 1t is within the scope OF
the Mexican government to legislate
upon the effects of the agreement
entered into with it, 1t will be with
in the scope of foreign governments
to decide as to the effects of the
agreements entered into by their ma
tionals with the government of an
other country as affecting the rela-
tions within them and their respec-
tive nationals.
1t has been stated enormously
through most varied sources, that
the condition required by the law in
question, was that of waving nation
ality of the foreigner who acquired
certain kinds of property in Mexico
1t is not true that the waving OF
nationality is required. AS we have
seen before, it refers only to the
announcement of right deriving
from that nationality; but the gov
ernment of Mexico has never at
tempted to demand that foreigners
waive their nationality as whole
in order to acquire real property III
Mexico, in spite of the fact thats the
laws of many countries show that
it would have been within it's power
to do so.
Finally the provisions of Section
1 of Article 81 and it's organic law
may be summarized as follows;
First: Only MeXicans and Mexican
corporations have the right, accord
irg to the constitution to acquire
the domain of lands and waters and
concessions for the exploitation OIL
mines waters, and combustible min
erals in the republic. Nevertheless,
the Mexican government may grant
permission to foreigners to acquire