Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1904-07-21
MEMco's STANDING ARMY.
An blishment That Has Been CT O.
ated Since Diaz Became
President.

Wide dinused as is the perlO0lcal
literature of to-day and varied as are
the subjects Of which it treats, how
little do we know about the actual So
cial, domestic and political conditions
of the countries in which we have not
travelled How strong the tendencN to
look upon our next-door neighboP as
hst 4 little less civilized than we! How
many in the United States know any
thing about the organization Of the
Mexican army, the excellent police
force of the country, the progress the
nation has made in the last 20 years,
the working Of the government ma
chinery, which stands for the greater
part of the progress made in this time?
Certainly a very small number Yet
all these things. and more, we should
know before we venture to either
praise or blame any country says Mod
ern Mexico.
The most interesting feature in con-
nection with the modern progress &,
MEXICO is the army. The present CHIEF
executive found 1t a disorganiZed body
Of guerrillas led by few ambitious
men who were, in too many cases, not
overscrupulous as to the means they
used to secure their positions and TO
attain their political aims. In a few
years this disorganized body has been
organized and disciplined, and the mi
itary school has supplied it with
trained, educated and intelligent off,
GERS, many of whom would be credit
to any military organization. But,
above all, the government has done
away with the old spirit of political
ambition to be attained through revo-
luton. The nation Is now almost a
unit In Its adherence to peace and the
policy of the present chief executive.
The soldiers of the standing army,
of which there are $4,000, are subject
to strict daily routine Of military eX-
ercise to At them for actual war, or for
military expeditions which the Perm
men has for the past few year been
forced to take to keep in subsection
some Of the more rebellious tribes
which only within the past year have
been brought under complete govern
ment control.
Everywhere the government has now
established primary schools for the ed
ucation Of the regular soldier, and all
who have not attained certain educa-
tional standing are forced to follow the
course laid down for these schools. In
addition to this, inducements In the
way Of promotions are. held out TO
those who more ambitious than their
fellows, carry their studies further
than the law actually requires.
Not only has the army been disci-
plined, but 1t has been reinforced with
men and equipments In modern arms,
uniforms, etc. From being lawless
body 1t has come to stand for law and
and order of the country.
Instead of being made up largely OF
robber chiefs and their followers, its
mission now is to hunt down any one
who sets himself up against the estab-
lished order of things. 1t is an organi-
zation possessed of spirit to be found
in no other Latin-American country.
Mexico possesses one Of the finest
military museums Of any country in
the world and a journey (for it Is a
Journey through 1t will we'll repay
even the casual pleasure seeker who
has no higher aims than to "see
things"
Every town and village throughout
Mexico has stationed within it some Of
the regular standing forces. Generally
these belong to the 'rurales," or
mounted police, which serve much the
same purpose as the mounted police Of
Canada. Early In his career as gov
ernor Of the Mexican nation Gen. Diaz
bought off many of the robber chief
tans and made them leaders Of a rural
police at good salaries. These were
used to hunt the other robbers, who
preferred an Independent life to accept
ing a salary from the government.
This was the origin Of the famous ru-
rales, or interior soldier-pollce. To
this force was due, to a great extent,
the early pacifcation and security Of
the country, and its members are still
the guardians Of the peace in the in
terror.