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That day he announced a Cabinet that included not one of Alemán's cronies. A few days later he published a complete list of his assets—his Mexico City house, a small Veracruz ranch, his savings, his 1948 Lincoln and his furniture. The total valuation was $34,000. Then he directed that all 250,000 government employees follow his example, with a warning that the lists would be checked for accuracy and checked again when the men left government service. When the treasury sent him the President's customary $4,000 monthly check for "special expenses," hf turned it back and said he would get along on his salary as he always had. He refused to accept five 1953 cars presented by Mexico City auto dealers. When a policeman stopped his chauffeur from making an illegal U turn, the President had the cop publicly commended.
Such actions might have been laughed off by the Alemánistas as mere grandstand plays or as signs of the new President's personal eccentricities. But Ruiz Cortines soon showed that he was out to clean up government from top to bottom. He abruptly ordered all treasury payments stopped while government contracts were reexamined. His Communications Minister reported getting a bill for one 75-mile highway that had been registered as completed and even marked on some maps. Yet, on a flight over the area, he could find no trace of the road. Ruiz Cortines called in the contractor and fined him three times the amount of his claim for nonfulfillment of contract. For the big job of federal district governor, the Presi-'dent picked a veteran Alemánista, but built such a fire under him that the old wheelhorse leaped like an apocalyptic charger against price-gouging movie exhibitors, police-protected brothels and unsightly sidewalk peddlers, then went frantically to work repairing street drains in flood-plagued working-class districts.
Out with Monopolies. To Mexicans' amazement, awe and admiration, Ruiz Cortines sailed into the "monopolists," i.e., Alemán pals who got strangleholds on many business activities. In March he struck hard to smash the monopoly of Mexico City oil distribution, held by pistol-packing Multimillionaire Jorge Pas-quel of Mexican-baseball-league fame. Then, in succession, he expertly dethroned Transport King Antonio Díaz Lombardo, who had made $40 million as boss of the bus lines and head of Alemán's lucrative Social Security Department, and loosened the grip of Multimillionaire Aaron Saenz on Mexico's sugar industry. Pledged to lower food prices, the President also smashed the monopolistic plays of middlemen in corn, rice and beans by authorizing a government agency to buy and sell such commodities on an emergency basis. With food prices down 10%, Ruiz Cortines proclaimed last week that the first "batjl tie against the hungermongers" had been won.
As startling as his cleanup was the skill and authority with which Ruiz Cortines carried it out. Mild and unassuming personally, the new President nevertheless grasped his great powers firmly. His methods reminded one subordinate of the story of Abraham Lincoln polling his Cabinet, finding all eight opposed to his view, then announcing: "Eight nays, one aye; the ayes have it." Though he has held only two Cabinet meetings since taking office,