The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 23, 1924, Page 11

YUCATAN--YESTERDAY AND TODAY - Y UCATAN, a peninsula gituated on | the extreme south of Mexico, in- habited by 350,000 Maya Indians, has been a thorn in the flesh of the reactionaries and capitatists of the world for the last ten years. It is not surprising, therefore, that they are unable to hide their satisfaction over the news that Yucatan has been conquered and subdued by the coun- ter-revolutionary army of Adolfo de la Huerta. Its Governor, Felipe Ca- rillo, was taken prisoner with thir- teen of his friends and according to the latest fashion of all the reaction- ary powers all over the world, was shot when “trying to escape.” The Maya People. With the murder of Filipe Carillo an important chapter of a little nation was closed,—of a whole people, be- cause Yucatan is historically, racially, linguistically and geographically completely different and separated from the rest of Mexico. While the Indian population of the rest of Mex- ico descend from Aztecs, be me Zapotecas, etc., and crossing of se Indians with the whites, the inhabi- tants of Yucatan are, almost exclu- sively, pure Mayas, of whom very few understand Spanish. They speak a language which is quite dofferent from the languages spoken by the other Mexican Indians. Their civili- zation seems to have been much older and higher than that of the other Mexican aborigines. Geographically, Yucatan is sepa- rated from the rest of Mexico by im- passable jungles and swamps, so that it can only be reached by sea. Slavery Legalized. Here, the landed aristocracy suc- ceeded in establishing complete slav- ery and perpetuating it legally. In spite of all decrees of the Various elder constitutions, which awarded land to the peasants and in spite of the former quite extensive communal lands (the “ejidas” which corre- sponds to the Russian “Mir”) which were worked by the peasants in com- mon, the whole land was up to ten years ago in the hands of a few families. Even the Spanish Conquistadors confirmed by Royal Decree the title of the peasants to these communal lands. But under the rule of the landed aristocracy under the perpet- ual “president.” Diaz, particularly, it was declared illegal to hold land in common ownership and the author- ities proceeded to distribute the land to the peasants, out of these “ejidas.” This “distribution,” of course, was A Workers serving The Workers of SOVIET RUSSIA wants you as A Shareholder Corporation i handled by the big land owners and their tools. Mayas Tricked. For awarding or registering the lots such fees were charged that very few of the Mayas were able to raise the required amounts—and conse- quently the land sharks bought the land from the state or the village authorities at a price of $2 to $3 per acre. Then they farmed out the land to the Indians on the terms of the old serfdom, or they employed them directly as hired laborers. But no laborer or tenant farmer was al- lowed to produce anything else on his land than the main product of the country, namely, henequen (sisal), a kind of hemp, used iargely in the United States for the manufacture of binder twine cords. All foodstuffs were consequently imported by the big landowners and sold to the peas- ants and agricultural laborers “on credit” at fantastic prices. Always In Debt. Thus, the Indians remained per- manently in the debt of their mas- ters and another law declared it a crime to leave one’s working place or village, before the debts were id. At the death of the debtor, is family or nearest relatives were liable and the debt slavery was ssed on from father to son. The whipping of men for insufficient pro- duction was a daily occurrence, but was, of course, no legal rcason to leave the place. The whole district of 70,000 square miles, with its 350,- 000 inhabitants, was the private property of about 2,000 owners, According to other estimates, 80 per cent of the soil belonged to twenty-seven families. And this whole district paid under Diaz only $50,000 in taxes to the Central Gov- ernment. There were no schools in Yucatan and except for religious teaching, it was illegal to teach the Mayas Spanish. e Carrillo’s Early Career. This changed, however, 1915. For many years Felipe Car- rillo, at that time a railroad em- ploye and a Maya by birth, startel an energetic propaganda among the Mayas, whom he organized, The o2- stitution, according to which slavery and every system of peonage was expressly prohibited, was translated by him into tHe Maya language ia order to inform the siaves of their rights. For this Carrillo was ar- rested; he escaped; however, and ¢-=- tinued his propaganda secretly. By prearranged si is ‘and whistles he called the peons at night, first in smal] groupe of froni'six to ten men, later however, rockét signals were given for larger meetings with arms. Effect of Madero Victory. Madero’s successful _revolutio. against the tyrant, Porfirio Diaz, an4 later the second victorious revulo- tion of Pancho Villa and Carransa against the counter-revolution of Vic- toriano Hucrta, had naturally an im- mense influence on the fortunes of Yucatan. Under the new constita- tion a socialist administration was elected, but another revolution agazp. this time a workmen’s and peasants’ revolution, against Carranza wes necessary, in order to frustrate the reactionary plans of the “iiberator’ Carranza, who, tho being a liletal constitutionalist, could not suffer to see that the land of the big land own- arvund ers, to which clan he belonged, was being subdivided, not only by decrees and in theory but also in fact, and that social reforms were being arc*s- elly realized. In 1915 we sce the socialist gencral Salvador Alvaraly A practical way by which you CAN HELP RUSSIA Comrade Lenin wrote to Pres. Sidney Hill- man of “RAIC”: 4 “J am heartily thankful to you for the aid you have 4 given us.” — You Can Do as Lenin Advised: as governor of Yucatan, which he became after defeating in March of the same year the army of the govr- ernor appointed by Carranza, Teon- age was finally actually nbolished. Debts Voided. All debts of the peons were fe- elared void. Everyone who‘wanbs to work the land by himself reccives forty acres each, which were cut out from the properties ef the big own- ers. This land was partly confiscate, wherever it could be proved that the “owners” or their ancestors appro- riated it unduly from the communal lands, or the was purehased forcibly from the big owners at the values given by them for income tax parposes, wulah, obviously, were none hi The amounts due to them / accordingly were paid in ma- turing in fifty years, and bearing 4 per cent interest. . Every big landowner was compell- reserve on beg? at yer Ay build- so that od to ing for a school, schools HELP BUILD THE NEW RUSSIAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY > $10 makes you a shareholder —May be paid in $1 instal- ments For further information address: RUSSIAN-AMERICAN VADUSTRIAL CORPORATION NODE. Wea s7REE7 WEM-YORAT FFF were opened, where there were form- erly almost none, and the teachers, mostly socialists, were imported from all parts of Mexico. Next Alvarado undertook an _ energetic struggle against the church, From the few schools which formerly ex- isted all priests were expelled and instead of the religious slogang he placed everywhere revolutionary and atheistic mottos, such as, “Flee from religion as from the plague”; “Whether God wills it or not, the revolution shall go on”; “Without God or without masters, here is the supreme aspiration of free men.” The former marriage laws were abolished and marriage declared & private contract, entered into by the common wish of both parties and dissolved by the will of one party, after due provisions for /the care of the children, if any. Publishes Daily Paper. One of the first things which Al- varado did was to take over the larg- est daily ef Merida, the capital of Yueatan, which was the organ of the blackest reaction, renamed it the “Voice of the Revolution” and handed it over to the labor unions. It is certainly tragic that this same Alvarado now turned traitor to the proletariat, as so many other ex- socialists. Mussolini, Noske e’ tutti quanti—and he is now one of the generals fighting for De la Huerta. During his administration, Felipe Carillo organized all over the coun- try innumerable “Ligas de _ resis- tencia,” which were at the same time a combination of co-operative, trade union, elub, educational center and socialist and political arganization. Labor Laws. Among the laws promulgated un- der Alvarado, for the protection of the workmen, article 79 provides that women are not allowed to work thirty days before and thirty days after con- finement, but must receive their full salary during the entire time, and their jobs must be kept open for them. According to article 80, every establishment, in which women were employed, had to have a_ specially reserved room, in perfect sanitary eondition, in which mothers could nurse their children, every two houre for fifteen minutes, without this tims being deducted from their wages or rest ods. The cight-hour work- ling was introduced and whenever a woriiosn was dismissed, the em- ployer had to pay him three months” ce S Be wages. In the whole country, co-operative stores and co-operative purchasing organizations were established. Co-operate For Markets. In addition to the happy combina- tion of co-operatives and trade untons, for the purpose of improving the living conditions of the people, another important economic institu- tion must be mentioned, which ways originally founded in 1912 by the big land owners. This is the “Comision Reguladora de Henequen” (the sisal regulating commission), the purpose of which was to prevent the und+1- bidding of prices and to form a unit- ed front against American buyers. In other words, it was the Sisal Turst of Yucatan, formed to keep up the price of sisal against the American Harvester Corporation. __ FRAME This Photograph in Sepia Brown or Black, on Spe- cial Enamel Pa- per, 814x714. $2.00aYear SOVIET RUSSIA PICTORIAL Name SF 6 MORO OT HOHE emer eee ; City ee cee eee Cee eee eee ee eee 32 South Wabash Ave., Chicago, I). By ARNOLD ROLLER With the victory of the revolution, Alvarado became also president _of the “Comision Reguladora,” which was then organized on a co-operative basis and administered in the inter- ests of the whole people, Carillo Becomes President. After the eliminating ef Carran a in 1920, who, up to his very death, was fighting against -rebellious Yuca- tan, Felipe Carillo was elected Gov- ernor in 1921 with the enormous ma- jority of 60,765 votes against 4,085 for the reactionary candidate. He continued the social legislation start- ed ‘by Alvarado and proved himself an excellent administrator in every field. Rent laws promulgated by him limited the rent to 7 per cent of the declared value of the proverty. The taxes were such that the owner of cne house, living in it, paid practi- cally. no taxes, the owner of five houses felt already the sting of the taxation, while the owners of more than twenty houses had to pay such taxes that they were in the greatest hurry to dispose of them at almost any price, which, consequently, con- siderably reduced rentals. All land kept out of use had also to pay taxes, which is one of the principal tenets wf the single taxers. Carillo the Financier. When, by a eapitalist conspiracy, in erder to destroy Yucatan economi- cally, the price of sisal was depress- ei from 18c¢ per pound to 3c per pound, while the actual cost of pro- duction is 4c, Carillo borrowed from the Federal Government in Mexico enough money, to buy the flontmg supply of 800,000 bales of sisal in the United Sf&tes, which was used for depressing the price. By limit- ing production and by organization of co-operative warehouses he suc- eceded in a short time in raising the price above the pre-war valuc. In this way the “uneducated railroad shop hand,” Felipe Carillo, saved Yucatan from economic ruin, while a capitalist government did not sueceed in a similar case—namely, at the time of the sugar crisis in Cuba, which sent Cuba into bankruptcy. Carillo’s Mistake. Now Carillo and his work have been destroyed, but Carillo himself is not without blame. His mistake, for which he paid with his life, was his pacifism. In spite of the urgent request of many of his friends he re- fused to arm the Maya people against a possible counter-revolution and so he and his peacefully organ- tzed people fell victims to the first armed reactionary gang of mur- derers. If Yucatan had had ao red army, the red flag would still be flying from all trade union and govermnent buildings of the country. But this reaction can only be temporary. The people, who have tasted freedom and the first beginnings of economic im- provements, will not submit again meekly to the ancient slavery. Tho all trade unions and co-opera- tives have been destroyed, ang tho the land given to the peons is beirg returned to the big landowners, this will not assure the continuation of | the old slavery but will contribute to the success of the next revolution. Sent with Each Yearly Subscrip- tion or Renewal. Without Sub 25 Cents Each. $1.00 Six Months Street No. ee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee ee ee ee toes BtOte. reecveesstiovsevensD