The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-27

nations near the verge OF hostilities.
Few persons outside of our Southwest |
know much about a greaser and what
he is. Yet. Texas. in common with the |
southern part of Arizona, New Mexico. |
and California, has been troubled with |
the greaser problem for a long time. !
The trouble of this week was only an |
outward manifestation of the feeling that |
has existed toward the Mexican half |
breed on American soil for the last quar-
ter of a century.
By his long-continued presence and
eyer-inereasIng numbers the greaser has
furnished the Southwestern country with
labor situation not altogether unlike
that contributed by the Japanese on the
Pacific Coast or the negro In other parts
of the South. notably Alabama. Missis-
sippi, and the Carolinas. For always
the greaser is a labOrer. and always will
he work cheaper than white man
who tolls with his hands can afford 10
do. The condition thus brought about
has kept thousands OF white men" out
of the Rio Grande country, and has,
therefore, retarded the growth of that
section OF the country. For there, as IN
the river bottoms of Alabama and Mis-
sissippi and on the plains of California,
If white man would compete with the
invader he must accept the same rate OF
pay and live In the same way, And since
not all white men can superintend
ranches, own farms, or boss labor gangs,
and since some of them are reduced by
adversely TO toll with their hands, the
presence of the competitive race causes
trouble
Represents Lowest Glass.
Mexican and greaser are not precisely
the same thing. The greaser is the low
est class OF Mexican. II ever he rises in
the world he sheds the uneomplimentary
name. He is a half-breed. but the Indian
strain predominates in bis physical as
well as his mental makeup Usually he Is
nllterate, with little jr no ambition. Cen
orally he Is a common iaborer, and often
he bears the reputation of being shiftless,
thriftless, and indolent. His earnings at
the end Of the week go largely into
mescal and toquila-distinctive Mexican
drinks The condition that they reduce
him to leads him 10 commit rash acts and
get him into trouble with the authorities
police or country constable. Having nc
money, again, he is sent, when a eulprit.
10 the road gang. AM forced to work out
his sentence In the hardest Of labor. Cen
orally after a session like this the greaser
is good, but out of work for week or
two.
In appearance the greaser is not alto
gether unlike the Greek or Neapolitan la
borer seen on the streets of New York or
other large Northern cities Short, stock
lily built, of f1orid, greasy-lOoking COM
plexion thence. probably, the term
"greaser'D ne is phlegmatic, without
noteworthy aspirations, and. in his atu-
tude 20 most things. apparently uncon-
cerned- Seen on the streets as member
of the cement or rail-laying gang or
stolidly ploddlng after his pillow in the
furrow. he suggests a human machine.
To get through with his work In the
shortest possible time and in the easiest
possible way seems 10 be his highest aim.
But Il occasion requires, the greaser'
temper can assume proportions as fiery
and as strong as the red pepper with
which he so generously flavors his every
article of food.
He has the reputation of taking about
the minimum in the way of abuse from
the boss OF the gang Of which he hap
pens TO be a member. and will not pa
tiently submit TO being called bad names.
For that reason. 10 the inexperienced
gang foreman the gTeaser is thing 10
be handled with care.
Leads Life of Exile.
The greaser's home life Is not home
life II is the life of an exile. II is JUST
as insanitary and as uninvlting as that
which he lives in the streets or in the
farm field Generally he lives in an
adobe cabin. one-story squat structure
built OF a clay mixture, and looking not
altogether unlike one Of the concrete
dwellings to be seen on the outskirts of
New York, but rudely smeared over with
mud and ragged around the corners and
at the different angles Sometimes the
greaser is thrifty enough to own his own
adobe hut, but I'm most cases il is rented
from his employer or from a Mexican real
estate agent in the city in which he hap
pens TO be living. This in case the greaser
has a family. II he be single he rents
one corner OF the room of a fellOW-greaser
when he is at work, or sleeps on park
benches or behind barn In the summer
time.
AS for the pleasanter side. the greaser
is invariably a musician. The ballads
that he sings in his fine, rich, outdoor
voice. and the lullabies that float out
from his guitar or mandolin, whether
sad or pulse-stirring, have that plaintlve
Spanish strain that tells of moonlight
nights and of a people filed with the
Joy of living. however humble their living
may be. It's distinct from all Others
this greaser music. There is something
fascinating in its ragtime-like melody
There are few more typical or pictur-
| esque scenes than a greaser orchestra,
when IL gets In full swing on the plaza
[ m in ~
/ hotel on a moonlight summers night.
The travelling men who happen to be
spending the night in that particular hos
| tlery gather out in front, and, by fire.
quent contributions into the hat of some
man of affairs from the band. serve 10
| keep the music in swing until far into the
might. Maybe the gTeaser has been hard
at work in the street gang during the
| day, but he doesn't mind so long as the
money comes easy. Music is rest TO him,
anyway. In San Antonio, the largest
city of the Lone Star State. these greaser
orchestras form a regular feature of the
| life The bamboo-grOwn plaza which
/ fronts the city's largest hotel and the
park In front of the St Anthony offer
ideal stands for these 'serenady" orches-
tras. and open-air music is never falling
OF q fair night in that picturesque city.
With the moonlight playing over the
scene. the odor of the sweet roses and
vines that creep and cling In every yard
and in front Of every residence, the hour
tina: the greaser band IN San Antonio Of
fers is an hour of peace and joy.
Many Hold Big offices.
Perhaps third of the population of
San Antonio is made up of Mexicans
To the outsiders all of these are greasers.