THE MEXICAN CHANGE.

Southland Times, Issue 18819, 12 May 1920, Page 4

THE MEXICAN CHANGE.

Mexico has added another to its already long list of revolutions and with Villa abroad it is possible that another is not far off. Interest is added to the sudden revolt and its rapid success by the fact that the presidential elections were close at hand and Carranza had announced his intention of retiring. General Obregon, who is one of the strong men in the country and who was named as a possible head of the government some time ago, is nominally hi control, but the movement that has driven the Carranzists out is a federation of several revolutionary organisations, more than one with agencies in the United States and there is, of course, opportunity yet for a dispute between them. When Carranza defeated Huerta and became president, he had several allies. Villa among them, and later they turned against him. It has been admitted that Carranza for some time had been unable to cope with the various bandit chiefs in the country, and there has for long been a suspicion that these rebels obtained financial and other aid from American sources, but with a change of government the relations between Mexico and the United States will enter upon a new phase. The large oil interests are doubtless interested to a large extent in the progress of events, and as Carranza was extremely unfriendly to the American oil firms and openly favourable to the BritishDutch operators some new alignment may be expected. The revolutionary movement so far has not had any declared policy, other than the removal of the Carranzists and the granting of a new constitution, which of course, means nothing, and until the new government’s view upon the operations of foreign capital in the country is known, it is impossible to form any opinion as to the chances it will have of a settled reign. General Cades, the War Minister, has disclosed very friendly feelings towards American financial interests, but in Mexican affairs the utterances of any one minister are not very reliable guides to the future and it will be well therefore to pause before coming to any definite conclusions regarding the effect the revolt will have upon the energetic oil war that is being fought there.