The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-02
THE MEXICAN ARMY.
Why the Strict enforcement Of
Discipline Is Necessary.
Its Ranks Contain Many Criminals. Who
Are sumnarily Dealt with in Case
Ct Observation-Disclosures Mill
tary Penal Institution.


The discipline Of the Mexican army is
not tempered with mercy. The dispatch
from Juarez which stated that four
Mexican soldiers who had taken part in
a mutiny would be shot the next morn
ing occasioned no surprise to people
who know how summarily the Mexican.
government deals with cases of that
sort. A mutinous soldier stands very
little chance of his life If the command
ing officer thinks he ought to be shot.
Although this rigid enforcement of
discipline may seem harsh to Ameri-
cans, it is, says the Denver Repub-
ican, in probably majority Of cases,
necessary in Mexico. The Mexican
army is composed chiefly Of Indians.
Indeed, by far the greatest part Of tho
Mexican population is either Of pure
Indian blood or of Indian blood mixed
with that of some other race. There
are very few full-blooded whites in
Mexico. Soldiers like those which
compose nearly the whole of the Mexi-
can army have to be dealt with very
rigidly in order to maintain discipline.
The Mexican army is kind of penal
institution in this, that a great many
criminals who are not shot are forced
into the army. 1t was in this way that
brigandage was stopped in that coun-
try. The leaders of the brigands were
given Offices in the army and their men
were forced into the ranks. Although
this broke up the lawless bands, it In
troduced a very dangerous element into
the army, which can be held in check
only by the most rigid methods.
In Italy and Russia the army is looked
upon as kind of school for men Of the
lower class. They are taught obedi-
ence, and national spirit is developed
in them by their connection with the
military arm of the government. They
are withdrawn from local associations
which might weaken their attachment
to the government, and they are taught
to look up to the authority Of the ma
ton as their guide. The maintenance
of an army for such a purpose as this
would be wholly contrary to good pol
icy in highly civilized country. But
in Russia and Italy it serves good pur-
pose, and what is true Of those coun-
tries is, particularly, true Of Mexico.
The Mexican army amounts to about
thirty-one thousand officers and men.
It is completely under the command of
President Diaz, who can use it as he
pleases for the maintenance Of his au-
thority and the preservation Of order.
If it were not for the army Mexico
would probably break out in revolu-
ton in very short time, because there
is strong element Of opposition to Diaz
among the people.
| An arbitrary government is better
than no government at all, and although
the government Of Diaz is very much
like military despotism it is the best
government that Mexico ever had II
is stable; and If he and his successors
shall maintain government of this sort
for the next twenty-five years, Mexico
will by the end of that time have ad.
vanced SO far that the people will be
able to appreciate liberty in something
like the American understanding Of the
term. But this would be impossible
without the aid of the army. Indeed. II
would be better to raise the army tc
one hundred thousand men rather thar
reduce 1t to force too small to hold the
revolutionists and the lawless charac
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