Page:Mexico under Carranza.djvu/70

54 foreigners and citizens in Mexico, and the free exercise of their religion.

The final outcome of the pledges that the personal, property, and religious rights of foreigners in Mexico would be observed by the Carranza Government that were iterated and reiterated by the head of that government, and by its representative in Washington, appeared when the new constitution of Mexico was adopted by the Carranza party on January 31, 1917. An inspection of that instrument shows that every pledge made by the representatives of the de facto, since recognized as the de jure, government was deliberately and completely violated. The record made by the Carranza administration since the adoption of that constitution in dealing with the rights of foreigners has shown a consistent and continued violation of all those rights. To show how completely the pledges of the Carranza government were broken by the new constitution, a reference to a few of the provisions of that document will be appropriate.

It will be observed that General Carranza, as the head of what he and his followers had denominated the "Constitutional Party of Mexico," repeatedly made the pledge that as soon as he was established in the City of Mexico he would issue