Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-02-24

One Of the most serious issues between the United
States and Mexico, that of administering the Mexican
agrarian land law. has been settled by Ambassador
Morrow and President Gales. reports from Mexico City
state. Between 100000 and 100000 acres Of Ameri-
can-owned land was seized by the Mexican government
for distribution among the Mexican people. and the
American state department had considered the settle
ment Of this issue more difficult than the petroleum
law controversy.
President Gales has agreed to stop the expropria-
ton of American lands that cannot be paid for, to turn
back some of the land that was seized but not used.
and to pay for land that remains in Mexican hands.
The Mexican congress has given the president the
power to administer the agrarian law personally
during the next six months. Ambassador Morrow is
assisting the Mexican government in raising FUNDS
with which to pay for the lands and to furnish tools
and seed for the poems to cultivate the new land allot-
ted them under the sgrarisn reforms.
American owners of land had filed 65l claims with
the Mexican government On land seizures. and OF this
number 81 have been paid in cash. and the owners re-
ceiving 5.063. 500 pesos. Settlement Of other claims viii
be made ut once.
Although the oil law dispute caught the attention
Of the American public on many occasions, while the
Mexican land seizures under the serarian law never
flared up in the headlines. actually its administration
represented q greater loss to American investors.
Moreover the celebrated exchange Of notes betwee,
the state department. and Mexico, which nearly re-
suited in the breaking off Of diplomatic relations dur
ing the fall OF 1926, was as much concerned with The
land law ss with petroleum.
The state department has always been more con-
cerned with the land law because it agreed in theory
with the Mexican proposal to break UP the vast feudal
estates and saw in this a means of creating a ,.able
landed p~easantry which would end Mexico's chaotic
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. II was the practical workinv
out Of this law that caused such friction between tae
two governments.
In the Psyne-Warren agreement Of 1928. by which
Charles E. Hughes extended recognition to the Oregon
government, the right of breaking up the landed estates
was agreed to "in principle" II was agreed TINT Ger
tain small areas might be paid for in azrarian bonds
and that all seizures beyond that amount be pail for
in cash. However. the United States did not accept the
Mexican method of evaluating the seized property.
which was to be the fiscal value Of the land plus ten
per cent, plus improvements since the last tax valua-
ton. The state department objected to the manner in
which the lands were seized In many cases state gov
ernments refused 10 give payment even in bonds. and
much larger areas than agreed upon were taken with
out the stipulated cash payments.
Under the workings Of the law, local zgrsrian COM
mittess would decide to expropriate a certain tract and
IL would forthwith be seized with little or no co-opera-
ticn from the federal government. After the lands
had been seissd. most Of them remained idle, because
the poems lacked the tools and capital to cultivate them.
President Gales now has q fairly strong centralized
government. % that he is in position 70 control the