Imperial Valley press., 1937-09-01
MORE INVOLVED IN THREATENED
STRIKE THAN APPEARED
ON THE SURFACE

What was behind the threatened strike
OF canal workers on the district system
in Mexico, and just why the Mexican
union called off the strike in favor of
arbitration, probably never will be gen.
orally known.
The entire incident was so involved,
and the motivating grievances and causes
so hidden as to mask the underlying an
giles of the trouble almost completely
from sight There is ample ground, how
ever, for all of US to surmise.
That the workers would strike in such
manner as to cause injury to Imperial
Valley population on the American side
was unthinkable And for different rea-
sons, 1t appeared equally inadvisable to
deprive their fellow MeXicans of water.
To start at the beginning, the demands
of the union were absurd 1t would have
been ridiculous to consider acceptance.
Obviously, arbitration was the only re-
course, but the union refused to accept
arbitration.
To force the issue and help compel
arbitration was the job of district Off
cials through the agency of the Compa-
mia, subsidiary operating on the MeXi-
can side. They apparently performed
the task well, both by showing the feder-
al government at Washington, D. c., that
this was an international affair, and by
other devious methods. Not the least of
these was the threat to cut off the water
supply at its river source, thus depriving
Mexican farmers as we'll as American,
of the water for lands and people.
The union found itself in difficult
straits. The Mexican Agrarians, Com
munistic in nature, numbering many
thousands, and all repeatedly fully arm
ed against troubles of any kind were not
interested in such results. 1t is to be as
sumed that they insisted-probably very
forcefully-that the strike be called off.
In this way the union encountered force
within.
From this side of the border came
force from two sources As the matter
involved the communistic Cardenas gov
ernment on the one hand and big i'm
portant American population on the other
hand, Washington did right in entering
the picture through diplomatic channels.
The federal diplomacy was we'll handled.
The results were achieved through pleas
ant negotiations without threat of ges-
ture to belle our Good Neighbor" policy.
There was another important factor
to be considered; ie., that it would be
unWlse for Mexico to antagoniZe the I'M
perial Valley of the United States which
a couple of years hence-when the All
American canal will be operating-will
be in a position to virtually dictate the
terms on which water will be delivered
to Mexico through the existing canals.
Doubtless the general citizenry of Baja
California realized this and were out
spoken against the strike.
Again the strike may have lacked uni
versal favor because of the asserted sus-
picion-sustained by the absurd union
demands-that the trouble was fomented
for other reasons than increased pay for
the workers. Such causes, limited by OBJ
servers, may have been communistic-
trouble making, or antagonism against
Americans with interests in Mexico.
1t would appear, therefore, that MeXi-
co had everything to lose and nothing
to win in the entire affair, and that she
was wise in realizing the danger of the
situation, and handling it as adroitly as
was the case.
For the past 100 years, Trouble In
Mexico" has become pretty much common
news. Of recent years, thank goodness
such troubles on the border have con-
stantly declined. 1t is to the interests of
both nations that they dwindle to a mini
mum and we should do all possible to
aid toward that end.
The present instance, however, shows
there is much to be accomplished in this
direction.