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University Daily Kansan Monday, March 16, 19
Mexico's Sins
In order to achieve its development Mexico had to commit a number of sins. Perhaps every developing country commits sins, but Mexico's biggest sins consisted in violating the classic theory of democracy and the classic theory of economics.
After the middle of the nineteenth century, when Mexico became independent, all its liberal constitutions were inspired by Montesqueu's ideas of the balance of power, by Madison's ideas of a system of checks and balances, by Tocqueville's notions of local government. Those who drafted the current federal constitution, which was promulgated in 1917, preserved these ideals and added others, recognizing the rights of the workers to organize and to strike, characteristic of an industrial society and of democracy as it evolved in Europe and America.
BUT THE classic theory of democracy was not applicable in Mexico, and the multiparty system gave way to the system of a predominant party, unique and inevitably victorious. The concentration of power in the hands of the chief executive was initiated in 1917. The head of the central government began then to exercise control over the leaders, the political bosses, and the military chiefs. The process continued with the Chamber of Deputies and the revolutionary army, the unions, the farmers' organizations, and the bureaucrats and civil servants. The only recalcitrants were the rural property owners, who were beginning to feel the effects of the agrarian reform, and the clergy. The latter remained opposed to the government.
The process of concentration of power reached its peak about 1934 with the accession to the presidency of General Lázaro Cárdenas. After that the concentration of the presidential power and of the central government diminished somewhat, but the state maintained its strength and its unity.
THERE ARE statistics that confirm this hypothesis. Since the founding of the National Revolutionary Party in 1929, the PRI has never lost a presidential election, any election for governor, or any senatorial election. During this period the party has brought to power 6 presidents, nearly 200 governors, and 282 senators. From the presidential election of 1910 until the last election in 1958, the government candidate won more than 90 percent of the votes.
The strength of the opposition parties is insignificant. The federal government gained the support of more than 90 percent of organized labor.
The power of the executive against the Congress reached its peak under Cardenas and Ávila Camacho. All the proposed legislation which the President submitted to Congress was approved unanimously. The Supreme Court of Justice favored the President in all major decisions without exception. Governors could be deposed constitutionally; they were subjected to a very effective system of political control in that they depended for their finances on the federal government, which controlled an average of 90 percent of the state revenues.
THE MEXICAN state thus violated the basic principles of the classic theory of democracy. But this sin permitted its development; it put faith in an extraordinarily useful instrument for the development of a nation-state far different in concept from middle-class Europe or the United States.
The presidential regime served to defeat the connivance of the legislature, the army, and the clergy. The central regime in fact ended the regional feuds and the intervention of local governments by controlling the local political bosses. And in general the unity of decision of the government served to combat instability; the government met the assaults against the state which the large foreign companies encouraged for their own advantage; it was able to cope with the differences between governors and presidents which elsewhere led to anarchy and bloodshed; and finally, it served to keep the military in check.
BY 1960 THE great political bosses who had dominated the country had disappeared, except for two or three who hold much reduced power. The army represents a steadily decreasing strength in proportion to that of labor and is absorbing only 8 to 10 percent of the total federal expenditure, less than in any other Latin-American country with the exception of Costa Rica. The clergy can no longer pretend to be a state within a state, having been deprived of its great wealth in the nineteenth century. Divided between traditionalists and progressives, the clergy encounters a country in which political-religious affiliation is not only constitutionally prohibited but except in a few areas does not operate.
—reprinted from the Atlantic Monthly
Jacobs Corrects
The People Say...
I would appreciate insertion of the following in your column, in connection with the press report of my participation in the SUA Current Events Forum.
I would like to clear up two inaccuracies which crept into your article "Economic development regarded as necessary to foreign aid" in the March 9 issue of the KANSAN.
(1) The final sentence in the first column is a garbled version of a major point. It should have read, (with reference to the role of the sociologist in economic development programs) "in addition to concern with good working human relations, a necessity exists for research into the problem of understanding why certain countries are underdeveloped, etc." As stated it would appear that the two problems are one, which is opposed to my position.
(2) It is my colleague alone who has had experience with the International Bank. My own experience, other than that of a researcher, has been with the occupation in Japan and most recently with ICA (now AID) in Iran.
Thank you.
Norman Jacobs
Associate Professor of
Sociology
- * *
Prejudice Fight
We're confused. We hear you say, "Tm for civil rights. I favor integration. I like Negroes." But we don't see you doing anything to indicate that you really mean this. Of course you don't have to prove you feel this way by picketing (but do you understand this position?). We do wonder though
Karen Jo Emel
Colby senior
Douglas M. Hager
Hutchinson senior
when only a few KU students show up at a meeting designed to discuss this one means of furthering civil rights on our campus. Last night the CRCC held a meeting to explain why demonstrations are being held and all of you we hear say, 'This isn't the way to fight prejudice' didn't come to explain how you feel. WHY?
\* \* \*
In a letter to the Kansan printed in the March 10 issue, Mr. Bob Love issued a challenge to the Kansan to let conservatives write for the paper. As a journalism student and a member of the Kansan staff I would like to answer the challenge by explaining the Kansan to Mr. Love and anyone else who feels that their position is being discriminated against by Kansan writers.
Reply from Kansan Editor:
The Kansan staff is composed stricly of journalism students. Anyone planning to make newspaper writing a career and majoring in journalism at this University
The problem, if, as Mr. Love suggests there is a problem, is that the type of person who plans to spend his life as a journalist is usually liberally oriented. Young journalists are idealists or they would not be entering a field where the pay is low, the hours are long, and the work demands much of their lives. They are, to a large extent, people who would like to do what they, can to contribute their part to humanity, and have chosen the field of communications as their medium. These young people are not very likely to be conservative. They are more often of the type Mr. Love would label "wild eved radicals."
automatically becomes a member of the Kansan staff. No one is asked his political affiliation before he is allowed to enter the journalism school, there is no effort to restrict conservatives from taking journalism courses.
When and if a student enrolls in the William Allen White School of Journalism who is a conservative, he too will get his chance to write for the Kansan. Until then we must rely on the staff that is available.
Jackie Helstrom Wichita senior
DailiJ Hänsan
111 Flint Hall University of Kansas student newspaper
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"And, Over Here, The Enemy - People"
Other Campuses
Rockwell for President
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA—George Lincoln Rockwell's appearance on campus stirred as much controversy and comment as at KU.
A Daily Minnesota article defended the right of the sponsoring campus club to invite Rockwell. An editorial page cartoon showed two students gazing at a "Rockwell for President" billboard, with the accompanying caption: "He doesn't have a ghost of a chance. He's divorced and he doesn't go to church."
Greek Orgy
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA—On the editorial page of the Daily Iowan:
Fraternity men in the state of Indiana seem to be lacking in a genuine knowledge of history. Several of these men, members of Phi Delta Theta chapters throughout the state, were arrested recently for throwing an orgy in an Indianapolis hotel.
Historically the Romans, not the Greeks, have been associated with orgies. If the effects of the weekend activities of the collegians are any indication, it's easy to see why Rome fell.
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY—The O'Collegian recently printed a statement issued by the Association of University Ministers, opposing prayer before OSU football games.
Prayer and Football
From the statement: "Prayer is a sacred moment within the life of an individual to be encountered in either private or corporate gatherings. . . The primary reason for our stand is our understanding of group prayer. . . Since the football audience is not a community which shares a common faith, there can be no common faith. . . Since the football crowd does not and cannot gather for common worship, it is a violation of them and a misuse of worship to attempt to impose upon them through a prayer any particular form of worship. . . We do not see public prayer as an appropriate instrument of evangelism."
Irma to Dallas
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY—An "Irma to Dallas" campaign has collected over $100 to send the Bluejays' good luck charm with the team to the Dallas NCAA playoffs.
"Irma" is the assistant food manager of the Student Center, Mrs. Irma Trumbauer.
One of the team members explained, "We won every game she attended this year, so we decided to do something about the tournament."
Truth Squad
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA—A Truth Squad has been formed to consider such questions as "Are you lost in the factory?" and "Is this a Godless university?"
A panel discussion and question period are features of the frequent meetings on campus problems.