The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 79, July 1975 - April, 1976 Page: 19
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The Destruction of the Mexican Cattle Industry
good margin of profit. Cattlemen in the interior, on the other hand, feared
the inordinate competition growing out of the massive, though irregular,
influx of Mexican cattle into the Southwest and Texas. Caught in the
middle of the struggle was the United States government.
Woodrow Wilson's attempts to formulate a viable Mexican policy con-
stantly foundered on his own idealism. As a consequence, his continual
maneuvering between different revolutionary factions in 1914 and I915
found itself reflected in attempts by these groups to sell cattle in the United
States. Since Villa controlled most of the major border ports he virtually
dictated the terms for the sale of cattle in the United States by both Mexi-
can and foreign cattlemen. Though Carranza ultimately won the battle for
United States recognition, Villa continued to sell cattle in the United States
through a variety of ruses. United States producers with cattle in Mexico
needed the outlet to northern markets if their investments were not to be a
total loss.
Sanitary restrictions imposed on the importation of Mexican livestock
into the United States also proved a misguided attempt to show preferen-
tial treatment to one faction or another. Under statutes regulating the
importation of livestock and livestock products, the secretary of agriculture
faced the problem of admitting stock belonging to a faction out of favor
with Washington. The ad hoc, capricious decisions with regard to the
packing plant in Juirez proved more effective in slowing importations than
did statutory regulation. Sanitation as a diplomatic ploy thus proved fruit-
less.
The United States government became further involved in the Mexican
cattle imbroglio when it attempted to redress grievances of its citizens with
holdings in Mexico. An antiforeign tendency in the Revolution had become
apparent early as revolutionary groups pillaged foreign-owned haciendas
and made off with cattle, horses, and other necessities.
Mexico's revolutionary fervor reached its apogee in the Constitution of
1917. A nationalist frenzy aimed at the elimination of dominant foreign
control from the Mexican scene. Constitutional strictures against foreign
ownership of large tracts of land, especially in states like Chihuahua and
Coahuila, made the reconstruction of the beef cattle industry hazardous.
Even Mexican cattlemen felt reluctant to invest in properties that could
be expropriated on a seeming whim.
Mexico after I920 was forced to start anew in the reconstruction of her
beef cattle industry. In I9o2 she had possessed 5,142,454 head of cattle,
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 79, July 1975 - April, 1976, periodical, 1975/1976; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101203/m1/37/?q=%22oil-gas%22: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.