What is to be done? : burning questions of our movement

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  "Claims Against Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico for Losses Incurred During Revolution of 1929." Terrific detail on this conflict. Letter of Dec. 5, 1931 details chronological events from March 3, 1929 ("Revolution started") to March 20, 1929. Rebels were burning trestles and holding up or taking refrigerated cars. Inclues lengthy, stinging letter from A.A. Burnand of Burnand & Co., dated 11/7/31. (They were packers and shippers located in L.A. and Tucson). "Mr. Titcomb seems to think he can treat his patrons about as he pleases and still enjoy their friendship and patronage with his affiliations -- this cannot be done. When we enter into an agreement we carry it out. ...If you have revolutionary losses there is no reason why we should bear any part thereof. If they burn a bridge from you and steal a truck from us, you certainly cannot be called upon to pay us part of the value of our truck anymore than we should pay for part of the repairs of your bridge. ...We have given this entire subject careful and fair consideration during the past two years while we have been trying to get a hearing. The more we think of it the more we feel we have been shabbily treated by your officials in Mexico. I know you have the reputation of being absolutely fair in all matters and I feel that you would approve an order of prompt settlement of our claim if you were fully acquainted with the entire file..." Some other great stuff here too! Including a letter to T.D. Boyd of the Mexico Arizona Trading Co. who had made similar complaints, i.e., letter from Shoup to Boyd dated 10/31/31: We value your goodwill... I do not feel, however, that we should be charged with the results of difficulties beyond our control, incident to the revolution, in which we lost perhaps more than any other private interest in Mexico. Let us hope better times come to us all." This in response to an earlier handwritten letter from Boyd to Shoup: "Please pardon script. I am in the field trying to plant tomatoes. All of letter is good; last paragraph is great illustration of stresses caused by revolution and of views of SPM: "We realize that you suffered many losses, and that you still are losing in your operations. Your revolutionary losses were unavoidable; whereas what we are complaining about was caused by useless, non-productive, unreasonable action by employes and officials in failing to carry out a simple, clear, and extremely important agreement, which you yourself helped us to make. I know that in the bottom of your heart you know we are dead right. Don't hesitate. Do what is correct in this matter and don't force Burnand and me to continue to fight the SPdeM. We don't want to do it, and I do not think you gentlemen ought force us." --Apparently a key issue was that the SPM wouldn't send several hundred empties into Nogales, or north of San Blas, which left the shipping company unable to ship their tomatoes [back into Mexio? or further north into U.S?] Boyd claims that "persistent, insistant, and earnest requests for empties are on record and also were verbally made." Etc. [SEE ALSO III:2, XIX:3.]

  Manuscripts

  These materials, consisting primarily of correspondence but also including maps, news clippings, photographs, and blueprints, are arranged and bound by topic according to the Southern Pacific's internal organizational schema. There are 160 individual bound items in these 23 boxes. Each grouping is in reverse chronological order as it was originally filed by SP de México administrators. Collection has material in English and Spanish.

  mssSPdeMéxicocollection