The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-21

'in spite Of its anti-clericalism, has
fascist traits.
The leader of the Redshirts is
Garrido Canabal, formerly Cover
nor of the State of Tabasco and
now Secretary of Agriculture in the
Cardena Cabinet. In his home
state Garrido has given an eloquent
demonstration of the meaning Of
the Mexican Socialism" being
practiced by the millionaire capt.
talists and landlords who rule Mex
leo under the sheltering wing Of
Yankee imperialism,
The State Of Tabasco, under Gar
rido's pseudo socialist regime, has
become a stronghold of large feudal
landownership. Garrido himself and
other members of his family are
the most powerful landlord exploit
ers. simultaneously it has become
part of the plantation kingdom of
the United Fruit Company which
monopolizes Tabasco's banana pro-
duction, operating under the name
of the Cuyamel Fruit Company.
A brother Of Garrido is the
Uniteds chief agent in Tabasco.
The slight benefits which. peasants
in other regions Of the country have
received through the "agrarian re-
form" have not been seen by the
peasants of Tabagco. In the whole
State there are not more than
eighteen land grants (eiidos). 1t is
no wonder that General Gales,
father" of the caste of new mill
lionaire exploiterS which rode to
power in the wake of the Mexican
Revolution, has hailed Tabasco as
model of what is to be accomplished
by the Socialism" of the P. N. r.
the National Revolutionary Party
which is the political machine of
the Mexican bourgeoisie and land
lords which dominates the govern
ment.
In the State of Tabasco, Boss"
Garrido first created the Red Shirt
organization. It's attachments we're
formed by Tabasco's army of pub
lie employees, forcibly recruited.
Through the school system and the
autocratic control exercised by the
Garrido family over the population,
which it directly exploits, thou
sands of young toilers have been
drafted into the organization. In
this far flung tropical state, Garrido
has introduced regime Of Nazi
barrack discipline.
AS a leader, together with Gales
son. of the Gales faction of the
P. N. r., Garrido was brought to
Mexico City a few months ago to be
Secretary of Agriculture. He imrne-
diately set out to establish the Red
shirts in the capital city, by draft
ing all of the employees of the De-
partment of Agriculture. Those who
refused to join or absented them
selves from the Red Saturday"
propaganda sessions we're fired
Behind the Religious Conflicts?
The chief cry of the Redshirts is
the Discrimination" of the Catho-
lie masses. Their program of action
includes the burning of shrines and
churches and armed attacks upon
churchgoing crowds, such as the one
realized on Dec. 81, in which five
parishioners were shot to death. 1t
is obvious that these violent meth
DDS against the Catholic believers
not only do not weaken their IA
naticism, but have the very opposite
effect.
The P.N.R., the political machine
of MeXico's owning class, is desper-
ately bent on fixing the attention
of the toiling masses on the church
conflict at a moment when these
masses are pressing forward In the
struggle for land, against further
attacks on their miserable STAN
dard of living and against the re-
gime Of feudal terror which Is es-
pecialIy acute On the countryside.
BY fomenting religious clashes 1t
hopes to keep back the struggles Of
the toilers for their economic and
political demands.
The anti-clerical campaign also
has its origin in the inner factional
struggle of the P.N.R. The game is
to incite the clerical elements
against the government by radical
matchmaking about socialist edu-
cation" and thus appear before the
working class as the defenders"
of the Revolution" against the at
tacks of the clerical reaction
At the same time government
gives full rein to the propaganda
of the clergy which incites the
Catholic masses to lynch the Red
shirts and the advocates of So
cialist Education" The Catholic
press circulates freely and Shrek
ing headlines which call for the
blood of the infidels. meanwhile.
of course, the Communist press is
banned.
The deceptive nature of the off,
cial anti clericalism is further borne
out by the governments extreme
leniency toward the higher clergy.
1t has CAREFUL avoided prose-
cution of the bishops and high
church officials accused of law vio-
lations, until they are safely out Of
| the country.
One man who has not been
frightened" by the governments
socialist" talk is United States
Ambassador Daniels. When the
new cabinet entered Office, the am
bassador made it his business to
invite the new Secretary of Agri-
culture, Garr.do Canabal, for per-
sonal conference in the United
States Embassy. The invitation was
accepted and the existence of q
CLOSE understanding between the
j a / a =. a1a.iaa1, a..i A.