Evening star., 1938-09-14
Denies Mexican Legislation
Delivers Government to Labor
Observer Finds Federal Workers Are
Completely With Cardenas-Seized
Oil Lands Signed A,vny ILLEGALLY.
(Second OF q Series.)
BY UPTON CLOSE.

1t is astonishingly easy to draw the
wrong conclusions about Mexico-to
90 complete Corrigan in starting
from fact and arriving at a conclu-
sion. The news that President Car
denas has forced a bill through the
Mexican Congress permitting unioni-
zation Of federal employees is being in
terpreted to mean that he has thrown
the government into the hands Of the
labor chiefs. The truth is that the
government thereby takes the aspira-
tions Of the federal workers complete
ly into its hands, through the law en-
powering the government to decide
whether or not a union complaint or
strike is legitimate. II "illegitimate"
there is no picketing or fuss of any
kinda little matter taken care Of by
the army. Another Corrigan is the
conclusion that Labor Leader Tole-
dano bosses Cardenas. The truth is
that Cardenas is guide, mentor, friend
and nursing mother-to ToledaDo
went to Mexico expecting to find
little Russia with stringent and un-
friendly regulation Of the foreigner
absolute control of the press, state
interference and supervision ovet
every walk of life, a disorganized cur
rency. disrupted supply OF COM
modities and general conditions Of in
security and violence.
What and several thousand othel
visitors found during the last few
weeks was a country with the lightest
and most gentlemanly border inspec-
ton I have ever encountered, where
banks and service stations cashed my
personal checks on New York without
discount, where newspapers of every
imaginable shade of opinion are as
thick as weeds and freely support
Franco, the American Oil companies,
the Vatican Stain or the government
and indulge in headlines stating that
Mr.. Cardenas has gone into mental
decline-even as in the land Of the
free and home of the brave.
Aristocrat Retains Mansion.
I supposed that the dispropertied
aristocrats had received the same
rough treatment that has accompa-
MED their overturn in other countries,
until I met Senior Martinez del Rio,
scion Of one of the greatest land-own-
ing families previous to conflscation.
The vast Del Rio estates hollywood S
Dolores married into this family
were founded by the ancestor who was
prime minister to Macmillan. This
family could hardly expect popular
favor, yet its present head retains and
resides in his city mansion and fills
the highly honored position Of direc-
tor of the summer session Of the gov
ernment university whose board is
composed of scholars. capitalists, poll
ticians and labor chiefs.
Senor del Rios dispasslonate recital
of the seizure of his lands aroused
sympathy for his family and class. But
when I remarked that this seemed the
most gentlemanly revolution I had
encountered in the present ruthless
world, he agreed with me.
Until Mexico threw off the yoke
of Spain, Indian villages were pro-
tected in possession of their ancient
communal lands by king and viceroy
against the grasping Mexican-born
Spaniards. But the Indians lost out
rapidly after Mexico gained inde-
pendence The reformer, Juarez. in
an effort to transform the Indians
into outstanding individual property
owners, abolished the ancient COM
munal village ownership, ordering the
Ejidos, as they were called. to be
broken up into individual holdings.
Result: The bewildered Indians were
pushed back into the mountains by
grasping, unprincipled politicos, who
took over their lands. Much good
acreage, however, remained idle or
without clear title. About so years
ago, Diaz invited native and foreign
plantationists to occupy these idle
lands. He gave the newcomers one
third in return for making their sur
veys and permitted purchase OF the
remainder at nominal sums. The
Church and American, French and
British interest seized the opportu-
nity-in the order named. BY 1900
20 persons and companies had SUR
veyed for themselves 100,O0O,0O0 acres
of Mexicos best plains and valleys.
The California Land Co.. Ltd. Brit
ish) had 100000. In all, Diaz gave
away 178.000,000 acres for 100000
pesos and generously took payment
in his own bonds, which could be
picked up at ones own price.
Since the regime of Woodrow Will