MESSING AROUND IN MEXICO 



out. Without doubt, that bristling barbed 

 wire serves a purpose; it is a real hindrance 

 to the free passage back and forth across the 

 border of Yaqui war parties, bandits, smug- 

 glers and the like, and makes necessary a 

 detour of several miles. The going through 

 the cactus is not very good, but frequent 

 usage is vastly improving it. Why the Yaqui 

 Chamber of Commerce does not affiliate with 

 some of the prominent Mexican bandit march- 

 ing clubs and lay a good macadam road 

 around the end of the fence, I don't know. 



Seriously, the Yaqui situation in Sonora is 

 amazing to anyone who is not used to it, and 

 brings home a vivid realization of the narrow 

 line dividing social and political order from 

 chaos. 



As one rushes through the Yaqui country 

 at an average rate of nearly eighteen miles an 

 hour, the effects of political ferment and social 

 upheaval are apparent. We were looking into 

 the latent opportunities of Mexico, and we 

 found practically all industry in Sonora para- 

 lyzed by the conditions that exist there. It is 

 a state rich in resources; not long ago its 

 plains were alive with cattle, its valleys were 

 occupied by ranches, its mines were yielding 



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