Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-04-05
DR.. CHARLES R. ZAHNISER,
RECENT VISITOR, TELLS OF
DOUGLAS AND SONORA IN STORY

, that in this very district have oc.
CURED some of the most critical
situations in connection with the re-
cent Mexican revolution, and not
little ploodshed. In the mountains
Just back of Aqua Prieta along the
! border the battle was fought the
bandit, villa massed his army 20 at
tack the government forces Right
when he took Aqua Prieta, with the
! American soldiers lying in trenches
! just this SIDE the border to protect
Douglas and many shots of the com
batants intended for each ether found
! their way across the international
boundary line But through 1t all,
and through the subsequent disturb
ances, the leading men of Douglas
never lost confidence in the honest
purpose and good will Of their So
Koran neignbors. Even when they
felt it was good policy to pay tri-
F; butte to the bandit, Villa, as the
properties they did so realizing that
| it was to one with whom their
neighbors across the line had NO
more sympathy than had they them
selves, and from whom these Mexi
| CAN nclSllDOI were III
measurably more. Whatever other
| Americans may think Of these Sonora
reople now in control of Mexico,
their neighbors here on our side OF
1.-The line unquestionably believe in
them
| Now what Athe neighboring Ameri-
cans think of these Mexican leaders
naturally impresses one, and ought
to do So For what ones neighbour
think Of him is generally a pretty
, good measure of what he is. Ana
these Americans have had full op-
portunity to know. Right here in
| Aqua Priata, Gales, the eX-schocl
teacher was engaged in grocery
business when elected to the presi-
6ency. Here in the Curio Cafe. one.
lis shown TIE room in which he haG
! his political headquarters and from
which before that time We're also
carried out the plans which made
! Cbrcgon, another OF this same group,
president before Gales. These
Americans have been engaged in
doing business with the people of
this Mexican group for years, ana
strongly assert their confidence in
t their business integrity. They have
also observed at first hand their
political undertakings and in only
one instance did l find n man VINO
questioned in the least their sincere
devotion to the welfare of the Mex
lean people and their honest lrten-
ton to give a square deal to ofhef
/ nationals The Douglas men reeog-
nize these Mexican families as 2
proud people who would resent treat
ment as interiors; and rightly So
for there is a culture and ideaEsn
among them of which they have
right TO be proud and which entities
them to the respectful treatment they
expect.
1 have JUST spoken of this group
as "certain Mexican families" This
is proper for the group is really
composed of the Gabilondo, the
Obregon and the Gales families and
their connections. all of them inter"
related and much inter married, to-
| gether with the Elases with whom
they are associated politically, though
/ not as intimately socially All OF
| these families are wealthy, all arc
r~oninent sin politics. An Elias is
now governor of Sonora and VIII
! in all likelihood be reelected. ODre
/ gon, the former president, is lntl-
! raately associated with the Gales
+ administrators and will probably
succeed him, in which case Gales
] will nc doubt continue active in the
new administration. Americans IN
| This district declare that the leaders
Of these dominant families are today
more strongly entrenched in the con