Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 3, 1912

File No. 812.77/102½.

The American Chargé d’Affaires to the Secretary of State.

No. 820.]

American Embassy,
Mexico, August 16, 1911.

Sir: I have the honor to refer to my dispatch No. 796 of the 9th instant, relative to the fears of certain American employees of the National Railways of Mexico that a general strike of anti-American character will be called by the Mexican employees of the National Lines, and to inclose to the Department for its information a copy in translation of an extract from a folio, entitled “Railroad Policy of the Government,” prepared by Mr. Jaime Gurza, the Subsecretary of Hacienda and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the National Railways of Mexico, in which the respective rights of the American and Mexican employees and the question of the Mexicanization of the railway lines are touched upon.

Mr. Gurza’s book, which seems to have been privately printed for a limited circulation, presents a very interesting study of the Mexican railway system, and, in case the Department so desires, I will endeavor to secure additional copies of it for the Department’s use.

Referring to the last paragraph of my dispatch of the 9th instant above mentioned, I beg to say that a statistical table published in Mr. Gurza’s book indicates that the employees of the National Railway Lines number 26,106, of whom 25,031 are Mexicans and 1,075 are foreigners; that is, to all intents and purposes, American.

I have [etc.]

Fred Morris Dearing.

[Inclosure.—Translation.]

Extract from “The Railroad Policy of the Government.”

It has also been arranged that among all the different railroad employees, those who are Mexican shall be given the same treatment and the same protection that is given to foreigners.

Mr. Limantour, understanding that it was only justice to leave railroad careers open to all young and energetic Mexicans who would be considered capable of such work, directed, on July 1, 1909, to Mr. E. N. Brown, Executive President of the National Railways, two important letters, in which, with the above object in view, he recommended:

(a) That equal opportunity be given to Mexicans and foreigners to occupy and carry on the functions of railway positions.

(b) That measures be taken to arrange that the Mexican employees receive the same treatment as the foreign, and that no obstacles be put in their way on account of favoritism.

(c) That the use of Spanish be made general and obligatory in all branches of the railway service; and finally,

(d) That attention be given to the formation and betterment of the schools in which railroading is taught.

Mr. Brown, following the wishes of the Government as expressed in the letters of the Minister of Hacienda, has increased the number of Mexican employees and has arranged that they receive better treatment.

It is true that this increase in the number of employees has been principally made in the ranks of the lower and secondary men; but this is natural and fair, because such positions are more frequently vacant, and, furthermore, it would neither be just or convenient to discharge old foreign employees for the sole reason of substituting others who are Mexicans. Nevertheless, higher positions have lately been given to Mexicans whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The Mexican employees themselves recognize generally the existence of these advantages, and they only complain because several foreign employees, chiefs of departments, place obstacles and difficulties in the way of nationalizing the service.

In order to avoid these difficulties, it has been suggested that positions be awarded by competition among those who show the greatest ability, and it is desired that any discharge of an employee shall be justified before the proper high official.

An effort has also been made to make the use of Spanish more general in the railroad service. It does not seem necessary to me to lay any stress on the importance of effectually establishing this measure which will bring so many advantages to the Mexican employees of the railways, greatly contributing to the betterment and strengthening of their relations with the public.

Now that the railways have become nationalized, it is very natural that all the details of the service should be in Spanish, because language is the simplest manifestation of the nationality of a people and the form in which they incarnate their racial character and civilization.